Photo courtesy of Gregory Ng from NCFCShots.com
North Carolina FC picked up its first point of the season on Saturday, May 22, drawing 0-0 with the Richmond Kickers on the road.
After a last-minute loss in its last game, NCFC was able to see out the draw against Richmond. Both teams had multiple good chances to get on the scoreboard but a mix of solid keeping and underwhelming finishing kept both teams off the scoresheet.
A very tight first half ended with NCFC and Richmond locked at 0-0. The Kickers narrowly edged NCFC on shots (8-7) and the possession was nearly an even 50/50 split. Selmir Miscic was the main spark for NCFC offense, generating multiple big opportunities.
Jake McGuire also came up big for NCFC between the sticks, denying Richmond a big chance in the 31st minute and ensuring the two sides went into the break level. McGuire continued his solid play in net during the second half, including a very good save on a flicked header in the 67th minute.
Thorn Simpson made his debut for NCFC, starting up front in place of Robert Kristo. Simpson played 81 minutes and showed a solid ability to hold up the play and allow players like Miscic to get forward with the ball.
Miscic had a really good chance to steal all three points late but the winger couldn’t get his shot on target in the 90th minute, blasting his shot into the side of the net.
NCFC will be back in action on Saturday, May 29 as the team returns home to face FC Tucson. The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m.