CARY, NC (July 21, 2021) – Courtesy of a pair of braces from Robert Kristo and Josh Coan, North Carolina FC notched a 4-0 win against the visiting Richmond Kickers on Wednesday night. Kicking off the scoring in the 19th minute of the match, Kristo added a pair of goals in the first half, and Coan tallied a brace of his own in the second as John Bradford’s team dominated the competition from start to finish. Jake McGuire recorded the clean sheet, making three saves to render the Kickers scoreless throughout the contest.
“I'm extremely excited for the guys in the locker room to finally get what they deserve and they put the effort in to earn this win,” said Head Coach John Bradford. “We've had stuff not go our way, or injuries they can't control and guys not available, but for them to put together a complete performance tonight, and get three points, a shut out and multiple goals, I’m excited for them.”
“To be honest, this performance took everybody at their best,” said Peter Pearson. “We had a good feeling after our last game against Toronto, and knew we needed to come back with a strong performance. Tonight was amazing.”
Scoring Recap:
19’ Robert Kristo (Nelson Flores) – NCFC 1, RIC 0
Robert Kristo netted his first goal of the season in tonight’s contest, and made his first appearance on the starting lineup since May 22. The go-ahead goal began at the hands of Nelson Flores, who played in a long ball towards the far post, intended for Kristo. Utilizing his 6’5” frame to beat his defender in an aerial duel, Kristo redirected a header into the back of the net to give North Carolina FC a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute.
41’ Robert Kristo – NCFC 2, RIC 0
Kristo added a second goal in the 41st minute, receiving a clearance from the NCFC defense just past the midfield line. With a defender on his back, Kristo allowed the ball to take one bounce before turning and rocketing an awe-inspiring volley over the heads of two Richmond defenders and goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald — over 45 yards away from the goal. Kristo’s brace allowed the home team to ease into a 2-0 lead that the young squad would carry to the halftime whistle.
Of his goal, Kristo said, “I was talking to Nazmi Albadawi earlier in the game and he’d said that the keeper was out…I’d asked for the ball so I could turn and shoot, and when I saw him out of his net I just sent it. I was shocked that it hit the goal, to be honest, but I’ll take it,” the veteran continued. “It’s about time. It’s what the fans have been waiting for, it’s what the coaching staff has been waiting for, and it’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
48’ Josh Coan (Jay Tee Kamara) – NCFC 3, RIC 0
Still feeling the momentum from an outstanding first half, North Carolina FC was not quite done adding to their lead. Just three minutes into the first half, Jay Tee Kamara threaded a ball into the path of Josh Coan, who had been left open on the right flank. Taking two quick touches and cutting the ball out towards his right foot, Coan took a chance, firing a driven shot across the box and into the lower 90 to score his first goal of the season and extend NCFC’s lead to three goals. With the assist, Kamara now boasts five assists this season.
90+2’ Josh Coan – NCFC 4, RIC 0
Joining Kristo in scoring a brace, Coan notched his second goal of the season in stoppage time. Putting high pressure on the Kickers’ backline, the forward stripped the ball from the center back and took on Fitzgerald in a one vs. one battle. Slotting a shot into the back of the net, Coan tallied his second goal of both the match and the season to seal the commanding 4-0 win in front of NCFC’s home crowd. Despite Richmond’s best efforts to edge in NCFC’s lead, the four-goal deficit was maintained as time expired.
Match Notes:
-
Robert Kristo recorded his first start since May 22 in tonight’s match, tallying two goals.
-
Josh Coan scored his first and second goals of the season.
-
Marvin Mariche made his First Team debut in tonight’s matchup.
Up Next: North Carolina FC will travel to face off against Fort Lauderdale CF on Sunday, August 1st at 7:30 p.m. ET at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-5-1): Jake McGuire, Nelson Flores, Shermaine Martina (Malick Mbaye — 84’), Max Flick, Nelson Flores, Pecka, Nelson Martinez, Selmir Miscic (Cole Frame — 76’), Peter Pearson, Josh Coan (Marvin Mariche — 90+3’), Nazmi Albadawi, Jay Tee Kamara (Luis Arriaga — 76’), Robert Kristo
Subs Not Used: Britton Fischer, Malyk Hamilton, Nick Holliday
RIC (4-3-3): Akira Fitzgerald, Chris Cole, Ivan Magalhaes, Zaca Moran, Matt Bolduc, Nil Vinyals (Jonathan Bolanos — 65’), Oalex Anderson, Jalen Crisler (Mumbi Kwesele — 77’), Esteban Calvo (Luke Pavone — 64’), Victor Falck (Stanley Alves — 64’), Emiliano Terzaghi (Damian Gallegos — 80’)
Subs Not Used: Austin Causey, Hernan Gonzalez
Score:
NCFC: 4
RIC: 0
Goals:
NCFC: Robert Kristo — 19’, 41’, Josh Coan — 48’, 90+2’
RIC:
Cautions:
NCFC: —
RIC: Zaca Moran — 70’
Ejections:
NCFC: —
RIC: Ivan Magalhaes — 85’
CARY, NC (July 21, 2021) – Courtesy of a pair of braces from Robert Kristo and Josh Coan, North Carolina FC notched a 4-0 win against the visiting Richmond Kickers on Wednesday night. Kicking off the scoring in the 19th minute of the match, Kristo added a pair of goals in the first half, and Coan tallied a brace of his own in the second as John Bradford’s team dominated the competition from start to finish. Jake McGuire recorded the clean sheet, making three saves to render the Kickers scoreless throughout the contest.
“I’m extremely excited for the guys in the locker room to finally get what they deserve and they put the effort in to earn this win,” said Head Coach John Bradford. “We’ve had stuff not go our way, or injuries they can’t control and guys not available, but for them to put together a complete performance tonight, and get three points, a shut out and multiple goals, I’m excited for them.”
“To be honest, this performance took everybody at their best,” said Peter Pearson. “We had a good feeling after our last game against Toronto, and knew we needed to come back with a strong performance. Tonight was amazing.”
Scoring Recap:
19’ Robert Kristo (Nelson Flores) – NCFC 1, RIC 0
Robert Kristo netted his first goal of the season in tonight’s contest, and made his first appearance on the starting lineup since May 22. The go-ahead goal began at the hands of Nelson Flores, who played in a long ball towards the far post, intended for Kristo. Utilizing his 6’5” frame to beat his defender in an aerial duel, Kristo redirected a header into the back of the net to give North Carolina FC a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute.
41’ Robert Kristo – NCFC 2, RIC 0
Kristo added a second goal in the 41st minute, receiving a clearance from the NCFC defense just past the midfield line. With a defender on his back, Kristo allowed the ball to take one bounce before turning and rocketing an awe-inspiring volley over the heads of two Richmond defenders and goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald — over 45 yards away from the goal. Kristo’s brace allowed the home team to ease into a 2-0 lead that the young squad would carry to the halftime whistle.
Of his goal, Kristo said, “I was talking to Nazmi Albadawi earlier in the game and he’d said that the keeper was out…I’d asked for the ball so I could turn and shoot, and when I saw him out of his net I just sent it. I was shocked that it hit the goal, to be honest, but I’ll take it,” the veteran continued. “It’s about time. It’s what the fans have been waiting for, it’s what the coaching staff has been waiting for, and it’s what we’ve been waiting for.”
48’ Josh Coan (Jay Tee Kamara) – NCFC 3, RIC 0
Still feeling the momentum from an outstanding first half, North Carolina FC was not quite done adding to their lead. Just three minutes into the first half, Jay Tee Kamara threaded a ball into the path of Josh Coan, who had been left open on the right flank. Taking two quick touches and cutting the ball out towards his right foot, Coan took a chance, firing a driven shot across the box and into the lower 90 to score his first goal of the season and extend NCFC’s lead to three goals. With the assist, Kamara now boasts five assists this season.
90+2’ Josh Coan – NCFC 4, RIC 0
Joining Kristo in scoring a brace, Coan notched his second goal of the season in stoppage time. Putting high pressure on the Kickers’ backline, the forward stripped the ball from the center back and took on Fitzgerald in a one vs. one battle. Slotting a shot into the back of the net, Coan tallied his second goal of both the match and the season to seal the commanding 4-0 win in front of NCFC’s home crowd. Despite Richmond’s best efforts to edge in NCFC’s lead, the four-goal deficit was maintained as time expired.
Match Notes:
-
Robert Kristo recorded his first start since May 22 in tonight’s match, tallying two goals.
-
Josh Coan scored his first and second goals of the season.
-
Marvin Mariche made his First Team debut in tonight’s matchup.
Up Next: North Carolina FC will travel to face off against Fort Lauderdale CF on Sunday, August 1st at 7:30 p.m. ET at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-5-1): Jake McGuire, Nelson Flores, Shermaine Martina (Malick Mbaye — 84’), Max Flick, Nelson Flores, Pecka, Nelson Martinez, Selmir Miscic (Cole Frame — 76’), Peter Pearson, Josh Coan (Marvin Mariche — 90+3’), Nazmi Albadawi, Jay Tee Kamara (Luis Arriaga — 76’), Robert Kristo
Subs Not Used: Britton Fischer, Malyk Hamilton, Nick Holliday
RIC (4-3-3): Akira Fitzgerald, Chris Cole, Ivan Magalhaes, Zaca Moran, Matt Bolduc, Nil Vinyals (Jonathan Bolanos — 65’), Oalex Anderson, Jalen Crisler (Mumbi Kwesele — 77’), Esteban Calvo (Luke Pavone — 64’), Victor Falck (Stanley Alves — 64’), Emiliano Terzaghi (Damian Gallegos — 80’)
Subs Not Used: Austin Causey, Hernan Gonzalez
Score:
NCFC: 4
RIC: 0
Goals:
NCFC: Robert Kristo — 19’, 41’, Josh Coan — 48’, 90+2’
RIC:
Cautions:
NCFC: —
RIC: Zaca Moran — 70’
Ejections:
NCFC: —
RIC: Ivan Magalhaes — 85’
