On Friday night in Asheville, the Men in Blue scored a gritty 2-0 win over the Charlotte Eagles behind goals from Franco Ocana and Mitch Picksley.
The Blues had the first dangerous chance of the match in the 21st minute, when Picksley’s long-range strike stung the palms of Eagles’ keeper Jarret Wuerslin and produced a juicy rebound but the Eagles got there first to clean it up.
Seven minutes later, the Blues finally broke through courtesy of Ocana. Ocana capitalized on a turnover from the Eagles’ backline, darted into the box, and placed a well-hit finish past Wuerslin to take a 1-0 lead.
Three minutes later, Ocana nearly found another when he launched a shot from midfield that almost caught Wuerslin off his line but the keeper recovered.
The Eagles nearly leveled things in the 43rd minute, but Tommy Viscuso made a diving save to preserve Asheville’s lead going into the break.
The second half saw the Blues dominate possession but they struggled to connect on the final action to score. The Eagles nearly got a shot off inside the box in the 72nd minute, but Dante Huckaby’s sliding block kept it from going on frame.
The Blues capped things off in the 85th minute when Mitch Picksley jumped on an errant backpass and dribbled past the Eagles’ defenders before chipping Wuerslin to double the lead as the Blues earned a 2-0 victory at home.
Dante Huckaby was named the Wicked Pie Player of the Match for his efforts on the night.
The Men in Blue return home on Monday, June 29th when division leaders Charlotte Independence II comes to town. Kickoff is set for 6:30 PM.
The Women in Blue are home on Sunday, June 28th when they face Birmingham Legion WFC in a match that will decide the South Central Division and a trip to the playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 PM. You can buy your tickets here.
