CARY, N.C. (June 20, 2025) — North Carolina FC handed Louisville City FC its first loss of the 2025 USL Championship season, 2-1, Saturday night at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Finn Sundstrom and Adam Luckhurst provided the goals for the home side in the statement win.
Set pieces were the name of the game for both teams, with all the goals coming from dead ball situations.
Sundstrom gave NCFC the lead just before the halftime break, heading home a free kick from Mikey Maldonado for his first professional goal.
The assist was Maldonado’s sixth of the USL Championship regular season, tying him for the league lead.
Louisville equalized shortly after play resumed, with Phillip Goodrum knocking a Ray Serrano corner insert into the back of the net.
Adam Luckhurst restored NCFC’s lead, connecting with a Louis Perez corner kick in the 66′ and slamming the header home.
Jake McGuire made five huge saves on the night against one of the most potent offenses in the league. He preserved the lead with a scrambling stop of three chances just before second half stoppage time.
Match Notes:
- Finn Sundstrom’s 45′ goal was the NCFC Academy player’s first professional goal.
- Adam Luckhurst’s goal was his first in the USL Championship regular season, scoring in a Jägermeister Cup match against the Richmond Kickers in May.
- Oalex Anderson made his 100th appearance for NCFC in all competitions.
Up Next:
North Carolina FC will travel to Derby City for USL Jägermeister Cup group play and a second consecutive matchup with Louisville City FC on Saturday, June 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET at Lynn Family Stadium. Both clubs have recorded a win and a loss in the Group 6 stage, with Louisville sitting in third, just one spot ahead of NCFC in fourth.
Box Score
NCFC (5-2-3): Jake McGuire; Rafa Mentzingen (C) (Paco Craig – 88′), Triston Hodge, Bryce Washington, Finn Sundstrom, Patrick Burner (Jaden Servania – 74′); Mikey Maldonado, Collin Martin (Raheem Somersall – 88′); Louis Perez, Pedro Dolabella (Rodrigo Da Costa – 74′), Adam Luckhurst (Oalex Anderson – 81′)
Subs Not Used: Evan Conway, Conor Donovan, Trevor Mulqueen
LOU (4-2-3-1): Damian Las; Kyle Adams (C), Arturo Ordóñez (Issac Cano – 84′), Sean Totsch, Aiden McFadden; Taylor Davila, Evan Davila (Kevon Lamert – 67′); Ray Serrano (Niall McCabe – 76′), Jansen Wilson (Samuel Gleadle – 46′), Emanuel Perez (Jake Morris – 46′); Phillip Goodrum
Subs Not Used: Amadou Dia, Ryan Troutman, Hayden Stamps, Brandon Dayes
Score:
NCFC: 2
LOU: 1
Goals:
NCFC: F. Sundstrom – 45′ (M. Maldonado), A. Luckhurst – 66′ (L. Perez)
LOU: P. Goodrum – 48′ (R. Serrano)
Cautions:
NCFC: R. Da Costa – 90′ + 2′
LOU: P. Goodrum – 75′, S. Totsch – 84′
Ejections:
NCFC: –
LOU: –
Venue (Location): First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
Attendance: 2,479
