North Carolina FC 1 – 0 St. Louis FC
Cary, NC—It may not have been a “fairy tale ending” to the regular season, as North Carolina FC captain Austin da Luz said in his post-game meeting with the media. But this game had its share of end-to-end runs, near-misses, great saves, a bit of controversy, and a thrilling game-winning goal. And also a lot of emotion.
North Carolina FC forward Robert Kristo provided more late-game heroics for the Oak City Supporters and Renegados.
On a night when the club and supporters celebrated da Luz’s 10-year professional career, he took the captain’s armband and led the club out for his final regular season match. But there would be time for ceremony after the game. There was still business to attend to.
North Carolina pressured St. Louis FC through much of the first half. It looked like forward Marios Lomis would get the Dead Whales on the board in the 29th minute when defender D.J. Taylor brought the ball down the flank and cut a few yards inside. He chipped the ball over to Lomis, who timed his run perfectly. Lomis tried to knock the past goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, but Gomez got his hand on it and redirected it over the crossbar.
As the first half went into stoppage time, da Luz took the ball on the right side near midfield and saw midfielder Dre Fortune active near the arc of the penalty area. Da Luz lofted a pass to Fortune who settled it with his back to the goal before he turned and fired a rocket right-footed shot on goal. But Gomez came up huge again for his club and the teams went into the locker room deadlocked at 0-0.
The second half got off to a controversial start when NCFC midfielder Steven Miller was making a run at the St. Louis goal and defender Phanuel Kavita attempted to dispossess Miller but instead, he kicked Miller in the face. With Miller on the ground, referee Ismir Pekmic allowed play to continue. When play finally stopped, training staff attended to Miller while da Luz and several other NCFC players surrounded Pekmic insisting that Kavita be penalized. But no foul was called, and no card was issued, despite the fact that Miller was bloodied.
In a controversial play, St. Louis FC defender Phanuel Kavita’s high-kick tackle hit Steven Miller in the face.
Sarachan was measured in his assessment of the non-call in his post-game remarks. “It was a high kick to the face on a breakaway, so I’ll let you interpret that,” he said.
Before five minutes had passed in the second half, an apparent handball in the penalty area was not called, and, in the 49th minute, Miller was at the center of controversy again. Taylor ran a give-and-go with Manny Perez. When he got the ball back, Taylor lobbed it into the St. Louis penalty area for Miller. As he tried to settle the ball for a shot, he was grabbed by defender Sean Reynolds, causing Miller to lose his footing. Pekmic saw nothing in the play and Gomez was able to get control of the ball.
Although the action was end to end in the second half, St. Louis was looking for a much-needed game-winner to lift them into a playoff position. As for North Carolina, they are assured a spot in the playoffs, but head coach Dave Sarachan was looking to keep players fresh and get others some valuable minutes before next Wednesday’s playoff match. Lomis came off of the bench last week at Nashville, in his first action since he broke his ankle in training back in May. Sarachan gave him the start at home and he turned in a good 63-minute shift before making way for Robert Kristo.
Kristo has been Sarachan’s not-so-secret weapon off the bench over the last two months. He is the favorite target for his teammates, who love nothing more than punching high passes in his direction. More often than not, the big forward knocks them into the back of the net. When he doesn’t score, he disrupts opposing defenses, giving his teammates scoring opportunities.
His presence, as well as the addition of the speedy Yamakani Chester, created several scoring chances for the Dead Whales late in the game, but the final touch let them down.
Sam Brotherton and Graham Smith celebrate Robert Kristo’s game-winner.
With the game ticking into the final minutes, Nazmi Albadawi, fresh from his stint with the Palestine National Team, entered the game for da Luz. In an emotional exit to the match, da Luz put the captain’s armband on Miller’s arm while the NCFC fans gave him an extended ovation.
Moments later, North Carolina was awarded a free kick about 25 yards from the St. Louis goal. Fortune drove the ball high into the 18-yard box for Kristo who called the corner pocket and nodded the ball home for the game-winner in the 90th minute.
When asked how he approached the free kick, Fortune grinned. “Rob is a big guy.”
NCFC held off St. Louis through four minutes of stoppage to collect all three points, give themselves momentum heading into Wednesday night’s playoff game, and, most important in that moment, end Austin da Luz’s final regular season game in thrilling style.
For St. Louis, though, it was an opportunity to turn around a bad run of form and possibly sneak into the playoffs that went wanting. Their disappointment was palpable as Pekmic blew the final whistle.
Following the post-game ceremony in his honor, da Luz reflected on the evening and his professional career. “That’s the game, right? It wasn’t a fairy tale ending but…that’s the game. You know, it’s more true to life. It’s not a fairy tale. I think it’s important to acknowledge that in moments like this, it’s easy to romanticize things a little bit. There has been a lot of joy, a lot of love and excitement and passion. But there has also been a lot of pain and anger and heartbreak. And that’s all part of it. That’s life. Soccer’s like life.”
Final Notes
- North Carolina FC announced team awards on Friday. As voted by the players, goalkeeper Alex Tambakis was named MVP. Defender-turned-midfielder Steven Miller’s club-leading nine goals and six assists earned him Offensive Player of the Year honors. D.J. Taylor is Defensive Player of the Year. Taylor’s defensive and offensive utility and work ethic earned a permanent spot in the starting XI.
- The Leadership Award goes to captain Austin da Luz. NCFC’s longest-tenured active player, he has been a leader on and off the field.
- Forward Marios Lomis is the Comeback Player of the Year. Lomis suffered a broken ankle in training last May. After recovering from surgery, he returned to play last week against Nashville and started tonight against St. Louis.
- Da Luz was also recognized for his community involvement, earning the Community Service Award for the third year in a row. With his strong ties to the area, da Luz is very active in the community. But his involvement extends far beyond the Triangle. He began Playing for Pride three years ago in support of LGBTQ rights. Playing for Pride has grown in both involvement and dollars raised every year. Since its inception in 2017, Playing for Pride has raised over $60,000.
- Next up for North Carolina FC is a playoff match against either Birmingham FC or Charleston Battery in Cary, NC on Wednesday night.
Lineups
North Carolina FC: A. Tambakis; S. Brotherton, A. Comsia, DJ Taylor, A. Guillen; M. Perez (Y. Chester 71’), A da Luz © (N. Albadawi 87’), D. Fortune, G. Smith, S. Miller; M. Lomis (R. Kristo 63’)
St. Louis FC: T. Gomez; M. Bahner, S. Reynolds, P. Kavita, B. Kamdem Fewo, L. Hilton, O. Umar, K. Dacres (M.Kacher 45’), R. Cicerone; Ty. Blackwood, C. Calvert (A. Dikwa 69’)
Score:
North Carolina FC: 1
St. Louis FC: 0
Goals:
NCFC: R. Kristo (90’ D. Fortune)
St. Louis FC: none
Discipline
North Carolina FC: A da Luz, YC 50’; DJ Taylor, YC 85’
St. Louis FC: S. Reynolds, YC, 89’
Attendance: 5,982
Photo Gallery: North Carolina FC v St. Louis FC
All photos by Victoria Klum.
