CARY, N.C. (March 29, 2025) — North Carolina FC picked up its first home win of the 2025 season, beating the Charleston Battery, 2-1, in a Southern Derby showdown Saturday night at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.
With the win, NCFC improves to 2-1-1 on the season.
Evan Conway opened the scoring in the 24′, getting a slight touch on Ahmad Al-Qaq’s shot to redirect it into the far post. The assist was Al-Qaq’s first as a professional.
NCFC doubled its lead just nine minutes later with Charleston defender Graham Smith heading the ball into his own net after a cross from Mikey Maldonado.
Cal Jennings pulled one back for the visitors deep in first-half stoppage time from the penalty spot following a controversial call in the box.
Quotes:
John Bradford: “It’s huge. It’s been the message the whole week — it was a good road result in Tulsa and we have an opportunity to get two wins in a row, which is something we want to try and build on especially before we go on the road for the next couple of games. I’m proud of the guys tonight.”
John Bradford on Ahmad Al-Qaq: “He was great. He gives energy and quality. He works on both sides of the ball. Really proud of him tonight.”
Ahmad Al-Qaq: “We came off a win last week and we didn’t want to be bouncing between wins and losses and ties. We said that we wanted win two games in a row and hopefully build on that in the season. This was the perfect performance. It showed the grit we have as a team.”
Evan Conway: “To get through a game like this with a one-goal lead and a full second half with lots of pressure was really big for us and shows the growth of this team.”
Match Notes:
- Ahmad Al-Qaq recorded his first professional assist in the 24′, firing a ball toward the far post that was flicked on by Evan Conway and into the back of the net.
- NCFC improved to 2-1-1 on the season, picking up a second consecutive win early in the 2025 season.
Up Next:
North Carolina FC hits the road for Week 5 of the USL Championship season, traveling to Indy Eleven on Saturday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET. This marks the first game of a three-game road trip for NCFC.
Box Score:
NCFC (5-2-3): Jake McGuire; Ezra Armstrong (Jaden Servania — 67′), Paco Craig ©, Conor Donovan, Bryce Washington, Rafa Mentzingen; Mikey Maldonado, Raheem Somersall; Ahmad Al-Qaq (Louis Perez — 67′), Pedro Dolabella, Evan Conway (Adam Luckhurst — 83′)
Subs not used: Trevor Mulqueen, Triston Hodge, Rodrigo Da Costa, Collin Martin, Jayson Quintanilla, Finn Sundstrom
CHS (4-2-3-1): Luis Zamudio; Nathan Dossantos (Jackson Conway — 85′), Graham Smith, Leland Archer ©, Chris Allan (Emilio Ycaza — 64′); Aaron Molloy, Nanan Houssou (Joshua Drack-Asami — 74′); Douglas Martínez (Ezekiel Soto — 74′), Arturo Rodríguez (John Klein — 64′), Juan Torres; Cal Jennings
Subs not used: Christian Garner, MD Myers, Viggo Ortiz, Joseph Akpunonu
Score:
NCFC: 2
CHS: 1
Goals:
NCFC: E. Conway — 24′ (A. Al-Qaq), G. Smith (OG) — 33′
CHS: C. Jennings — 45’+5′ (PK)
Cautions:
NCFC: A. Al-Qaq — 22′, M. Maldonado — 54′, P. Dolabella — 58′
CHS: A. Molloy — 19′, Emilio Ycaza — 73′, Leland Archer — 84′
Ejections:
NCFC: –
CHS: –
Venue: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)
Attendance: 2,251
