KNOXVILLE, TN. (June 3, 2023) — North Carolina FC came out on top on the road against One Knoxville SC, 0-1, Saturday night in Regal Stadium. With even possession throughout the game from both teams, North Carolina ended the first half with a goal in extra time and held off Knoxville for the win.
North Carolina came out strong in the first half with eleven shots on goal. Their scoring opportunity came in extra time when Oalex Anderson made an incredible recovery to keep a ball in on the end line. Anderson sent in a cross to Jaden Servania to put North Carolina 0-1 just before half. The ball barley making it into the net gave Servania his first goal of the season with North Carolina FC.
One Knoxville FC answered with physical play and great defending; however defender Daniel Navarro and goalkeeper Nick Holiday kept them from a dangerous play when Knoxville slipped a ball in the back line to only be deflected and saved. The possession and tackles were mainly even throughout the match, however North Carolina worked through a last-minute corner kick from Knoxville to pull away with a victory and a clean sheet.
Quoting North Carolina FC
Head coach John Bradford on the match:
“One Knox is quality team, and it was an extremely competitive game here tonight. I’m extremely proud of the group for a well-earned win on the road. Getting a shutout in our league is hard to come by so I’m proud of our group for fighting to keep the clean sheet.”
Jaden Servania on his goal:
“Excited to be able to help the team with a really good play from Oalex I was able to get on the end of it and put one away. Huge effort from the team on the road to come here and keep a clean sheet, but we’re already looking forward and focusing on our next game ahead of us.”
Nelson Flores-Blanco on the match:
“It was great game overall; the boys battled all game. That is what we have been missing the last few games. We are happy with the results. We trained hard all week and had a game plan that we executed. We must stay consistent and compete every game. We all believe In each other as well.”
Match Notes:
- North Carolina FC are unbeaten in their last 7 USL League One matches when leading at half-time.
- O. Anderson has assisted 4 goals this season (1 in this game), no player has more in the USL League One.
- This win against One Knoxville SC puts North Carolina FC at the top of the table with 22 points.
Next Match: North Carolina FC will continue their month-long road stretch, visiting Forward Madison FC on Saturday, June 10, at 8:00 PM ET. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-4-2): Nicholas Holliday, Nelson Blanco, Gustavo Fernandes, Christian Lue Young, Luis Arriaga, Michael Maldonado, Daniel Navarro ©, Rafa Mentzingen (Raheem Somersall– 76’), Jaden Servania, Louis Perez (DJ Benton– 88’), Oalex Anderson (Garrett McLaughlin– 77’)
Subs Not Used: Shak Adams, Max Flick, Preston Popp, Tor Saunders
KNX (4-4-2): Sean Lewis, Jordan Skelton, Chrisler, Yesin van der Pluijm, Jake Keegan, Angelo Kelly-Rosales, Callum Johnson (Frank Ross– 70’), Dani Fernandez (Gabriel Claudio– 70’) , Jimmie Villalobos, Derek Waldeck (Ahinga Selemani– 82’), Jan-Erik Leinhos (Matthew Vowinkel– 22’) (Sebastian Andreassen- 82’)
Subs Not Used: Peter Swinkels, Sam Fletcher
Score:
NCFC:
KNX:
Goals:
NCFC: J. Servania – 45’+1
KNX:
Cautions:
NCFC: R. Sommersall – 90’ +5
KNX: Matthew Vowinkel – 53’, Callum Johnson– 61’, A. Kelly-Rosales– 84’
Ejections:
NCFC: –
KNX: –