Wilmington Wins 2-1 against Instate Rival
July 9, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Wilmington Hammerheads FC News Release
Wilmington, NC - Saturday night, the two only USL teams representing North Carolina paired off at the Ramblewood Soccer Complex at 7pm.
The instate rivals only stood a few spots apart in the USL standings at the start of the match, but it was Wilmington who took home the win.
With home advantage, Charlotte came out testing Wilmington's defense when #47 Ashani Fairclough took down #3 Bilal Duckett 25 yards out from the goal.
Although Charlotte received an early opportunity to score, #14 Logan Miller quickly followed. After a scramble leaving Charlotte's net open, Miller fired a wide shot in the third minute, missing the open net.
Heading into the 15th minute, Wilmington continued to search for their unity. Usually the Port City team starts strong, but Charlotte was a step ahead of Wilmington from the beginning. Charlotte's head coach hoped to guide the team to its 6th win in nine games against Wilmington.
Eric Ati, Wilmington's goalkeeper and Man of the Match, played a strong game making incredible saves throughout the game, especially when Charlotte had two back-to-back shots on goal in the 16th and 17th minutes. Ati continued to prove his starting position with notable saves in the 44th minute stopping Charlotte from immediately scoring after Wilmington's first goal and again in the 52nd minute when #8 Caleb Calvert shot a line drive and Ati made a deflecting save pushing the ball over the net.
#23 Bruno Perone received a yellow card, for consistent fouling, in the 19th minute; his third of the season. Charlotte's Martinez holds 4 yellow cards, leaving him one more slot before a suspension occurs. #47 Ashani Fairclough, who's already received a yellow card accumulation suspension, received the second yellow card of the game in the 23rd minute.
Half way through the first half and both teams struggled to find the back of the net, despite scoring opportunities. Each team lacked communication, but developed physically as the local rivalry seized the field.
In the 43rd minute, quality service provided by #11 Qudus Lawal set #12 Casey Townsend up for the first goal of the game. This was Lawal's second assist and Townsend's second goal of the season. Charlotte's #14 Lewis Elton, a reserve player, scored one minute later pushing the ball past Ati into the bottom right corner.
The first half came to a close, resulting in Wilmington's struggle to maintain the lead. Charlotte appeared more settled and found the back of the net keeping them in the running for the win.
Coming off of the half-time break, Wilmington had an immediate opportunity for Lawal to score, but Charlotte defender #22 Joel Johnson cut his breakaway. Charlotte continued to dominate the game with four shots on goal within the 45th to 57th minutes.
#10 Justin Moose, in his tenth season, substituted for Wilmington's #6 Liam Miller in the 59th minute; followed by #22 Kyle Parker for #12 Casey Townsend.
#7 Austin Martz scored in the 64th minute with a beautiful assist by Moose, giving Wilmington the lead, once again. Wilmington dominated the game from here, testing Charlotte's goalkeeper John Berner, shot after shot by Martz.
In the 71st minute #21 Asa Kryst headed the ball inside the six, hitting the crossbar creating a dangerously close call for Wilmington, and another missed opportunity for Charlotte to even the scoreboard.
Charlotte continued to press Wilmington, but it was the Hammerheads resiliency that earned them a 2-1 win. Head coach Mark Briggs stated, "It was a fantastic game and a fantastic three points. The players gave everything and left it all on the field. They deserve all the credit for this win and at this point in the season it's all about the points."
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