North Carolina FC Sink Forward Madison at the Death, 2-1

August 10, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – North Carolina FC News Release

CARY, NC – North Carolina FC picked up three points against the visiting Forward Madison on Wednesday night, rallying to defeat the Flamingoes in the final minute of stoppage time behind goals from Garrett McLaughlin and Chris Lue Young. Likewise helping NCFC to victory was goalkeeper Nick Holliday, who registered three key saves throughout the contest to deny Forward Madison a favorable result.

“I had written up on the board [in the locker room] before the game that you have to demand that you’re going to win,” said Head Coach John Bradford following the match. “No matter how long it takes, you have to find a way to win, and I thought that’s exactly what they did. To stay positive throughout missed chance after missed chance and ultimately create the opportunity at the end to win the game, I think they totally deserve that. I’m happy for them.”

“I’m happy to help the team win, we’ve had a tough run of games where we haven’t picked up as many points as we would have liked,” Holliday said. “The guys showed great character to bounce back from the first goal and come out with the win.”

Forward Madison drew first blood in tonight’s contest, the opponent’s initial shot on goal being stopped with an impeccable block from Nick Holliday. Unfortunately for the home side, the ricochet fell into the path of Mbacka-Thiam, who placed a shot into the back of the net to give Madison a 1-0 edge in the 24th minute.

Eager to recover the 1-0 deficit in the second half, Oalex Anderson was brought down in the Madison box, drawing a penalty kick in the 46th minute. Stepping up to the spot was McLaughlin, who converted the attempt to equalize for NCFC, burying a shot into the top netting and collecting his career-high ninth goal of the season.

As the second half progressed, both sides worked desperately for a go-ahead goal, the North Carolina side generating several near-scoring chances at the hands of McLaughlin, Anderson, Jaden Servania and Luis Arriaga. Later, in the 86th minute, Madison’s Mikey Maldonado was shown a second yellow card, earning a red card and forcing the visitors to play down a man as NCFC continued to chip away at a game-winning opportunity with seven minutes of stoppage time to go. Finally breaking the deadlock at the death, Lue Young registered his first goal with the club in the final minute of the match, finishing a cross from Anderson to seal three points.

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