Two special goals see Carolina Core FC defeat Crown Legacy, 2-1 at home on Saturday night.
High Point, North Carolina (July 13, 2024) – Carolina Core FC earn their first home victory, defeating in-state opponent Crown Legacy FC 2-1 in front of a third consecutive sellout crowd.
Goal-Scoring Plays
CCFC – Jathan Juarez, 45th minute: A great CCFC team move ends in a goal as wingback Jathan Juarez fires a shot from outside the box into the top left corner. The goal is Juarez’s first of the season.
CLFC – Dylan Sing, 51st minute: A ball from across the box finds Dylan Sing, who tapped the ball from close range.
CCFC – Josuha Rodriguez, 76th minute: A high cross from a Jacob Evans corner found the head of Kai Thomas, who headed the ball back into the box. Forward Josuha Rodriguez was first to pounce as he scored for the fifth game in a row.
Postgame Notes
- CCFC record first home victory
- Rodriguez on fire as he scores for fifth consecutive game
- Jathan Juarez scores his first CCFC goal
- CCFC vs. CLFC | MLSNP Box Score
CCFC Record First Home Victory
After being on the road for 12 of the first 14 home games, Carolina Core FC recorded its first win at home against Crown Legacy FC. The scoring was opened up in the 45th minute, by a rocket from defender Jathan Juarez. The San Antonio native, cut inside and unleashed a strike with his right foot into the roof of the net. After Crown Legacy FC equalized just after halftime, CCFC would find the winner in the form of Josuha Rodriguez. After scoring in his previous four matches, Rodriguez would continue his fantastic form, finishing a directional header from Kai Thomas. In a third consecutive sellout, The Foxes would take all three points, moving them to 11th position in the Eastern Conference.
Rodriguez on Fire As He Scores For Fifth Consecutive Game
Forward Josuha Rodriguez extended his scoring streak to five consecutive games as he netted the match-winning goal of the game in the 76th minute. A corner from captain Jacob Evans found defender Kai Thomas, who headed the ball back into the penalty area. The Honduran striker was quick to the ball and passed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner to give the Foxes a 2-1 lead. Rodriguez would go on to win Man of the Match for the second game in a row for his tremendous performance.
Jathan Juarez Scores His First CCFC Goal
Wingback Jathan Juarez scored his first goal of the season tonight, smashing a right-footed strike into the roof of the net just before the end of the first half. Following an attack highlighted by quick passing around Crown Legacy’s box, captain Jacob Evans would go on to find Juarez. The 21-year-old took a touch and unleashed a rocket of a shot into the top left corner of the net, beating CLFC goalkeeper Chituru Odunze at full stretch. Juarez would go on to play all 90 minutes of the match and register two shots on goal with three key passes.
Lineups
Carolina Core FC — Alex Sutton; Aryeh Miller, Ibrahim Covi, Kai Thomas; Carlos Mario Diaz (Jonathan Bazaes – 78’), Alenga Charles, Santiago Cambindo, Jathan Juarez; Jacob Evans, Derek Cuevas (Jesus Orejuela – 85’); Josuha Rodriguez (David “Pachi” Polanco – 85’)’.
Substitutes not used — Robert Bailey, Ozzie Cisneros, Drake Hadeed, Luis Lugo, Federico Stachuk, Yekeson Subah.
Crown Legacy FC — Chituru Odunze; Josue Rodrigues (Jean-Aniel Assi – 85’), Jack Neeley, Willian Sangoquiza Paredes, Julian Bravo; Philip Mayaka, Cameron Duke (Filip Mirkovic – 85’), Aron John; Brandon Cambridge (Brian Romero – 62’), Dylan Sing (Jonathan Nyandjo – 73’), JahLane Forbes (Nimfasha Berchimas – 73’).
Substitutes not used — James Nyandjo, Erik Peña, Nicholas Holliday, Amare Lucas.
Next Game
Carolina Core FC hosts Chattanooga FC on Wednesday, July 17th at Trust Point Stadium. The match kicks off at 6:30 PM ET with a live stream available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Tickets are available for purchase here: https://bit.ly/ccfctickets
2024 MLS NEXT Pro
Carolina Core FC vs Crown Legacy FC
Saturday, July 13th 2024 – Truist Point Stadium (High Point, North Carolina)
Carolina Core FC record: 4-7-4 (19 points – 11th in East)
Crown Legacy FC record: 7-6-3 (26 points – 5th in East)
Scoring Summary:
CCFC: Jathan Juarez (Jacob Evans) – 45+4’
CLFC: Dylan Sing (Aron John) – 51’
CCFC: Josuha Rodriguez (Kai Thomas) – 76’
Misconduct Summary:
CLFC: Cameron Duke (caution) – 27’
CCFC: Kai Thomas (caution) – 33’
CLFC: Brandon Cambridge (caution) – 45+1’
CCFC: Josuha Rodriguez (caution) – 71’
Referee: Kyle Johnston
Assistant Referees: Kevin Huet, Joseph Knoff
Fourth Official: Izlan Peksenar
Weather: Sunny, 92 degrees
Attendance: 4,083 (sellout)
CAROLINA CORE FC POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Roy Lassiter
On our first home win…
“It feels really good. The boys have been playing really good soccer lately. They've been sticking to the principles that I and the staff wanted them to play by, and it finally paid off for us. We played solid, and it takes character to make mistakes in the game, get scored on, and come back, continuing to play. We needed more energy from the staff to keep going, and the boys on the field responded well. The first win at home means a lot. We’re in debt to our community, as they've shown great support even in tough times, but now that we're unbeaten in four games and getting good results, the resolve of our team and points show we’re turning the corner. We’re going to keep taking it game by game.”
On being unbeaten in four games…
“It just means the team is understanding more. The staff knew that it was going to take time to mesh together. We’re a brand new team; it’s a fresh slate to work on here, and any coach and any organization that’s just starting out with this experience would tell you the same thing: It just takes a little time. We’ve had our bumps at the beginning of the season, and we’ve taken them big time. Tonight we played well, and at the end of the day, we did get the three points. We’re trying to make it so that when teams come to this place, it’s our house, and you can’t take it from us. We’re just going to try and get three points in every match, regardless of who it’s against.”
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
