The Oakland Roots gave up a pair of goals in the first ten minutes and fell to North Carolina FC by a score of 5-0 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina on Saturday night.
The match was reminiscent of the two previous matches in which the club had given up five goals this season: their 5-0 loss at Pittsburgh on July 13 and their 5-2 loss at home vs. Sacramento on July 21.
North Carolina Puts the Match Out of Reach Early
Early in the match, Oakland had much of the possession, but it quickly became apparent that their defense was vulnerable to North Carolina’s quick transitions.
In the sixth minute, Evan Conway’s header hit the post, leaving Rodrigo da Costa wide open to pounce on the rebound and give the home side the lead.
Less than two minutes later, the home side scored on a counter attack, as Rafa Mentzingen chased down a long ball from Collin Martin. Goalkeeper Paul Blanchette came out to cut down the angle, but Mentzingen slipped his shot by him at the near post.
Oakland’s best first half chance came in the 10th minute, when a one-timer by Napa Matsoso at the near post was deflected over the end line by goalkeeper Jake McGuire.
North Carolina’s third goal came on a set piece in the 32nd minute, when Paco Craig headed home a corner kick from Mikey Maldonado.
With the game quickly getting out of hand, Roots interim Head Coach Gavin Glinton went to the substitutes’ bench early, bringing Ilya Alekseev in for Baboucarr Njie in the 38th minute.
The fourth goal came in the 43rd minute, after Blanchette wandered out of his penalty area. Martin stole Blanchette’s outlet pass and dribbled to the edge of the penalty area. Blanchette was able to get back into position to make the save, but was unable to hold onto Martin’s shot attempt, leaving the rebound for Conway to tap in.
A Quiet Second Half
The second half was largely uneventful, though three North Carolina players did receive yellow cards.
Glinton added offensive firepower to his lineup in the 61st minute, bringing in Dom Dwyer and José Luis Sinisterra for his first appearance with the Roots.
The host side wrapped up the scoring in the 63rd minute, when Ezra Armstrong made an overlapping run along the left side and slipped in a shot that skipped along the turf, eluding Blanchette’s sliding tackle.
North Carolina nearly had a sixth in the 75th minute, but Blanchette made a quick reaction save to Conway’s shot from close range.
Next Match
Oakland returns home on Saturday September 14 to take on San Antonio FC.
