CARY, NC (April 16, 2022) – The points were shared in Cary on Saturday night as North Carolina FC drew with the visiting Greenville Triumph SC, 1-1. Garrett McLaughlin collected his third goal of the regular season in tonight’s match, and Venton Evans tallied the goal for the South Carolina side. A solid performance from the NCFC backline, Pecka’s regular season debut, and Nick Holliday earning the nod in net for the first time this season were among highlights from tonight’s match.
“Obviously, the objective of this game is to create chances and put yourself in a situation where you can score goals and defend the team well,” said Head Coach John Bradford following the match. “I think in the general aspect, I’m pleased [with our performance], but to go up a man and not be able to convert one of the many chances that we created late in the game, to not get three points is disappointing. Overall, the group defended well and in the second half, most of Greenville’s chances came off of set pieces and we defended well against those, as well as against second balls.”
Greenville struck first in tonight’s match, as Venton Evans received a short pass upfield from teammate Jake Keegan and cut the ball to his left foot. With his second touch, Evans tucked a shot into the lower 90, scoring his first goal with the Triumph to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute.
NCFC answered in the 35th minute, as a drop ball from a Triumph defender was intercepted by McLaughlin. Turning on the ball with his first touch, the striker slipped a shot past Triumph goalkeeper Paul Christensen to level the score at 1-1. The goal was McLaughlin’s third in as many games, and with tonight’s score added to his season tally, he moves into the lead in the Golden Boot race.
“I think aside from our early setback, it was our most complete performance so far,” said Chris Lue Young following the match. “We responded well and continued to play our game and create chances; it just came down to the final touch in the second half. Overall, I thought we defended well and moved the ball well.”
Up Next: North Carolina FC will face off against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on Saturday, April 30 at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are available here, and the match will air live on ESPN+.
Match Notes:
- Garrett McLaughlin added his third goal in three games in tonight’s match.
- Nick Holliday and Pecka made their regular season debuts.
- NCFC maintained 87% passing accuracy and 63% possession throughout the match.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-4-2): Nicholas Holliday, Christian Lue Young, Jordan Skelton ©, Gustavo Fernandes, Nelson Flores Blanco, Raheem Somersall (Pecka – 68’), Luis Arriaga, Jaden Servania (Showkat Tahir – 83’), Nelson Martinez, Garrett McLaughlin, Oalex Anderson (Cole Frame – 68’)
Subs Not Used: Britton Fischer, Will Pulisic, Max Flick, Nicolas Rincon
GVL (4-4-2): Paul Christensen, Nate Shultz, Brandon Fricke, Evan Lee, Tyler Polak (Jimmy Filerman – 46’), Aaron Walker, Peter Pearson (Selvin Altamirano – 90+3’), Don Smart, Venton Evans (Allen Gavilanes – 65’), Nico Brown (Jesus Ibarra – 46’), Jake Keegan (Jacob Labovitz – 65’)
Subs Not Used: Ben Hale
Score:
NCFC: 1
GVL: 1
Goals:
NCFC: Garrett McLaughlin – 35’
GVL: Venton Evans (Jake Keegan) – 19’
Cautions:
NCFC: Jaden Servania – 31’
GVL: –
Ejections:
NCFC: —
GVL: Evan Lee – 67’
