CARY, N.C. (April 8, 2023) — North Carolina FC and the Charlotte Independence played the first edition of the Dogwood Derby to a 1-1 draw under pouring rain on a chilly Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina FC now has four points (1-1-1) through three matches while the Independence have eight points (2-0-2) in four.
Nick Holliday kept the match scoreless in the 27’ when Charlotte built an attack off the counter and a cross from the right wing to the back post forced Holliday into a one-on-one, where he was able to paw away the attempt from point blank range.
Just minutes later, North Carolina FC would grab the lead. A Jaden Servania shot took a sharp deflection in front of the Charlotte keeper and the loose ball pinged to Oalex Anderson, who calmly found the far-side netting for his first of the season to put the home side in front.
Charlotte built a threat to equalize just before the hour mark, but David Garcia was in perfect position – in a soccer sense – as the rocket one-timer glanced off his head and away from target. Minutes later, the Independence did find the back of the net when Gabriel Obertan sent a cross in for Dane Kelly to slam home off the volley to equalize.
Rafa came inches from putting the home side in front again in the 77’ when he sent a low curler to the far corner, forcing a sprawling save by Austin Pack to keep the match level. Luis Arriaga and Garrett McLaughlin combined to set Rafa up with the look from the top of the box. Jaden Servania made a darting run down the middle of the field in the 80’ and forced the keeper off his line, but NCFC could not take advantage on the slippery turf.
North Carolina FC drew a foul in the final seconds of added time and Rafa’s shot forced Pack to dive to his right to punch the shot out for a corner, but the final whistle blew before the set piece opportunity.
Match Notes:
- Saturday was the first-ever “Dogwood Derby” – the new name for the NCFC/Independence Rivalry
- NCFC has not lost to Charlotte at home since October 3, 2020
- North Carolina FC is unbeaten in their last four matches when scoring first
- NCFC finished the match with 10 men after a second yellow to DJ Benton in the 90’
Quoting NCFC:
Head Coach John Bradford
“I thought it was a battle, for sure. All of the build up with the rivalry certainly played itself out over the 90-plus minutes. Disappointed to not get a win, but I thought the guys fought hard.”
“In all honesty, I thought there was some excellent football between the build-up, the middle third and up into the final third. Where we need to improve, here in the early stage of the season, is getting a cross or a shot off every time that we do that and not just being satisfied to keep possession higher up the field. I was pleased with the tactical play tonight. The last couple of games we’ve had we’ve put ourselves out in front of goal and just haven’t been able to execute. I know that will come and the results will come too.”
Oalex Anderson
“Knowing the conditions of the game, we expected any shot towards goal to have follow-up opportunities, so I went in looking for that and was lucky enough to be in position and was able to score.”
Daniel Navarro
“I think we started really well, but after we scored we kind of relaxed a little bit. We dropped too much, we let them play and gave them confidence. Once they got the goal, we started to play again. In general, we did well. But we have to take that lesson to keep playing hard, even with a lead, we need to control the game and then, maybe, relax after a full ninety minutes.”
Next Match: North Carolina FC hits the road for the first time in league play in 2023 as they visit Union Omaha on Saturday, April 15, at 3:00 p.m. ET. The game will stream live on ESPN+ and @NorthCarolinaFC will have live coverage on social media.
Box Score:
NC (4-4-2): Nicholas Holliday, DJ Benton, Daniel Navarro ©, David Garcia, Nelson Flores Blanco, Luis Arriaga, Mikey Maldonado, Luis Perez (Raheem Somersall – 90+3’), Jaden Servania (Christian Lue Young – 90+5’), Rafael Mentzingen, Oalex Anderson (Garrett McLaughlin – 59’).
Subs Not Used: Tor Saunders, Gustavo Fernandes.
CLT (4-4-2): Austin Pack, Clay Dimick ©, Shalom Dutey, Nick Spielman, Joel Johnson, Miguel Ibarra (Khori Bennett – 68’), Omar Ciss, Brad Dunwell (Bachir Ndiaye – 46’ / Luis Alvarez Escoto – 75’), Tresor Mbuyu (Avionne Flanagan – 68’), Gabriel Obertan (Fabrice Ngah – 88’), Dane Kelly.
Subs Not Used: Noah Abrams, Hector Acosta.
Score:
NC: 1
CLT: 1
Goals:
NC: O. Anderson – 32’
CLT: D. Kelly – 61’ (Obertan)
Cautions:
NC: D. Garcia – 10’; R. Mentzingen – 73’; D. Benton – 83’
CLT: B. Dunwell – 7’; D. Kelly – 31’; O. Ciss – 45’; A. Pack – 90+4’
Ejections:
NC: D. Benton (second yellow – 90’)
CLT: –