CARY, NC (July 27, 2022) – North Carolina FC were bested by the Richmond Kickers on Wednesday night, the Kickers relying on two stoppage time goals to secure the result as the final minutes ticked away. Shak Adams scored his first goal with the club and Max Flick recorded his first goal of the season in tonight’s match, as Emiliano Terzaghi and Dakota Barnathan picked up a goal apiece to propel the Kickers toward claiming three points.
North Carolina FC tallied their first of the night in the 26th minute, the scoring play being catalyzed with a free kick taken well outside the eighteen. Showkat Tahir stepped up to send in the service, curving in a ball into a scrum of players in the box and ultimately finding the head of Jordan Skelton. Sending a header back across the face of the net, the captain collected his first assist of the season as Adams buried his first goal of the season with a bicycle kick past Richmond goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. Adams’ goal would be the sole score through the first half, concluding with the home side on top.
Richmond tallied an equalizer in the 59th minute, but NCFC was able to re-gain the upper hand in the 78th minute as Max Flick likewise scored his first goal of the season to put the North Carolina side up 2-1, capitalizing on a missed clearance by the Richmond defense and finishing a one-time shot with his left.
As the match entered stoppage time, the Kickers transitioned quickly to the offensive, finding the back of the net twice in the final minutes of the game. An early cross into the box and a diving header from Terzaghi leveled the game for Richmond in the opening minute of stoppage time, and their third goal of the night was the result of an initial save from Will Pulisic that was later deflected off of the chest of Dakota Barnathan.
Another match approaching on the horizon, North Carolina FC will travel to face FC Tucson on Saturday, July 30 at Kino North Stadium in Tucson, AZ at 10 p.m. ET, hunting for a bounceback win in the desert. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-5-1): Will Pulisic, Christian Lue Young, Jordan Skelton ©, Gustavo Fernandes, Nelson Flores Blanco, Pecka (Max Flick – 75’), Nelson Martinez (Luis Arriaga – 68’), Showkat Tahir (Raheem Somersall – 74’), Jaden Servania, Nicolás Molina (Garrett McLaughlin – 74’), Shak Adams (Cole Frame – 33’)
Subs Not Used: Britton Fischer, Nicholas Holliday
RIC (4-4-2): Akira Fitzgerald, Dakota Barnathan, Simon Fitch, Stuart Ritchie (Chris Cole – 39’), Zaca Moran (David Olsen – 54’), Ethan Bryant, Nil Vinyals, Jalen Crisler, Ethan Vanacore-Decker, Emiliano Terzaghi, Vincenzo Candela (Owayne Gordon – 54’ (Matthew Bentley – 68’))
Subs Not Used: Will Palmquist, Chandler O’Dwyer, Luke Pavone
Score:
NCFC: 2
RIC: 3
Goals:
NCFC: Shak Adams (Jordan Skelton) – 26’, Max Flick – 78’
RIC: Nicolás Molina (OG) – 59’, Emiliano Terzaghi – 90+1’, Dakota Barnathan – 90+5’
Cautions:
NCFC: Nicolás Molina – 13’, Nelson Martinez – 37’, Christian Lue Young – 85’
RIC: Zaca Moran – 44’, David Olsen – 56’, Dakota Barnathan – 76’, Nil Vinyals – 83’,
Ejections:
NCFC: –
RIC: –