For the third game in a row, North Carolina FC was held scoreless, losing 1-0 to in-state rivals Charlotte Independence on Wednesday night.
NCFC’s last goal came in the 38th minute of the team’s 1-0 win over Memphis 901 FC on Aug. 8, and since then, it has lost to Birmingham Legion FC, Charleston Battery and, now, Charlotte Independence by a combined score of 6-0.
Charlotte’s lone goal came in the 59th minute, with a wonderful goal from Rey Ortiz. The midfielder brought a hard-hit cross under control with one touch, tapping it up into the perfect position to hit a stunning volley past NCFC goalkeeper Alex Tambakis and into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
NCFC had a number of decent chances to put the ball in the back of the net, especially in the first half, with forwards Hadji Barry and Marios Lomis both being denied by a pair of solid saves from Independence goalkeeper Brandon Kristopher Miller.
With the loss, NCFC falls five points behind Charlotte in the Group G standings. Currently, Birmingham leads the group with 18 points from nine games, Charlotte occupies the second playoff spot with 12 points from eight games, while NCFC and Memphis are on the outside looking in with seven points from seven games and six points from eight games, respectively.
NCFC will not have to wait long for another opportunity to pick up some points, as Memphis will be in town for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday. If NCFC loses to Memphis, it will drop into last place in Group G with just eight games left to play.
