LAS VEGAS (August 23, 2025) — North Carolina FC defeated Las Vegas Lights FC, 2–1, on Saturday, August 23 at Cashman Field.
With the win, NCFC improves to 10W–7L–3D (33 points), jumping into third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Pedro Dolabella opened the scoring quickly, deflecting Mikey Maldonado’s free kick just three minutes into the match. This was Dolabella’s seventh goal of the season, which leads the team.
Thomas Roberts knocked in Oalex Anderson’s pass for his first goal with the club, giving NCFC a two-goal cushion in the 66′.
Coleman Gannon got the Lights on the board in the 83′ but the home team was unable to overcome the deficit.
Match Notes:
- Pedro Dolabella’s goal in the 3′ marks the quickest goal of the season for NCFC
- Thomas Roberts scored his first NCFC goal in the 66′
- Oliver Semmle and Jahlane Forbes made their NCFC debuts tonight
Quotes:
John Bradford: “I feel the guys really came together this week with some new additions after some tough injuries and collectively put a performance together to earn an important three points on the road. Las Vegas is a better team than their record indicates and were fighting for everything tonight.”
John Bradford: “It was great to see Oliver and Jahlane in their first action and both were important. It was great for Thomas to find his first goal at a critical moment. Credit to all of the guys for coming to a tough environment and leaving with the win. Now we’ll look forward to preparing for a strong Hartford team back at home this coming weekend.”
Up Next:
North Carolina FC returns home for a matchup with Eastern Conference foe Hartford Athletic for Star Wars Night on Saturday, August 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. The match will stream on ESPN+, and tickets are available here.
Box Score
NCFC (3-4-3): Oliver Semmle, Triston Hodge, Bryce Washington, Finn Sundstrom, Jaden Servania (Jahlane Forbes – 79′), Patrick Burner (Ahmad Al-Qaq – 79′), Louis Perez, Raheem Somersall (Thomas Roberts – 65′), Mikey Maldonado, Pedro Dolabella (Oalex Anderson – 65′), Evan Conway (R. Da Costa – 87′)
Subs Not Used: Jake McGuire, Paco Craig, Conor Donovan
LV (4-2-3-1): Raiko Arozarena, Gennaro Nigro, Elias Gärtig, Anthony Herbert, Younes Boudadi (Shawn Smart – 77′), Patrick Leal, Christopher Pearson (McKinze Gaines – 45′), Coleman Gannon, Jonathan Rodriguez (Vaughn Covil – 77′), Nighte Pickering (Rory O’Driscoll – 45′), Stefan Stojanovic (Tommy McNamara – 61′)
Subs Not Used: Nicholas Ammeter, Nate Jones
Score:
NCFC: 2
LV: 1
Goals:
NCFC: P. Dolabella (M. Maldonado) – 3′, T. Roberts (O. Anderson) – 66′
LV: C. Gannon (E. Gärtig) – 83′
Cautions:
NCFC: B. Washington – 18′, P. Burner – 38′, J. Servania – 71′, O. Anderson – 90+3′
LV: E. Gärtig – 39′, Y. Boudadi – 68′
Ejections:
NCFC: –
LV: –
Venue (Location): Cashman Field (Las Vegas)
