The Men in Blue put in a solid performance but were unable to grab the second goal they needed as they battled to a 1-1 draw with Appalachian FC.
A nervy moment came early for Asheville in the 2nd minute when the nation’s leading scorer Russell Berko had the ball at the top of the box, but a sliding intervention by Mao Wong kept Berko from getting a shot off.
Franco Ocana nearly struck first for the Blues in the 11th minute, when his rip from outside the box nearly beat Charlie Walker to the near post, but the goalkeeper managed to push it wide. Ocana came close again five minutes later, but his dipping long-range strike was tipped over the crossbar by Walker.
Liam Jones got the Blues on the board ten minutes later when he scored for the third straight match. A mistake by the Appalachian FC backline was punished when Joaquin Brizuela jumped on a loose ball in the box and squared it back for Jones, who roofed an absolute rocket to put Asheville City ahead 1-0.
App equalized seven minutes later, when Julian Caro Sepulveda’s long-range strike through traffic found the bottom left corner. The match went into the half tied at 1-1.
A struggle ensued in the second half, with a dearth of chances being created. Substitute keeper Tommy Viscuso stopped App’s only real 2nd half chance in the 60th minute, when his strong save on Berko kept things level.
Asheville mustered some half-chances throughout most of the second half, but did not really push until the dying embers when they were all over Appalachian FC.
The most threatening chance came only a minute into stoppage time when a corner found Alejandro Padilla in the box, but his header directed towards the back post was cleared off the line by an App defender. A couple more corners were earned by the Blues in stoppage time, but none found the back of the net as the match ended in a draw.
Dante Huckaby was named the Wicked Pie Player of the Match for his efforts on the night.
The Men in Blue return home on Friday, June 26th, when the Charlotte Eagles come to town for a 7:00 PM kickoff. The Women in Blue host the Chattanooga Red Wolves on Saturday, June 20th for Pride Night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM. You can buy your tickets here.
