USL1 North Carolina FC

North Carolina FC Travel to Face Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC

Published on June 6, 2022 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, NC - North Carolina FC will hit the road to face Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC for the second time this season on Wednesday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET at Future Legends Complex in Windsor, CO. Jockeying for position at the top of the USL League One table, North Carolina FC could advance to first place in the standings with three points in Wednesday's contest, with the opportunity to leap the Charlotte Independence and the Greenville Triumph well at hand. The mid-week tilt will stream live on ESPN+.

Last Time Out

North Carolina FC bested the Richmond Kickers 2-1 on May 28, topping their regional rival to advance up the table. Recovering an early 1-0 deficit, the North Carolina side relied on a first half brace from Garrett McLaughlin to secure three points and climb up the table. With two goals scored during the contest, McLaughlin once again leads the Golden Boot race having tallied six goals on the season. Emiliano Terzaghi recorded the lone goal for the Kickers.

"I'm extremely pleased with the way the guys turned around a poor start to the game, a poor first 15-20 minutes," said Head Coach John Bradford following the match. "We felt loose, but the guys were able to mentally put that behind them and start finding their way a little bit. Something we've been preaching is that consecutive goals win games. Rarely do we score a goal and then immediately score another goal, it's usually more of a back and forth and whoever scores the last goal wins the game. It was nice to have that response in the first half and a really good defensive effort in the second half. Good job to the boys on being able to see out a good result."

"It was a great team win," said McLaughlin. "The message all week was to play a complete game and to get a consecutive win, and it feels awesome to have done both."

Where to Watch: ESPN+

Players to Watch

North Carolina FC - #19 Garrett McLaughlin

Nominated for USL League One Player of the Month, earning Player of the Week in Week Nine of the regular season, and leading the Golden Boot race, the accolades continue to roll in for McLaughlin, who has been one of the league's best attacking players this year. The striker averages 119 minutes per goal, collecting ten shots on target, and boasts a 58.8% shooting accuracy rate. With a chance to pull into first place in league standings at stake on Wednesday, McLaughlin will look to add to his goal tally on the season while simultaneously creating scoring chances for his teammates.

Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC - #4 Robert Cornwall

Captaining the Northern Colorado squad in their inaugural season, Cornwall has recorded five appearances with the club for a total of 450 minutes of playing time. As Wednesday's match quickly approaches, Cornwall will look to get the Hailstorm back on track with a victory against NCFC at home, bolstering the backline against one of the league's most prolific goalscorers in Garrett McLaughlin.

Up Next: North Carolina FC will return to WakeMed Soccer Park to take on the Charlotte Independence for the first time this season on Saturday, June 18 at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets to the match are available here, and the contest will be available to stream on ESPN+.

Check out the North Carolina FC Statistics

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United Soccer League One Stories from June 6, 2022


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