Jacksonville continues its march to first place Sunday at Hodges Stadium.

WHEN & WHERE

Sunday, May 28 at 4 p.m. EST | Hodges Stadium (University of North Florida)

CLUB QUICK LINKS

Jacksonville Armada FC: News | Roster | Schedule

North Carolina FC: News | Roster | Schedule

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A crucial battle will take place Sunday at Hodges Stadium this Memorial Day weekend. The Jacksonville Armada FC (3W-4D-1L, 13 pts, 3rd place) returns home to take on North Carolina FC (4W-2D-2L, 14 pts, 2nd place) after a hard-fought 3-1 loss in their first meeting two weeks ago.

“We feel like the score really didn’t reflect our performance,” said head coach Mark Lowry. “We’re hoping going into this weekend that we can have the same work rate, the same quality on the ball, the same amount of chances created but the difference is that we have to convert those chances.”

Although the loss in Cary, N.C., ended the Armada FC’s previously undefeated record, Jacksonville is on a roll right now. The team enters Week 10 with two consecutive wins, including one in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. However, the most impressive win of the season came Friday in San Francisco against the challenging Deltas.

Zach Steinberger led the charge with two headers in the 28th and 45th minute. The Armada FC continued its dominance in the second half as Derek Gebhard tallied his first goal of the year, taking the final score to 3-0.

“Coming off putting three goals in against San Francisco, the confidence is pretty high,” said Lowry. “So hopefully now that we have put a few into the back of the net, we can continue that streak and convert the chances we are creating.”

Sunday’s game will be the most challenging for the Armada FC this season. Currently, NCFC holds on to second place in the standings by just one point over Jacksonville.

NCFC took a 6-1 victory against the Carolina Dynamo in the U.S. Open Cup followed by a gritty 2-1 win in Puerto Rico. NCFC trailed Puerto Rico FC for most of the game until Matt Fondy broke through in the 73rd minute. The match looked like a certain draw until some late-game heroics from Billy Schuler in the 91st minute gave NCFC a three points and vaulted the team to second-place.

“The guys are playing really well right now, but we know North Carolina is going to be very tough, very dangerous opponent,” said Lowry. “We’re ready though. We’re excited to play back at home and we hope we can kick start a good week for us in front of our energetic fans.”

SERIES HISTORY

North Carolina FC leads 4W-2D-1L

LAST RESULT

North Carolina 3, Armada FC 1 – 5/13/17 | Recap

POTENT NOTABLES

A win Sunday for the Armada FC would be the first time in franchise history the club has won three consecutive games, but NCFC has only lost once in series history.

If Jacksonville Captain Aaron Pitchkolan appears in Sunday’s game, it will be his 152nd NASL game and he will set the record for most appearances by an NASL player. His appearances also included time in the Puerto Rico Islanders, San Antonio Scorpions, and Minnesota United.

NCFC has not had a four-game road winning streak since 2011.

NCFC has an explosive offense and holds second place in the league with 13 goals scored.

Jacksonville holds the most clean sheets in the league with four by Caleb Patterson-Sewell.

NCFC’s goalkeeper, Brian Sylvestre, leads the league with 34 saves.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 – The total number of assists tallied by NCFC Midfielder Lance Laing

4 – Goals by Zach Steinberger, tied for the league lead

550 – The total number of passes by Mechack Jérôme, league lead

676 – The total number of fouls committed by NCFC, league lead

INJURY WATCH

All players are in good health.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Jacksonville Armada FC will play two more games this week. First, the team resumes U.S. Open Cup play Wednesday, May 31 against the Charleston Battery of the USL. The Third Round game will be held at Southern Oak Stadium on the campus of Jacksonville University with kickoff at 7 p.m. Then the Armada FC will take on Miami FC at Hodges Stadium on Saturday, June 3 at 7 p.m.