CARY, N.C. (August 17, 2019) - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (11-4-8) fell to North Carolina FC (12-5-7), 5-0, on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park.

The turning point in the match occurred in the 44th minute, when Thomas Vancaeyezeele was shown a red card after a foul inside of the penalty box. North Carolina converted the subsequent penalty kick and went on to add four more goals in the second half thanks to the man advantage. 

"It's disappointing we gave up the red right before halftime," head coach Bob Lilley said. "We knew we couldn't chase the game. We had some dangerous moments. We had a lot of corners and were willing to go forward.

"It was a game we hoped to get something out of. On the night, I think North Carolina played well. We probably should not have got caught on that long ball without cover for Thomas. We lost our shape at that point in the half, and it cost us."

First Half

The first shot on target of the match came off the foot of Andre Fortune in the 32nd minute.

The midfielder released a shot from the center of the penalty area, but goalkeeper Kyle Morton shut down the chance, making a save to keep things scoreless.

The game hit its turning point in the 44th minute, when Vancaeyezeele was issued a red card for a foul inside of the 18-yard box. Fortune converted the penalty kick to give North Carolina a 1-0 lead at the half.

Second Half

North Carolina took advantage of its man advantage early and throughout the second half.

Ulrich Ewolo potted a header in the 50th minute, and later followed up the goal with another one seven minutes later. In the 57th minute, he took a penalty kick chance, which was initially saved by Morton, before placing the ball into the back of the net off a rebound.

Fortune clinched his brace with a right-footed shot off a cross from Steven Miller in the 59th minute, giving the club the 4-0 advantage.

Robert Kristo added another goal in the 74th minute for North Carolina, placing a shot just under the crossbar to bring the score to its final of 5-0.

Hound of the Match

Kenardo Forbes led the Hounds with two chances created, increasing his team-leading season total to 52 key passes.

Stat of the Game: 6

The Hounds' six-game unbeaten streak came to an end with the loss to North Carolina.

What's Next

Riverhounds SC will return home to battle Loudoun United FC (5-11-5) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23 at Highmark Stadium. This match will mark Faith and Family Night, presented by K-Love and Cornerstone.

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC - Kyle Morton - Ryan James (Uchenna Uzo 75'), Tobi Adewole, Joe Greenspan, Thomas Vancaeyezeele - Kenardo Forbes (Robbie Mertz 64'), Mouhamed Dabo, Anthony Velarde, Noah Franke (Sammy Kahsai 83') - Steevan Dos Santos, Christian Volesky

Subs not used: Austin Pack, Neco Brett, Jordan Dover, Kevin Kerr

North Carolina FC - Alex Tambakis - Aaron Guillen, Sam Brotherton, Alex Comsia, D.J. Taylor - Nazmi Albadawi, Graham Smith (Austin da Luz 63') - Steven Miller (Manny Perez 64'), Andre Fortune, Justin Rennicks (Robert Kristo 69') - Ulrich Ewolo

Subs not used: Darrin MacLeod, Caleb Duvernay, Colton Storm, Duval Wapiwo

Scoring Summary

NC - Andre Fortune 45'+1 (penalty)

NC - Ulrich Ewolo 50' (Andre Fortune)

NC - Ulrich Ewolo 57'

NC - Andre Fortune 59' (Steven Miller)

NC - Robert Kristo 74' (Nazmi Albadawi)

Misconduct Summary

NC - Alex Comsia 27' (caution)

PIT - Thomas Vancaeyezeele 44' (ejection)

NC - Graham Smith 53' (caution)

PIT - Kenardo Forbes 56' (caution)

PIT - Ryan James 69' (caution)