Photo courtesy of Rob Kinnan
CARY, N.C. – North Carolina FC thought it was on its way to securing a second consecutive victory in its four-game home stand that stretches from May 25 through June 13, but Bethlehem Steel FC scored two late to silence the crowd and record a 2-1 win from Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday evening. Michee Ngalina tapped in the game-winning goal after a beautiful ball across the penalty area by Santi Moar in the 85th minute. North Carolina had taken the lead early in the contest, as Peabo Doue touched in the first goal of the game in the 16th minute following Kyle Bekker’s corner kick, which bounced by everyone in the box before falling to the feet of the defender at the back post. North Carolina goalkeeper Alex Tambakis was tested a few times for the next hour of game time, and he made an important one-v-one save against Ngalina in the 48th minute to keep the shutout in tact. Steel FC kept knocking, though, and the breaththrough finally came in the 83rd minute, when Benjamin Ofeimu netted hit a blast in from close range. Momentum quickly swung in the direction of Bethlehem, who would score moments later to secure the victory. With the result, North Carolina falls to 3-5-2 on the campaign, while Bethlehem improves to 5-5-2 in 2018.
Scoring:
7’ – NC – Peabo Doue (Kyle Bekker)
83’ – BST – Benjamin Ofeimu (Santi Moar)
85’ – BST – Michee Ngalina (Santi Moar)
Three Things That Matter:
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match
Santi Moar, Bethlehem Steel FC – The playmaker recorded two assists and completed 79.3 percent of his passes on the evening.
Upcoming Games:
North Carolina FC vs. FC Cincinnati – June 9, 7 p.m. ET, Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
Bethlehem Steel FC vs. Louisville City FC – June 9, 5 p.m. ET, Goodman Stadium
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