Friday night in Durham came with high hopes. The rainy weather cleared out right before kickoff to bring out a beautiful Carolina night. I predicted a win in my match preview. Bright Leaf Battalion SG was in full effect. And the Boys in Black were all smiles. But a tough game brought frustration to players and fans alike as Los Toros suffered a hard-fought loss against the Myrtle Beach Mutiny, 3–1.

(See, all smiles.)

In my preview, I mentioned that there would likely be goals on Friday, and this game brought just that. It didn’t take long for one team to open the scoring: in the 7th minute of the game, Toby Uzo put the Mutiny up 1–0.

Tobacco Road was able to level the score in the 32nd minute off of a free kick. Alex Winn soared through the air and put a nice header in the net to get on the scoresheet for the second week in a row.

Toby Uzo kept the shots coming though and sent in another one before half, doing it all by himself too.

In the 68th minute, Wingate superstar Richard Aksel Juul drilled one into the back of the net from about 25 yards away to finish Los Toros off. Aksel Juul was a part of the Bulldogs Division II National Championship team just last season, and his quality shows.

Goal of the week? Probably. That was a great shot.

The game finished 3–1, and TRFC suffered their first loss on the season. Myrtle Beach jumped up to third in the early season South Atlantic standings, while Los Toros dropped to fifth. Lots of games still to play.

As for this game, both teams played a very physical game. The first two games for Tobacco Road were very physical too, but that went in their favor. Not so on Friday. TRFC had a hard time getting the ball through the box and attacking down low, something they haven’t had to worry about much so far this season. Jon Ray was a beast out on the pitch in the first two games but was shut down by the Mutiny. Aksel Juul, who we predicted was the man to watch, scored that beauty for MBM, but Uzo’s two goals set the pace, and he wins our Man of the Match award.

You can watch the whole game here:

These two teams square off again on June 3rd at North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports complex.

Thanks for reading this week’s recap. The next game for TRFC is at home on May 25th at 7pm against the division-leading Charlotte Eagles. Bright Leaf Battalion will start tailgating at 5:30, and Qspresso will be there serving authentic Cuban cuisine at the game.

As always, for all things Tobacco Road FC and PDL, stay here at Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea.