High Point, NC (March 14, 2026) — Carolina Core FC delivered an energetic performance in its 2026 home opener, but two goals in the final fifteen minutes, including a late stoppage-time set piece goal, saw Orlando City B secure a 3-2 win.
In front of a 4,016-strong home crowd, The Core started brightly and opened the scoring in the 31st minute through Anthony Sumo Jr., who showed strength to finish from a well-worked corner kick routine.
The Core carried that momentum into the second half, and doubled the advantage just minutes after the restart, when midfielder Ricardo Montenegro produced an excellent one-touch finish in the 48th minute, latching onto an intelligent direct pass into the box from Thomas Raimbault.
After the Core controlled much of the opening hour, Orlando City B responded in the later stages of the match, pulling a goal back through Harvey Sarajian's low drive in the 75th minute. Five minutes later, Justin Ellis found Orlando's equalizer after capitalizing on attacking pressure on goalkeeper Trevor Jackson.
Despite continued positivity from Carolina Core in the closing minutes, Orlando City B found a late winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time through substitute Caleb Trombino, with a glancing header from a Gustavo Caraballo free kick.
The match was closely contested throughout, with Carolina Core registering eight shots on target and forcing six saves from Orlando goalkeeper Juan Rojas. The Core finished the match with 18 total shots and 11 corner kicks, underlining their attacking pressure throughout the afternoon.
The Foxes are next in action at Truist Point on Thursday, March 19, when National Premier Soccer League side Virginia Dream FC visits for the First Round of the U.S. Open Cup.
MATCH DETAILS
Date: March 14, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Truist Point | High Point, NC
Kickoff: 3.00 p.m. ET
Weather: 70 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 4,016
SCORING SUMMARY
FT: 2-3
CCFC: Anthony Sumo Jr. 31’
CCFC: Ricardo Montenegro 48'
OCSC B: Harvey Sarajian 75'
OCSC B: Justin Ellis 80'
OCSC B: Caleb Trombino 95'
LINEUPS
CCFC: Trevor Jackson; Jair Caiza, Charles Orbaugh, Nolan Evers, Nathan Brown (Tim Zeegers 68'); Thomas Raimbault, Ricardo Montenegro, Mehdi Zerkane (Mohamed Diakite 58'); David Diaz, Antonio Pineda (Dyllan John 16’), Anthony Sumo Jr. (Jesus Ibarra 68')
Substitutes not used: Nicholas Holliday, Santiago Yepes, Corey Lundeen, Dominique Colon, Robinson Aguirre
OCSC B: Juan Rojas; Bernardo Rhein, Titus Sandy Jr, Jaylen Yearwood, Nicholas Lasheras (Parker Amoo-Mensah 69'); Justin Ellis, Gustavo Caraballo, Dylan Judelson, Dominik Baczewski (Caleb Trombino 84'), Harvey Sarajian; Logan Tsopanoglu (Matthew Belgodere 72')
Substitutes not used: Zinedine Rodriguez, Landon Okonski, Ignacio Gómez, Melo Murrillo
STATS SUMMARY
CCFC / OCSC B
Shots: 18 / 17
Shots in Penalty Area: 14 / 13
Shots on Goal: 8 / 5
Saves: 2 / 6
Corner Kicks: 11 / 5
Fouls: 20 / 6
Possession: 46% / 54%
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CCFC: Anthony Sumo Jr. (Yellow) 23'
CCFC: Medhi Zerkane (Yellow) 51'
CCFC: Mohamed Diakite (Yellow) 83'
CCFC: Dyllan John (Yellow) 90'
CCFC: Jair Caiza (Yellow) 94'
