USL North Carolina FC

North Carolina FC Defeats Charlotte Independence 3-0 in Southern Derby Cup Match

Published on April 20, 2019 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release


MATTHEWS, N.C. - North Carolina FC continued its rivalry domination against the Charlotte Independence with a 3-0 win in a Southern Derby Cup match at Sportsplex at Matthews on Saturday night.

NCFC now owns a 6W-1L record in official competitions against the Charlotte Independence and has outscored the in-state rival 23-5 in those contests. Tonight's win also pushes NCFC back into a tie for first place in the Southern Derby Cup standings with Charleston Battery and moves the team to fifth in the USL Championship Eastern Conference with 11 points.

NCFC won the possession battle from the opening whistle and spent much of the first half in front of the Charlotte goal. Patience would be a virtue for NCFC, who eventually scored in stoppage time of the first half.

Austin da Luz fired NCFC ahead with a strike from the top of the 18-yard box. The goal was his first of the season and gave the side momentum heading into the second half.

A similar style of game continued in the second half as NCFC held its advantage in possession and chances.

The second goal came in the 73rd minute when Manny Perez found Marios Lomis with a perfectly-weighted cross from the right flank. Lomis finished the shot from close range to extend NCFC's grip on the game. The assist was Perez's first of the USL Championship season, while Lomis scored his team-high fifth goal of the year.

Ben Speas saved the best goal of the night for the grand finale. In the 85th minute, the veteran found space near the top of the box and unleashed a beautiful strike from about 25 yards out to make it 3-0. It marked his first goal since joining the club in the offseason.

The final minutes ticked off the clock, as NCFC earned its second shutout of the season.

Up Next:

North Carolina FC returns home to face Hartford Athletic on Saturday, April 27 at 7 p.m. at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Tickets are available online or by calling the Coastal Credit Union Box Office at 919-459-8144.

Notes:

North Carolina FC moves to an overall record of 6W-1L with a goal-scoring margin of 23-5 against the Charlotte Independence in official competitions.

NCFC has never lost an official match at Sportsplex at Matthews with a 3W-0L record.

Austin da Luz, Marios Lomis and Ben Speas scored goals, while Steven Miller and Manny Perez added assists.

Alex Tambakis made four saves for his second shutout of the season.

North Carolina Football Club's youth-to-pro pipeline was vibrantly displayed. NCFC Youth Academy products DJ Taylor and Manny Perez started the match alongside NCFC U-23 product Alex Comsia. Academy product Dre Fortune was on the bench, but did not see game action, and NCFC U-23 and Academy product Caleb Duvernay, is also a part of the team, but did not feature in the game-day 18.

Box Score:

CLT (4-4-2): Curtis Anderson; Andrew Gutman, Steven Thicot, Hugh Roberts, Joel Johnson; Enzo Martinez © (Dominic Oduro, 68'), Mark Hill (Zyen Jones, 58'), Michael Maria, Alex Martinez; Jorge Herrera, Niki Jackson (Jake Areman, 27')

Subs not used: Brandon Miller, Kevan George, Afrim Taku, Abdoulie Mansally

NCFC (4-3-2-1): Alex Tambakis; Aaron Guillen, Sam Brotherton, Alex Comsia, DJ Taylor; Donovan Ewolo (Steven Miller, 75'), Tommy McCabe, Manny Perez; Austin da Luz © (Graham Smith, 70'), Ben Speas, Marios Lomis

Subs not used: Darrin MacLeod, Robert Kristo, Yamikami Chester, Dre Fortune, Duval Wapiwo

Score:

CLT: 0

NCFC: 3

Goals:

CLT: --

NCFC: Austin da Luz (Unassisted, 45+2'), Marios Lomis (Manny Perez, 73'), Ben Speas (Steven Miller, 85')

Cautions:

CLT: Michael Maria 67'

NCFC: Alex Comsia 45+1'

Ejections:

CLT: --

NCFC: --

Attendance: 1,569

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 20, 2019


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