— In the 1990s, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences used the land currently occupied by WakeMed Soccer Park to “process” mammal skeletons. According to a museum spokesperson, workers covered whale and other marine carcasses with horse manure, generally within semi-permanent bins, to help clean the bones. Once the bones were cleaned, they would be collected and brought to the museum for research or exhibit purposes.

WakeMed Soccer Park has proven a boneyard this year for Puerto Rico FC. In three previous visits, North Carolina FC has earned a win and two draws from the islanders. Saturday night, NCFC ground out another victory, a 1-0 win paced by a first-half goal from Steven Miller and a second stanza that saw the home side frantically trying to not let PRFC off the hook.

“The old cliche is a game of two halves,” said NCFC manager Colin Clarke. “The first half was very good; we passed and moved the ball, had opportunities to make it two [goals], which would have been big. We came out for the second half and Puerto Rico started to get desperate … They put us under pressure in the second half, still looking to win and fighting hard for Marco [Velez, PRFC’s manager]. And they made it tough, and we weren’t good. We didn’t pass or keep it, we had opportunities we didn’t take, and when you don’t do that there are always chances, and they had a few half-chances towards the end that could have flown in.”

North Carolina FC grabbed the ultimate game-winner in the 23rd minute when Miller, remaining at his newfound right wing position, calmly planted a deflected Austin da Luz cross off the inside of the far post and across the goal line to christen the scoreline at 1-0.

“I think the service was headed out, and it was the one time I was a little tired and didn’t make a run back post,” Miller said. “I kind of drifted at the top of the box, and it fell to my foot and I just kept my head down and hit it. I didn’t think it was going in—it bounced all the way across [the goal] and I thought it was going to bounce off the other post and come out. I was very relieved that it went in.”

An apparent equalizer by Puerto Rico FC in the waning moments of the first half was waived off after center referee Bardhyl Pashaj conferred with the linesman and flagged the visitors for being offside. Puerto Rico FC manager Marco Velez was apoplectic, his angst surely the partial product of grievances against officiating decisions made during previous visits to Cary this year.

Puerto Rico FC forged forward in search of an equalizer throughout the second half. Midfielder Jordi Quintilla got two cracks at goal off a free kick in the 68th minute, but the NCFC wall stopped the first shot while goalkeeper Macklin Robinson, starting for an injured Brian Sylvestre, smothered the second.

Second half substitute Giuseppe Gentile nearly skimmed an angled shot past Robinson in the 72nd minute. Seven minutes later, Walter Ramirez uncorked a blast from distance through a driving mist, but Robinson parried away the skidding shot. Finally, Mario Martinez Rubio got free for his own long shot during added time that, for all the world, looked bound for nylon yet blew over the crossbar.

It was the sort of result the NCFC, né RailHawks would have fumbled away in years past. But the team is unbeaten in their last four games and has conceded only one goal in their last six matches.

“To be honest, I think we’re a little bit lucky we didn’t give up [an equalizer] tonight,” Miller affirmed. “But we dug deep and we got the result, and in the past we wouldn’t have. The sign of a good team is winning, and winning ugly, and winning when you’re not at your best. We weren’t at our best tonight, but we got the result.”

Miller again got the start at right wing, and beyond scoring the game-winner spent the final 22 minutes back at his regular right back position to see out the shutout. When healthy, Miller is the sort of Swiss Army player that suits Clarke’s sensibilities.

“Steven is an honest player,” Clarke said. “He can play anywhere. He’s just that type of player. We knew D.J. [Taylor] playing his first game [at right back] in a long time might be tough to get him through 90 minutes, particularly on a wet field, which saps your energy.”

Saturday’s match was originally scheduled to be played in Bayamón, Puerto Rico before being relocated in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, although the match was officially still a home game for Puerto Rico FC. Due to the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, PRFC has now played as many games at WakeMed Soccer Park as their home ground in Puerto Rico (four each) over the past three months.

Half of Saturday’s ticket revenue will be donated to PRFC owner Carmelo Anthony’s Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Fund. Clarke, who spent five years in Puerto Rico as manager of the erstwhile Puerto Rico Islanders, expressed a fond connection with PRFC and their plight.

“Full credit to [Puerto Rico FC], with what’s going on with them,” Clarke said. “My heartfelt feelings go out to everybody on the island, who I love. It’s tough to think about what they’re going through. But fair play to their players—they did them proud tonight.”

North Carolina FC (11-9-9, 42 pts.) remains in third place in the overall NASL table and opens up a five-point gap above both the Jacksonville Armada and New York Cosmos. With just three games left in the regular season, NCFC next visits the Armada on Friday, Oct. 13.

“It’s going to be a tough game, a big game, a massive game for both clubs,” Clarke said, clearly unafraid of overstatement. “But I’m so proud of the effort this team has put in … Through hard work, grit, and determination, sometimes you make your own luck.”

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

PRFC: Pack, Culbertson, Soria, S. Moses, Kavita, Quintilla, Ramirez, Kafari (J. Rivera 83’), S. Rivera (Rubio, 72’), Coyle, M. Ramos (Gentile, 57’)

NCFC: Robinson, Black, Tobin, Ibeagha, DJ Taylor (Laing, 68’), Kandziora (Marcelin, 84’), Fortune (Akinyode, 71’), Miller, Albadawi, da Luz, Gorne

GOALS

PRFC: ---

NCFC: Miller, 53’

CAUTIONS

PRFC: Quintilla, 53’; Kavita, 63’

NCFC: Kandziora, 84’

EJECTIONS

PRFC: ---

NCFC: ---