— It was the first leg of a two-night soccer doubleheader at WakeMed Soccer Park, but Saturday’s match between North Carolina FC and Nashville SC was potentially pivotal for the playoffs hopes of both teams.

Nashville and NCFC came into the match ranked ninth and tenth, respectively, in the USL Eastern Conference standings, a hair’s breadth outside the eighth-place cut line for a playoffs berth. Nashville was four points clear of NCFC, making an NCFC win imperative with only six games left in the team’s regular season.

For most of Saturday’s match, North Carolina FC played like a team grasping the moment, getting two first-half goals on their way to a 3-1 lead heading into the 80th minute. But after some late fiddling with the NCFC back line, Nashville scored two goals in two minutes to wrest a draw away from NCFC, 3-3.

“Great game to watch for a neutral,” said NCFC manager Colin Clarke, searching for a silver lining. “Lots of goals and lots of action. Fair play to both teams, with tough conditions. But when I go back and look at it, you’re up a couple of goals, twice, and you end up coming out with a point. It’s disappointing.”

North Carolina FC got on the scoreboard first in the 18th minute when Tiyi Shipalane intercepted an errant pass by Nashville’s Lebo Moloto. Shipalane knifed through Nashville’s defense, then fired from 24 yards out. The South African’s shot deflected off defender Liam Doyle before dribbling past goalkeeper Matt Pickens for a 1-0 lead.

“I was in a good spot in case they made a turnover,” Shipalane said. “Obviously their pass wasn’t accurate and just happened to be in my way. I took a first touch, drove, and saw their two players separate. There was a little bit of space in the gap, and I tried to place [the shot]. It took a nice deflection and went in.”

The Dead Whales doubled their advantage in the 39th minute. Daniel Rios, taking a free kick from just outside the area, pierced Nashville’s wall through a space created by Shipalane dropping to ground at the moment of Rios’ impact. The shot skimmed by a diving Pickens for a 2-0 score heading into intermission. It’s Rios’ sixteenth goal this year, tops on his team and tied for second-most in the USL.

“Rios actually told me to be on the wall,” Shipalane said. “He told me where to be, and I knew the ball was coming right at me. So all I had to do was move out of the way to distract the defender. He moved away as well, and it gave [Rios] a nice little gap to find the back of the net.”

Mere minutes into the second stanza, the visitors cut their deficit in half, after making two halftime substitutions and coming out on their front feet. North Carolina’s Kyle Bekker blocked a Nashville FK in the 50th minute with his elbow, earning a penalty in the process. Nashville sub Brandon Allen converted the penalty kick to slice to make the scoreline 2-1.

North Carolina FC got a goal back in the 63rd minute. Another Shipalane interception triggered another NCFC attack, culminating with Zach Steinberger banging a Doyle header clearance off the half-volley into turf and then net for a 3-1 lead. It’s Steinberger’s third goal in three games since joining NCFC on loan.

In the 71st minute, Clarke subbed out Bekker and inserted defender Wuilito Fernandes. Clarke moved Fernandes to center back alongside Tobin to put five defenders in the back. Nashville’s comeback began 10 minutes later, with both Tobin and Fernandes figuring negatively. In the 81st minute, Tobin was whistled for a penalty, and Allen again stepped to the spot and converted to cut the lead to 3-2.

“I gotta look at the penalties,” Clarke fumed. “They looked awfully soft to me. The referee seemed to have a big effect on the game, which he shouldn't.”

A minute later, Nashville equalized when Lebo Moloto let loose a cross that deflected off Fernandes before looping over Tambakis and into the far netting to knot the score at 3-3.

Clarke said his late-game fiddling with the back line was triggered by Nashville subbing on forward Tucker Hume in the 68th minute.

“The big kid, Hume, who came on is hard to deal with,” Clarke explained. “We went five in the back, and you see how tough he is to deal with, and we didn’t deal with him well enough.”

North Carolina FC (9-8-10, 35 pts.) remained in tenth position in the USL table, still four points behind both Nashville and the Ottawa Fury. The bad news is that having gotten only four points over their three-match home stand, NCFC now hits the road for three straight, beginning next Sunday, September 16 at Penn FC. North Carolina doesn’t return home again until September 29 against the Richmond Kickers.

“Tough result,” Shipalane summed up. “It felt like we gave away three points. But we didn’t lose, which is a good thing. We’re still in the [playoffs] race, so we have to pick it up next game. Obviously a few things we have to correct—we gotta defend better in the box.”

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

NC: Tambakis, Taylor (Doue, 64’), Tobin, Guillen, Miller, G. Smith, da Luz, Shipalane (Ewolo, 90’), Bekker (Fernandes, 71’), Steinberger, Rios

NSH: Pickens, Kumura, Bourgeois, Doyle, Davis (Hume, 68’), Washington, LaGrassa, Reed, Akinyode (Allen, 46’), Moloto, Mensah (Winn, 46’)

GOALS

NC: Shipalane, 18’; Rios, 39’ (FK); Steinberger, 63’;

NSH: B. Allen, 51’ (PK); B. Allen, 80’ (PK)

CAUTIONS

NC: ---

NSH: Kimura, 67’

EJECTIONS

NC: ---

NSH: ---

ATTENDANCE: 9,505