CARY, NC. (August 12, 2023) — North Carolina FC took down Greenville Triumph SC 2-1 at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina extend their undefeated streak to 9 matches, and five wins in a row.
The first half started out slow for North Carolina however that was turned around with two big chances by Oalex Anderson, and Garrett McLaughlin that just couldn’t be put away. With ten minutes left in the first half, the Triumph gained the lead when Lyam MacKinnon was fed a ball the was buried into the bottom left of the net making it 1-0 at half.
The second half North Carolina came out strong when McLaughlin stayed in the box to pursue a deflected ball and hit a rocket into the net to tie up the match. Only two minutes later Michael Maldonado had a long throw in that deflected off the Greenville defenders, and Louis Perez absolutely smashed it to put North Carolina FC in the lead. The NCFC defense held off the Triumph to keep their winning streak alive with five matches in a row. North Carolina FC continue to sit top of the table with 41 points and a record of 12-4-5.
Quoting North Carolina FC
Head Coach John Bradford on the match:
“It is great to be back in front of our fans here at Wake Med Soccer Park. I thought in the first half, obviously the goal that we gave up, offensive intensity wasn’t high enough, so that was a challenge in the second half. A halftime discussion to try to raise that, and I thought the guys came out and obviously created two goals within the second half, and I think it starts just by having a better attitude. “
Goalkeeper Brooks Thompson on his first appearance at WakeMed Soccer Park
“It’s good to play in front of our home fans, be in this environment. Most importantly, get three points against a decent team and move up in the season. It’s good.”
Midfielder Mikey Maldonado on playing at home:
“It’s amazing, you can’t beat the field, you can’t beat the fans. We’re doing amazing here, especially at home, so as long as everybody comes out, we’ll keep performing.”
Match Notes:
- North Carolina have scored in their last 9 games in the USL League One, their longest scoring streak this season.
- North Carolina have won 16 points from losing positions in the USL League One this season, more than any other team.
- Oalex Anderson was named the USL League One Player of the Month for July
Next Up:
North Carolina FC will travel to Richmond, Virginia once again to face the Richmond Kickers on Saturday, August 19, with a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff at City Stadium. The match will stream on ESPN+ and @NorthCarolinaFC will provide social media updates.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-4-2): Brooks Thompson, Chris Lue Young, Gustavo Fernades, David Garcia, Nelson Flores Blanco, Raheem Somersall, Mikey Maldonado, Louis Perez (Luis Arriaga – 62’), Rafa Mentzingen, Oalex Anderson, Garrett McLaughlin (Max Flick –83’)
Subs Not Used:, Tor Saunders, Luke Croll, Marvin Mariche, Preston Popp
GVL(4-3-3): Jared Mazzola, Evan Lee (Jamie Smith – 69’), Brandon Fricke, Nate Shultz, Tevin Shaw, Allen Gavilanes (Jacob Labovitz – 83), Noah Franke, Aaron Walker (Venton Evans – 83’), Noah Pilato, Leo Castro, Lyam MacKinnon (Lucas Coutinho – 69’)
Subs Not Used: Alex Cox-Ashwood, Gunther Rankenburg, Daniel Wu
Score:
NCFC: 2
GVL: 1
Goals:
NCFC: G. McLaughlin – 54’, L. Perez – 56’
GVL: L. MacKinnon – 36’ (A. Walker)
Cautions:
NCFC:
GVL: T. Shaw – 46’
Ejections:
NCFC: –
GVL: