A new era of soccer has begun in North Carolina as both North Carolina Football Club and the NC Courage have kicked off their new campaigns.
NCFC, formerly known as the Carolina Railhawks, is off to a 1-1-1 start and sits in fourth place in the North American Soccer League with four points. NCFC picked up its first win under its new name on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over FC Edmonton at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
NCFC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half with a free-kick goal from Lance Laing and a second tally from Nazmi Albadawi. Albadawi is the captain for NCFC, and played soccer at NC State from 2011 to 2013. Matthew Fondy added a second-half goal to propel NCFC to the 3-1 victory.
Fondy was named the NASL Player of the Week following his performance against Edmonton. Along with his own goal in the second half, Fondy drew a foul just outside of the box early in the game to set up the Laing free kick.
The win over FC Edmonton was a strong rebound for NCFC, which was coming off of a 3-1 loss of its own to the San Francisco Deltas. Tiyi Shipalane scored the lone goal for NCFC, an early strike that put the team up 1-0. However, three-straight goals sealed the win for the Deltas.
NCFC also picked up a point in the season opener in a 1-1 draw at home against Miami FC. Fondy opened up the season’s scoring just four minutes into the opener, but his goal was canceled out by a 13th-minute equalizer from Miami.
NCFC has tallied five goals so far this season, which puts it at a tie for the league lead in that category. Fondy’s two scores also sees him in a tie on the top of the league for goals. However, NCFC has also conceded five goals through three games, which is tied for the most in NASL.
Looking to build on the momentum from its first win of the year, NCFC will travel to Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida on Saturday for a rematch against Miami FC.
The North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League kicked off its season on Saturday, defeating the Washington Spirit in a tightly-contested 1-0 affair. It took just 18 minutes for the Courage to crack the scoreboard as McCall Zerboni netted the lone goal of the game.
The three points gets the Courage off to a strong start in its NWSL title defense, as the franchise won the championship last season as the Western New York Flashes. The Courage dominated the Spirit, totaling 21 shots and nine shots on goal in the season opener.
The Courage will play its first-ever home game this coming Saturday, as it will take on Portland Thorns FC at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Thorns also started out with a win and three points, defeating the Orlando Pride, 2-0, in their opening game.
