July 18, 2021 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – North Carolina FC News Release
CARY, NC – North Carolina FC fell to Toronto FC II in a high-scoring match that saw six goals scored between the two teams. A red card shown to Pecka in the 33rd minute proved to be a challenge to the young squad as they played with 10 men for more than 60 minutes. Though the result was not in favor of the home team, their ability to battle back despite being down a man was certainly a match highlight. Thorn Simpson and Cole Frame added the goals for NCFC, while Garrett McLaughin and Antonio Carlini marked the scoresheet for Toronto.
“I think we did a good job of staying in it and fighting until the very end, and you can’t ask for much more than that,” said NCFC goalkeeper Jake McGuire in a postgame interview. “It’s unfortunate to not get the result and we did have a lot of other elements acting against us, but [there are] plenty of positive takeaways from tonight. We keep going.”
Scoring Recap:
23′ Garrett McLaughlin (Erickson Gallardo) – NCFC 0, TOR 1
Toronto’s Garrett McLaughlin drew first blood in tonight’s match, as a chip from a Toronto player made its way to Erickson Gallardo in the NCFC box. Gallardo slipped a slot pass to McLaughlin inside the six, narrowly escaping a challenge from goalkeeper Jake McGuire. In at close range, McLaughlin tapped home his sixth goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute.
26′ Thorn Simpson – NCFC 1, TOR 1
Quick to respond with an equalizer, North Carolina FC was brought level courtesy of Thorn Simpson’s first goal of the season. The attack began with the awarding of an NCFC corner kick, with captain Nazmi Albadawi playing in the short pass to Jay Tee Kamara. With a defender on his back, Kamara lifted a ball across the face of the net, skimming a Toronto defender and deflecting into the path of Simpson. Keeping his composure, Simpson buried a volley past Toronto goalkeeper Andreas Vaikla to deadlock the match at a goal apiece.
32′ Garrett McLaughlin (Rohan Goulbourne) – NCFC 1, TOR 2
McLaughin recorded the brace in the 32nd minute, bringing his total on the season to seven goals. Rohan Goulbourne sent in the assist, finding McLaughlin in the box. Leaping up to complete a bicycle kick, McLaughlin added another goal to give Toronto a 2-1 lead.
67′ Cole Frame (Jay Tee Kamara) – NCFC 2, TOR 2
Entering the match as a second half substitute, Cole Frame’s impact was nearly immediate as Jay Tee Kamara found the young midfielder deep in the attacking third. Taking the ball in stride, Frame executed a stepover to beat his defender, shifting the ball to his left foot and slipping a shot into the lower right corner of the net to equalize once more for the North Carolina side. The goal was Frame’s second of the season, putting the league on notice at only 18 years old.
75′ Antonio Carlini (Steffen Yeates) – NCFC 2, TOR 3
Toronto added a third goal in the 75th minute, as Antonio Carlini received a pass from Steffen Yeates outside of the eighteen. With his first touch, Carlini turned on the ball, firing off a shot that granted Toronto the go-ahead goal that both sides had been vying for.
84′ Garrett McLaughlin – NCFC 2, TOR 4
Later, in the 84th minute, a shot from Steffen Yeates was saved by Jake McGuire, taking an unfortunate deflection and landing directly in the path of McLaughlin, who was crashing the net. McLaughlin put away his third goal of the match, sealing the hat trick as Toronto pulled away from the home squad, 4-2. Despite North Carolina FC’s best efforts to cut into the visitors’ lead, Toronto came away with three points as the match expired.
Match Notes:
– Nazmi Albadawi and Malyk Hamilton made their first starts of the season in tonight’s match.
– Thorn Simpson notched his first goal of the season.
– Jake McGuire tallied seven saves throughout the contest.
Up Next: North Carolina FC will remain at home to face the Richmond Kickers on Wednesday, July 21 at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased here.
Box Score:
NCFC (4-2-4): Jake McGuire, Shermaine Martina, Malick Mbaye, Max Flick, Nelson Flores, Pecka, Nelson Martinez (Selmir Miscic – 80′), Malyk Hamilton (Robert Kristo – 65′), Nazmi Albadawi (Nazmi Albadawi – 88′), Jay Tee Kamara (Josh Coan – 88′), Thorn Simpson (Cole Frame – 46′)
Subs Not Used: Nick Holliday, Britton Fischer
TOR (4-4-2): Andreas Vaikla, Luca Petrasso, Talen Maples, Kevin Politz, Kobe Franklin, Rohan Goulbourne (Kosi Thompson – 71′), Steffen Yeates (Antony Curic – 90′), Antonio Carlini (Dante Campbell – 80′), Erickson Gallardo (Themi Antonoglou – 46′), Garrett McLaughlin, Julian Altobelli
Subs Not Used: Nyal Higgins, Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Nicolas Ovalle
Score:
NCFC: 2
TOR: 4
Goals:
NCFC: Thorn Simpson – 26′, Cole Frame – 67′
TOR: Garrett McLaughlin – 23′, 32′, 84′, Antonio Carlini – 75′
Cautions:
NCFC: Nelson Martinez – 9′, Max Flick – 54′, Malyk Hamilton – 56′
TOR: Talen Maples – 77′
Ejections:
NCFC: Pecka – 33′
TOR: —
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