April 1, 2023 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – North Carolina FC News Release
CARY, N.C. – North Carolina FC picked up its first three points of the season, defeating USL League One newcomers Lexington SC, 2-1. The 1,423 fans in attendance at WakeMed Soccer Park were treated to a back-and-forth affair, with the two sides combining for 17 shots.
Lexington found an early advantage, going ahead 1-0 in just the 5th minute. Winger Tate Robertson made a great run behind the NCFC backline, before squaring it to Khalid Balogun for the goal. NCFC almost equalized immediately, with Lexington defender Kaelon Fox clearing a Shakeem Adams attempt off the line.
NCFC would find a quick equalizer, through an own goal from a free kick in the 14th minute. From right in front of the byline, Jaden Servania whipped a ball that took a deflection off Lexington defender Owen Green into the back of the net. Two minutes later, forward Garrett McLaughlin almost got his first goal of the 2023 campaign, sending a header just over the bar from a Rafa Mentzingen cross.
After a couple chances for both sides, the first half ended knotted at 1-1.
NCFC would eventually find the winning goal through Mentzingen, with the goal being his first for North Carolina FC. The goal move started with debutant Louis Perez playing a brilliant ball in behind to Oalex Anderson Jr, who had spent last week on international duty with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Anderson then found Mentzingen on the penalty spot and he was able to make a move away from the defender and slot home the goal.
The match was a relatively even affair, with NCFC holding a slim 53.4% possession and out shooting Lexington 10-7. Both teams spent a similar amount of time in attacking positions, with NCFC and Lexington having 14 and 10 touches in the opposition box, respectively.
Match Notes:
– Rafa Mentzingen scored his first goal with NCFC
– Louis Perez made his NCFC debut
– Max Flick made his 50th NCFC appearance
Next Match: North Carolina FC will travel to Leesburg, VA to face off against USL Championship club Loudoun United FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff is set for Wednesday, April 5, at 7:00 PM ET at Segra Field.
Quoting NCFC:
Head Coach John Bradford
On Oalex Anderson Jr.’s performance off the bench…
“I thought he was exactly what we needed. He’s a tough guy to come on the field for a centerback. You have 65 minutes dealing with Garrett McLaughlin and Oalex Anderson comes on. I thought his energy on both sides of…