CARY, NC. (July 8, 2023) — NorthCarolina FC walked away with a 2-2 draw against One Knoxville SC at Regal Soccer Park. North Carolina had more than double the shots, and touches in the opposite box, and are coming home with a point. This puts their record at 8-4-2 with 27 points.
North Carolina FC came out quickly in the first half to gain the lead. Only four minutes into the match Rafa Mentzingen back heeled a ball to the center of the box and Oalex Anderson scorched it into the back of the net. However the lead did not last long as defender Jordan Skelton for One Knoxville took a free kick that bounced off North Carolina and Jalen Chrisler headed it into the net to tie up the match. Only moments later Knoxville doubled their lead when Frank Ross buried a pass in the net to the top of the box from Jake Keegan. In the 42nd minute of the match goalkeeper Trevor Mulqueen came in for his professional debut.
North Carolina started the second half with a goal deficit and looked to come back stronger. Only fifteen minutes into the second half Garrett McLaughlin tied up the match after he received a cross from DJ Benton and McLaughlin scored from the top of the box. Benton received his first assist of the season. With a physical match between the two teams there were collectively eleven yellow cards and one red card. After coming back from a 2-1 lead at half North Carolina ended the match with a 2-2 draw and are coming home with a point.
Quoting North Carolina FC
Head Coach John Bradford on the match with One Knoxville SC
“I think our group showed a lot character tonight and I’m proud of the fight we had throughout the game. Certainly a physical game that also saw injuries to both our goalkeeper and our captain in tough moments of the game. We’ll get back to NC and look forward to a critical game against Forward Madison in front of our fans at WakeMed next Saturday.”
Head Coach John Bradford on Trevor Mulqueen’s professional debut
“Credit to Trevor Mulqueen for stepping into an intense game at a critical moment and having an excellent professional debut. I’m very happy for him and proud to see him step up for our team.
Match Notes:
- Garrett McLaughlin had been nominated for USL League One player of the month.
- D. Benton has assisted his first goal in the USL League One this season
- North Carolina played the last moments of extra time with ten players.
- Goalkeeper Trevor Mulqueen made his professional debut.
Next Match: North Carolina FC will return home to face Forward Madison FC on Saturday, July 15, at 7:00 PM ET at WakeMed Soccer Park. The match will stream live on ESPN+.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-4-2): Tor Saunders (Trevor Mulqueen, — 42’), Devin Benton, Gustavo Fernandes, Daniel Navarro (David Garcia – 49’), Christian Lue Young, Michael Maldonado, Luis Arriaga, Rafael Mentzingen (Shaq Adams – 90’), Louis Perez (Jaden Servania – 76’), Oalex Anderson, Garrett McLaughlin
Subs Not Used: Max Flick, Preston Popp, Marvin Mariche
KNOX (4-3-3): Sean Lewis, Derek Waldeck, Jalen Crisler, Jordan Skelton, James Thomas (Sean O’hearn – 78’), Angelo Kelly-Rosales, Yesin van der Pluijm, Jimmie Villalobos (, Dani Fernandes – 78’), Callum Johnson (Ilija Ilic – 67’), Frank Ross (Matthew Vowinkel – 78’), Jake Keegan (Anhinga Selemani – 68’)
Subs Not Used: Peter Swinkles, Kyle Mcdowell
Score:
NCFC: 2
KNOX: 2
Goals:
NCFC: O. Anderson — 4′ (A: Rafael Mentzingen), G. McLaughlin — 60′ (A: D. Benton)
KNOX: J. Crisler — 31′ (A: J. Skelton), F. Ross — 36′ (A: J. Keegan)
Cautions:
NCFC: O. Anderson – 18’, L. Perex- 38’, M. Maldonado – 49’, G. Fernandes – 54’, J. Servania – 85’
KNOX: D. Waldeck –44’, J. Thomas – 48’, J. Villalobos – 56’, S. O’Hearn – 86’, J. Chrisler – 90 + 7’
Ejections:
NCFC: – M. Maldonado – 90 + 5’ (Second Yellow)
KNOX: