Greenville Triumph 0 – 2 North Carolina FC
GREENVILLE, SC—North Carolina FC looked to flip the script after their spirited loss at Union Omaha on Wednesday and get back to their winning ways against the Greenville Triumph.
In many ways, the first half closely resembled the game in Omaha. Except this time it was Greenville coming out of the gate hot and NCFC absorbing the early pressure. And this time it was North Carolina grabbing the early lead.
Rafa Mentzingen’s free kick in the 10th minute was sailing toward Garrett McLaughlin for the finish; however, Leonardo Castro shoved McLaughlin to the ground in the penalty area and the referee pointed directly at the spot. Mentzingen made good on the penalty kick to make it 1-0 for North Carolina in the 11th minute.
They doubled their lead in the 23rd minute after Oalex Anderson Jr. did some highlight reel-worthy stepovers driving through the Greenville defense. He then served a low ball across the six-yard box that ricocheted off Jaden Servania past Jared Mazzola for the 2-0 lead.
It would be enough to earn the Dead Whales three points on the night and inch them closer to securing their playoff spot.
THE RESPONSE THE TEAM NEEDED
Coming off of Wednesday’s disappointing result in Omaha, head coach John Bradford’s team wanted to carry forward that grit and determination that nearly got them a point from the game. But they also needed to eliminate those loss-of-focus errors that proved so costly against the Owls.
It’s not the easiest set of tasks, given this was their third game in a week, but North Carolina FC showed focus and poise with and without the ball. Their team defense frustrated Greenville’s attempts to form an attack for most of the evening, holding the home side to just one shot on target.
It was just the kind of response the team needed, as they have a full week to prepare for their next game against South Georgia Tormenta FC.
AT LAST, A CLEAN SHEET FOR THOMPSON
Since coming to North Carolina on loan from Philadelphia Union 2 back in July, Brooks Thompson has put together some solid games in net. The only thing that eluded Thompson and the Dead Whales’ defense over the last month and a half is a shutout.
Finally, it all came together for the team Saturday night. Even with a couple of wobbles that caused some nervy moments, North Carolina FC earned their first clean sheet since Trevor Mulqueen got the shutout win against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC back on July 26th.
A NIFTY FIFTY FOR SERVANIA
Jaden Servania wasn’t just celebrating his second goal of the season Saturday night. The match in Greenville marked Servania’s 50th appearance for NCFC. It was the 17th start of the 2023 season for Servania, who has become a stalwart on the attack for North Carolina and a frequent call-up for the Puerto Rico Men’s National Team.
NEXT UP FOR NCFC
Home, Sweet Home: North Carolina FC returns to WakeMed Soccer Park on September 16th to face South Georgia Tormenta. Get your tickets at northcarolinafc.com/tickets.
LINEUPS
North Carolina FC (4-4-2): B. Thompson; C. Lue Young, D. Garcia, G. Fernandes, N. Flores Blanco; R. Mentzingen (D.J. Benton 78’), M. Maldonado, L. Pérez (M. Flick 70’), J. Servania (R.Somersall 45’); O. Anderson Jr.(N. Ntalu 45’), G. McLaughlin © (L. Arriaga 61’)
Greenville Triumph (3-5-2): J. Mazzola; E. Lee, B. Fricke (N. Shultz 81’), J. Smith; A. Gavilanes (V. Evans 59’), N. Pilato (L. Coutinho 59’), A. Walker, T. Shaw, D. Boyce (L. MacKinnon 59’); L. Castro (N.Franke 90’), J. Labovitz
FINAL SCORE
North Carolina FC: 2
Greenville Triumph: 0
GOALS
North Carolina FC: R. Mentzingen (PK) 11’; J. Servania (O. Anderson) 23’
Greenville Triumph: none
CARDS
North Carolina FC: O. Anderson (YC) 37’; R. Mentzingen (YC) 51’; D.J. Benton (YC) 87’
Greenville Triumph: J. Smith (YC) 88’