Monterey Bay Falls 2-0 to North Carolina FC at WakeMed Soccer Park

June 16, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Monterey Bay FC News Release

CARY, North Carolina – Monterey Bay F.C. (5-7-4, 19 points) fell 2-0 to North Carolina (4-5-5, 17 points) in the inaugural match between the sides at WakeMed Soccer Park in Week 15 of the 2024 USL Championship campaign. Monterey Bay played the final hour of the match with 10 men due to Carlos Guzmán receiving a red card for a hand ball in the 30th minute, which also consequently led to a penalty and North Carolina’s second goal of the night.

Monterey Bay F.C. goalkeeper Antony Siaha had a few touches of the ball early on in this one, but it was the visitors who earned the first real chance of the day. In the 16th minute, Alex Dixon whipped a ball across the top of the box to Chuy Enríquez in space on the left side, but the ensuing shot from Enríquez was deflected out for a fruitless corner. North Carolina FC had a great look in the 22nd minute when a ball into the box reached Evan Conway in a little bit of space inside the six, but his back heel attempt at goal was unsuccessful. North Carolina FC took the lead in the 28th minute with a shot from Oalex Anderson that beat Siaha in the only way that it could; ricocheting off the bottom side of the cross bar and across the line to bring the match to 1-0.

Four minutes later, the referee pointed to the spot for a supposed handball in the box by Guzmán, who was then shown a red card and dismissed from the match. North Carolina FC’s Rafa Mentzingen converted the penalty to double the hosts lead at 2-0. In the 39th minute, Tristan Trager beat everyone beyond the North Carolina back line, but his shot attempt was deflected out for a corner, and the half ended 2-0 in favor of the home side. Dixon fired a shot from distance in the 54th minute, but it just missed over the top of the crossbar. Monterey Bay’s most dangerous look of the match came in the 55th minute when Morey Doner crossed the ball into the box towards Trager in space, but his diving header was saved by the goalkeeper at the near post. North Carolina came close to extending its lead in the 73rd minute, but the shot missed just wide of the left post and the match ultimately ended 2-0 in favor of NC.

Up Next

Monterey Bay returns home next Saturday, June 22 to take on NorCal rivals Oakland Roots SC at Cardinale Stadium for its second annual Fan Fest. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Additional Notes

Missing the match due…