Memphis 901 FC shine in 3-0 win against North Carolina

North Carolina went down a man in the third minute and Memphis 901 FC pounced.

Not wanting a repeat performance from Wednesday with too many missed opportunities, Marlon Santos scored twice in twenty minutes. The Brazilian missed the midweek match, along with Samuel Careaga, due to red card suspensions. The added goalscoring threats proved to be impactful.

“We enjoy playing at home,” head coach Stephen Glass said after extending the unbeaten streak to 11. “We like the support we get, we want to repay the fans.”

The attacking duo of Dylan Borczak and Marlon caused all sorts of trouble with their speed. Borczak hustled after a through ball, leading to an early disaster for the visitors. Justin Malou shoved Borczak to the ground in a last-ditch effort. After a brief pause, the defender was shown a red card.

With all of the momentum swung in Memphis’ favor, it didn’t take long for them to capitalize. Lucas Turci sent a direct, dangerous ball forward in the tenth minute. This time Marlon was able to secure possession after jostling with the defender, get around the indecisive goalkeeper and score.

In the 22nd minute, Marlon collected his brace. Borczak made another run in behind with plenty of space to pick out Marlon inside the box.

Marlon was crucial in the early season turnaround for Memphis, scoring or assisting in five consecutive league games. However, he had been in a goal drought (last scoring on June 28).

The Beale Street Boys continued to fly around the pitch, attacking often and with variety. The halftime whistle allowed a brief rain shower to even the playing field. North Carolina played with more aggression despite being down a man but their efforts were halted when the skies cleared.

“A lot of very positive performances tonight,” Glass said. “Although North Carolina had a real goal in the second half and we were a little looser than we would like, I feel like we were in control.”

The dynamic Memphis offense returned in the 70th minute immediately after Luiz Fernando checked in. A quick one-two connection with Noe Meza left the Brazilian in isolation with the goalkeeper. His left-footed shot clanked off the post and in.

North Carolina nearly got a consolation goal in the 86th minute from a penalty, but the goal off the rebound was denied for offside. Tyler Deric guessed correctly, potentially bothering the striker into hitting the post.

Next Game

Memphis will travel to take on Louisville City on Saturday, September 28 at 6:30pm.