PITTSBURGH, Pa. (May 3, 2025) — North Carolina FC used a pair of second-half goals to earn a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Saturday night at Highmark Stadium. Louis Perez and Pedro Dolabella each scored to lead NCFC to a third win of the season and 3W-2D-3L record in USL Championship play.
A scoreless first half saw each team record just one shot on target. NCFC dominated out of the gates in period two, holding over 66% possession through the first 15 minutes of the second half before opening the scoring. A long throw was cleared to Perez at the top of the box, and he picked a brilliant spot with a long-range, one-touch strike.
After a long throw, the recycle came back to Mikey Maldonado, who’s left-footed cross found Dolabella for a perfectly lofted header from the center of the box to beat the keeper and double the advantage. North Carolina FC didn’t allow a shot on target in the second half as Jake McGuire made the only save required to pick up the second clean sheet of 2025.
Quotes:
Head Coach John Bradford:
“I’m extremely proud of our guys tonight. The group fought for an important road win in a tough environment. We’ve made critical mistakes on the road in previous games and it was crucial that we get complete full matches at a high intensity.”
“To get a shutout here at Pittsburgh tonight while limiting them to only one shot on goal is a reward for the effort our players put in tonight. We were far from perfect tonight, but it’s certainly a strong step in a positive direction.We look forward to a great challenge on Tuesday back in front of our home fans in North Carolina.”
Up Next:
North Carolina FC opens a three-match home streak as they welcome Charlotte FC for U.S. Open Cup play on Tuesday, May 6, with a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at First Horizon Stadium. They then resume league action with a home date with Orange County SC on Friday. Tickets for both matches are available here.
Box Score:
NCFC (5-2-3): Jake McGuire, Triston Hodge, Bryce Washington, Finn Sundstrom (Conor Donovan – 76’), Jaden Servania, Rafa Mentzingen (Patrick Burner – 85’), Louis Perez (A. Al-Qaq – 90+2’), Mikey Maldonado, Raheem Somersall, Pedro Dolabella, Evan Conway (Adam Luckurst – 90+1’)
Subs not used: Trevor Mulqueen, Oalex Anderson, Rodrigo Da Costa, Collin Martin
PIT (4-3-3): Eric Dick, Sean Suber, Roberto Ydrach, Illal Osumanu, Junior Etou, Bradley Sample (Jorge Garcia – 75’), Jackson Wälti, Perrin Barnes, Danny Griffin, Augustine Williams (Brigham Larsen – 76’), Aidan O’Toole (Bertin Jacquesson – 75’)
Subs not used: Max Broughton, Jason Bouregy, Guillaume Vactor, Jacob Randolph, Pablo Linzoain
Score:
NCFC: 2
PIT: 0
Goals:
NCFC: L. Perez – 66’; P. Dolabella – 72’ (Maldonado)
PIT: –
Cautions:
NCFC: –
PIT: R. Ydrach – 90’
Ejections:
NCFC: –
PIT: –
Venue: Highmark Stadium (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
