MacKinnon scores for Triumph, but North Carolina FC nets pair in second half to win
Cary, N.C. (August 12, 2023) – The Greenville Triumph SC was defeated 2-1 on the road by North Carolina FC Saturday night. Despite a goal from Lyam MacKinnon in the 36th minute, Greenville suffered just its second defeat since mid-May after conceding two second half goals to the league leaders over a three-minute span in the second half.
The match began with a chance for North Carolina FC to move ahead but an impressive stop from Greenville’s Jared Mazzola denied an early goal for the home side. Both teams vied for control of the ball, but Greenville was the first to strike. In the 36th minute, Aaron Walker settled an airborne ball in the NC 18-yard box to Lyam MacKinnon’s feet. MacKinnon made quick work of the pass and fired off a shot into the lower left corner netting to give Greenville a 1-0 lead. As the halftime whistle blew, Greenville walked into the locker room with a hard-earned 1-0 advantage.
Early in the second half, though, North Carolina proceeded to level the score to 1-1, before overtaking Greenville 2-1 in what would prove to be the match-winning goal. NCFC capitalized on a counterattack and a rebounded ball for their first goal in the 54th minute and then, two minutes later, a clearance attempt by Greenville fell perfectly to Louis Perez, who curved the ball around the defense for a second goal. Greenville attempted to boost the offense with Venton Evans and Jacob Labovitz, but time ran out for the South Carolina side and the match concluded 2-1, NCFC.
The Triumph will travel to Colorado on August 19th to face NOCO at 9:00 PM ET, before returning home on August 23rd and 26th to play the Chattanooga Red Wolves and Union Omaha at 7:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now.
