MADISON, Wis. (September 17, 2022) – North Carolina FC defeated Forward Madison, 2-1, in the final minutes of stoppage time on Saturday night at Breese Stevens Field. Shak Adams scored on a set piece in added time to break the tie and give NCFC a 2-0-1 record against the Flamingos for the 2022 season. The squad will travel to face FC Tucson on Tuesday, hoping to earn all six possible points with another victory on the road.
“I’m proud of this group for grinding out a massive win on the road tonight,” Head Coach John Bradford said following the match. “Our group came out prepared to play and started aggressively on the front foot with some early positive attacking play. It was important for us to score early and then continue to apply pressure as the game wore on.”
With only four minutes expired in the first half, McLaughlin was quick to get the North Carolina side on the board. Receiving a slot pass from Showkat Tahir, the forward slipped a one-touch finish past Raiko Arozarena to score his 12th goal of the season and grab the early advantage. The assist was Tahir’s first of the year, setting the tone for the remainder of the contest.
“It was a full team effort tonight,” McLaughlin said. “Everyone stepped up and did their part, and I’m extremely proud of the team. We are going to enjoy the three points tonight.”
Forward Madison finally responded in the 81st minute, as a missed clearance attempt led to a breakaway for Matheus Cassini, who fed a ball to Nazeem Bartman inside the box to beat Will Pulisic on the opportunity to level the score at one goal apiece.
As the USL1 playoff picture begins to take shape, a win in tonight’s match was equally dire for both sides, reflected in the physical play that ensued as stoppage time began. Between the work of McLaughlin, Adams, and Jaden Servania, NCFC mustered up several chances at a go-ahead goal, finally receiving their golden opportunity in the 93rd minute – a free kick from just outside the Madison box. Adams took the kick, stunning Arozarena and burying a shot into the upper 90 to snag both the lead and the result, 2-1.
“Even after Madison came back level in the game, I was impressed with our commitment to keep fighting for a result,” Bradford said of the second half. “What a great free kick from Shak, I’ve seen him working on that exact spot so many times. It’s important the boys enjoy the feeling of getting the result tonight and then even more important for us to get focused on Tucson.”
“It feels great to be able to get three points on the road, especially being able to do it in that kind of fashion,” Adams said. “Everyone put in an incredible effort all the way until the very last minute.”
Up Next: North Carolina FC will wrap up their road trip against FC Tucson on Tuesday, September 20 at 10 p.m. ET at Kino North Stadium in Tucson, AZ. The match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-4-2): Will Pulisic, Christian Lue Young, Jordan Skelton, Gustavo Fernandes, Nelson Flores Blanco, Pecka (Nelson Martinez – 70’), Luis Arriaga, Showkat Tahir (Raheem Somersall – 31’), Jaden Servania (Max Flick – 90+5’), Garrett McLaughlin, Oalex Anderson (Shak Adams – 71’)
Subs Not Used: Nicholas Holliday, Britton Fischer, Nicolas Rincon
MAD (3-4-3): Raiko Arozarena, Cyrus Rad, Mitchell Osmond, Cesar Murillo, Derek Gebhard, Mikey Maldonado, Alvin Jones (Alann Torres – 46’), Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu (Christian Enriquez – 75’), Justin Sukow (Abdou Mbacke Thiam – 68’), Jeremiah Streng (Nazeem Bartman – 68’), Rojay Smith (Matheus Cassini – 46’)
Subs Not Used: Mele Temguia, Drew Conner, Parker Smith
Score:
NCFC: 2
MAD: 1
Goals:
NCFC: Garrett McLaughlin (Showkat Tahir) – 4’, Shak Adams – 90+3’
MAD: Nazeem Bartman (Matheus Cassini) – 81’
Cautions:
NCFC: Gustavo Fernandes – 24’
MAD: Cesar Murillo – 13’, Mitch Osmond – 18’, Derek Gebhard – 45+4’, Mikey Maldonado – 50’, Cyrus Rad – 90+2’
Ejections:
NCFC: –
MAD: –