TAMPA BAY, Florida, CMC – St Vincent & the Grenadines striker Oalex Anderson played a central role in hosts North Carolina FC claiming their first win of the season when they overcame Hartford Athletic 2-1 in the United Soccer Leagues Championship on Friday in the United States.
A foul on the 29-year-old resulted in a first-half penalty that enabled NCFC to take the lead. Ten minutes later, he scored the deciding goal at WakeMed Soccer Park in the American town of Cary, North Carolina.
Hartford slashed the deficit in the middle of the second half and continued to press for an equalizer, but it never came, and the home team, the USL League 1 champion of last year, grabbed a morale-boosting win.
The result meant that North Carolina provisionally moved up to fifth on five points from a win and two draws in their four matches so far this season in the Eastern Conference ahead of a full slate of matches on Saturday.
“I mean, we are all here for the same thing,” Anderson said in a post-play interview. We established that at the beginning of the season, we are here for the same thing, so to get the job done, we have to collectively buy into whatever the coaches ask of us and do it as one.
“We also need to be united as a family, and I think it’s been perfect. But everything’s going to take time. We’re not going to have success overnight… And I ask you to be patient with the guys. But, we’ll get where we want to be with time.”
NCFC had the run of play for much of the early stages and broke through in the 25th minute when Anderson charged past the Hartford backline, forcing them into a foul in the box to prevent a clean look at goal.
Louis Perez was pinpoint and accurate into the lower right corner with the ensuing penalty kick to put the home side in front and log his first goal of the season.
Anderson then turned goal scorer when Rodrigo Da Costa played a brilliant through ball between the center backs to set the ball on a platter for Anderson to smash into the far side, also nettingfor his first goal of the season after competing for the Golden Boot in League 1 last season.
The home side had a brilliant look for a chance to score in first-half stoppage time when Rafa Mentzingen and Da Costa combined up the right wing.
Da Costa squared to Collin Martin, who took a one-time strike from just outside the penalty box to stretch Hartford goalkeeper Paul Walters into his third save of the night.
North Carolina led 2-0 at halftime, but they were forced on the defensive when, on a free kick from Hartford captain Jay Chapman from 30 yards out, the visitors reduced the lead after 72 minutes.
NCFC came under siege with the Hartford strikers hitting the post and piling up shots down the stretch, but Jake McGuire stood tall for the hosts between the uprights and pulled off no less than three saves.
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