CARY, NC. – South Georgia Tormenta FC fought hard tonight, earning three points in Cary, North Carolina. North Carolina FC was looking for its first home win, but Tormenta FC had other plans and came out with a final score of 3-2.
South Georgia was able to get the first opportunity of the game in the sixth minute with a shot from afar by Adrian Billhardt which was poorly disposed of by the NCFC keeper. Jamil Roberts found the rebound with his shot hitting the goal post.
NCFC then scored first with a great long ball pass, finding Anderson who took on the TFC defenders and beat them in the run. A cross was placed to Mclaughlin who beat Pablo Jara and scored his fourth goal of the season.
After scoring an Open Cup goal versus Inter Miami on Tuesday, Kazaiah Sterling continued his form and added another clinical finish in the 31st minute to even up the score 1-1 for Tormenta FC. Midfielders Gabriel Cabral and Billhardt brought the ball up the field for Sterling who slotted the ball past two NCFC players and the keeper to score his second Tormenta FC goal and first in USL League One play.
42 minutes into the game, Tormenta FC continued to apply pressure to the NCFC midfield. A strongly-pressed ball by Joshua Phelps found Adrian Billhardt who positioned Barry Sharifi into a 1v1 situation with the keeper. Sharifi was able to find the opposite side of the net, making it impossible for Pullisic to do anything. Sharifi’s goal gave South Georgia their first lead of the night with a score of 2-1.
Although the second half saw Tormenta FC be the better team for the first 15 minutes, a breakthrough opportunity for NCFC saw them equalize the encounter. A pass from former Tormenta FC midfielder Raheem Sommersall found Anderson who beat TFC defender Jake Dengler on the run, putting the ball into the back of the net, overcoming Jara for the second time tonight.
The press continued to pay dividends for South Georgia this afternoon in the 83rd minute, as NCFC decided to build from the back; a mistake from NCFC’s Jordan Skelton found his pass just a bit short, allowing Arthur Bosua to anticipate the pass and find himself in a forwards dream; a 1v1 situation against a goalkeeper that was out of place. After beating the goalkeeper, Bosua finished against a lone net giving South Georgia its second lead of the night.
South Georgia secured its third consecutive win on the road in League One play with tonight’s 3-2 result. The result also signified Tormenta FC’s first win against NCFC in club history.
Tonight’s Player of the Match presented by Galactic Comics and Games is midfielder Chris Heckenberg, who played a clinical part in retaining possession and winning the midfield battle for South Georgia. Heckenberg recorded an 80% passing accuracy and won five duels.
UPCOMING:
Tormenta FC now returns home to host Central Valley Fuego FC at Erk Russell Park for Summer Fun Night, with the match kicking off at 7:30 p.m. Single-game general admission tickets are available in advance, as well as VIP packages which include unlimited food and drink.
