April 5, 2023 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – North Carolina FC News Release
LEESBURG, VA – After a back-and-forth battle, Loudoun United defeated North Carolina FC 2-1 in the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It was a tightly contested affair, but ultimately Loudoun were able to hang on and advance to the next round.
The hosts struck first just minutes into the match, with striker Zach Ryan heading home a wonderfully placed ball from midfielder Kalil ElMedkhar. ElMedkhar found himself one-on-one on the wing with NCFC defender Chris Lue Young and was able to loft the ball above David Garcia and Gustavo Fernandes right onto Ryan’s head in the six-yard box.
Although neither team created a big scoring chance in the rest of the first half, Loudoun was the closest to adding another goal, hitting the woodwork twice. Midfielder/forward Panos Armenakas saw a curling effort strike the post in the 25th minute, and captain Koa Santos hit the bar after a dazing run in the 40th minute.
NCFC would come out hot in the second half, holding a sustained period of pressure. The visitors almost found an equalizer through Shak Adams twice, with one effort from the edge of the box going just over the bar and another shot from close range being saved by the keeper.
Almost immediately after NCFC made a triple substitution, Jaden Servania leveled the score, driving a shot into the corner of the goal from the edge of the box. This marks Servania’s first goal of the 2023 campaign, although he had a free kick that was diverted into the net via a Lexington SC player a week ago.
The two clubs would go blow for blow in the final 20 minutes of regular time, but the best chance fell to NCFC in the dying seconds of stoppage time. Rafa Mentzingen was able to get on the ball in the box before firing off a shot that was saved by Hugo Faroux. The ball fell perfectly to NCFC sub Luis Arriaga, but Loudoun captain Koa Santos cleared the effort off the line.
In the first half of extra time, Arriaga would have the best chance, seeing Faroux just get his fingertips on an effort that was destined for the top corner. Arriaga found himself alone just inside the box after Rafa Mentzingen dribbled around two defenders to create the space.
NCFC was on top in the second period of extra time, but Loudoun would find the winner through a devastating counterattack. A perfectly weighted ball set Abdou Zanne free down the left-hand side, who then squared the ball to Wesley Leggett for the…
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