CARY, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2025) — North Carolina FC was held to a scoreless draw in its final home match of the regular season against Rhode Island FC at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.
North Carolina FC’s defense was resolute after switching its shape to four defenders rather than its usual five-in-the-back, only allowing two shots on goal throughout the match.
With the draw, a home playoff match is still there for the taking, with next weekend’s match likely to be the decider of North Carolina FC’s first round fate.
Quotes:
John Bradford: “We wanted to limit their chances. This gives us confidence and something to build on going into the last week and playoffs.”
Conor Donovan: “The adrenaline rush we get from the fans is huge. It really helps us run more, focus more, and play harder for them and we really appreciate the support.”
Oliver Semmle: “I think we had a good response to our previous two games. We had better shape, better movement, and I think overall a solid job.”
Up Next:
North Carolina FC heads to northern Virginia to take on Loudoun United in its final regular season match on Saturday, October 25, at 5 p.m. EST at Segra Field.
Box Score
NCFC (3-4-3): Oliver Semmle; Finn Sundstrom, Conor Donovan (C), Bryce Washington; Patrick Burner, Raheem Somersall, Louis Perez, Mikey Maldonado; Pedro Dolabella, Oalex Anderson, Thomas Roberts
Subs Not Used: Jake McGuire, Trevor Mulqueen, Akira Fitzgerald, Paco Craig, Triston Hodge, Ahmad Al-Qaq, Rodrigo Da Costa
RIFC (3-4-3): Koke Vegas (C); Hamady Diop (M. Rodriguez – 86′), Karifa Yao (A. Mabika – 79′), Grant Stoneman; Aldair Sanchez (J. Kwizera – 64′), Hugo Bacharach, Clay Holstad (Z. Herivaux – 79′), Frank Nodarse; Noah Fuson, Albert Dikwa, Amos Shapiro-Thompson [D. Atkinson – 37′(M. Ybarra – 86′)]
Subs Not Used: Jackson Lee
Score:
NCFC: 0
RIFC: 0
Goals:
NCFC: –
RIFC: –
Cautions:
NCFC: M. Maldonado – 26′; P. Burner – 77′; L. Perez – 84′
RIFC: A. Shapiro-Thompson – 15′;
Ejections:
NCFC: –
RIFC: –
Venue (Location): First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
Attendance: 3,586
