Match Preview: North Carolina FC vs. Orange County SC

Sports stats

USL North Carolina FC

Match Preview: North Carolina FC vs. Orange County SC

May 8, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. - North Carolina FC hosts Orange County SC on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. ET at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Week 10 of the USL Championship regular season. That match will stream live on CBS's Golazo Network. Tickets for the match are available here.

North Carolina FC enters the match in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 3W-3L-2D (11 points) record, while Orange County sits in seventh in the Western Conference with a 3W-3L-1D (10 points) record.

The cross-conference match caps off a busy week for NCFC, which included three games in seven days. Week 9 of the USL Championship season saw NCFC pick up a strong 2-0 win against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds behind goals from Louis Perez and Pedro Dolabella. Both strikes came off second-chance efforts from Mikey Maldonado long throws. The midfielder has been a creative engine for NCFC in recent weeks with five assists in all competitions during April.

NCFC then turned its attention toward the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for a home midweek intrastate tilt against MLS club Charlotte FC. The match went the distance, with Charlotte claiming a 4-1 victory after extra time. After a scoreless first 90', both teams struck early in extra time before the visitors pulled away late.

Rafa Mentzingen scored NCFC's lone goal in that match with a curling left-footed effort into the far post.

Evan Conway, who was not rostered against Charlotte, leads the way for NCFC in league play with three goals.

Scouting Orange County

Orange County started May with a strong 2-1 win against fourth-place FC Tulsa and enters Friday's match with a full week of rest. Lyam MacKinnon bagged a brace to lead OCSC to that win, making a strong start to his career in the USL Championship after making the offseason jump from USL League One side Greenville Triumph.

A 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick from Nashville SC, the Swiss forward now leads OCSC in scoring this season with two goals. Six other players have found the back of the net once.

Ryan Doghman and Christopher Hegardt have been the creative force behind Orange County's scoring with Doghman notching two assists and Hegardt leading the team with nine chances created.

Colin Shutler has started every match for OCSC in net, making 17 saves and allowing 12 goals on 29 shots faced.

Up Next

NCFC is back at home for a third match in a row, taking on Oakland Roots SC on Friday, May 16, at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for that match are available.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 8, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent North Carolina FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central