One Knox Falls 1-0 to North Carolina FC
June 5, 2023 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
One Knoxville SC News Release
One Knox SC (4-3-4) lose 1-0 in a hard fought battle against North Carolina FC (7-1-3) at Regal Stadium on Saturday.
"We didn't play to our potential," Head Coach Mark McKeever said. "I feel as though we conceded a goal, made mistakes, tried to fix it, and didn't respond."
The first half was up and down the pitch throughout with North Carolina pacing in both shots and shots on target. NCFC broke the deadlock just before halftime - Minute 45'+1. A winding run from Oalex Anderson led to a Jaden Servania goal inside the box benefitting from a touch off the right post
The second half was played as an entirely different game. Instead of free flowing action, there were a plethora of fouls given on both sides. The second 45 minutes saw 20 fouls given compared to the first half's eight.
"The second half was gutsy and gritty," McKeever said. "We had the better chances in the second half. Again, we just didn't score in the big moments. But I feel as though we managed them better in the second half. "
One Knox continued to press for a goal but couldn't find the equalizer in the final stages of the game. Despite the unfavorable result, One Knox battled hard against one of USL League One's top teams.
"We can look at ourselves or we can look at the quality that North Carolina had," McKeever said. "They have Rafa Mentzingen, who is potentially one of the most dangerous players in the league. We've got to give them some credit as well."
One Knox falls to fifth in the League One standings with 15 points. NCFC remains tied atop the League at 22 points. Charlotte Independence share the top spot with them though NCFC has a game in hand.
"We're going to go back to the drawing board and fix some things that we've already done right," McKeever said. "We'll regroup. Another positive is that they're at the top of the league, and if that's our benchmark, we're very, very close."
One Knox returns to action on Saturday, June 10 when the squad travels to Windor, CO to take on Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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