North Carolina FC came out of the halftime break against the Richmond Kickers looking like a completely different team, riding a couple of beautiful goals to a 2-1 win, its first since moving to USL League One.
After going with the young guns last week (due in large part to injuries and suspensions), NCFC fielded a more experienced lineup against the Kickers. Jake McGuire, Pecka, Peter Pearson, Shermaine Martina, Blanco Flores, Selmir Miscic all started against Richmond after not starting against Chattanooga.
After previously making his debut in the second half against Fort Lauderdale, the start was Martina’s first since joining the club. Although he signed with NCFC in March, COVID-19 related visa issues kept him from actually joining his teammates until recently.
NCFC went behind in the sixth minute and despite holding 70% of the possession in the first half, went into the break down 1-0. While NCFC held the vast majority of the possession in the first half, it was not able to do much with it. Jay Tee Kamara threatened with long shots twice, but both were easily saved.
Cole Frame, NCFC’s lone goal scorer against Chattanooga, came on for Thorn Simpson right at the start of the second half and made another immediate impact. Frame drew a foul near the corner and Max Flick was able to rise above the rest of the scrum and flick the ball toward the far post, bringing NCFC level.
The goal was Flick’s second of the season, putting him just one goal behind the club’s leading scorer this season, Selmir Miscic.
Boosted by the quick goal, NCFC looked like a completely different team in the second half. The 1-1 tie didn’t last long as Kamara, who assisted Flick’s goal, joined Flick in the two-goal club.
Miscic nearly scored an absolute worldie on a free kick from way outside the box, but it flew off the bar and found Kamara at the edge of the box. Kamara beat multiple players with some silky dribbling and curled it in beautifully. After the goal, Kamara ran right for Malick Mbaye and got a piggyback ride from the center back.
Richmond’s Esteban Calvo picked up a second yellow card shortly after the goal and was given his marching orders. Playing against 10 men for the rest of the match, NCFC was able to see out the remainder of the game.
Richmond had a couple of chances to tie things up late, but a combination of a reflex save from McGuire and a great goal line clearance from substitute Britton Fischer kept NCFC in the lead.
While the win doesn’t lift NCFC off the bottom of the USL League One table, picking up its first win will be a weight off the team’s shoulders after so many close losses. NCFC will have a chance to build on this first win on Saturday, July 3 as it travels down to South Georgia Tormenta FC.
