Homegrown Nick Pariano and CJ Onley scored in each half to push Philadelphia Union II back atop the Eastern Conference via a 2-0 road win over Carolina Core FC on Wednesday night.
Pariano scored his first goal as a professional in the third minute, converting from the penalty spot after Markus Anderson was fouled inside the 18. With strong defensive stands from Olwethu Makhanya and Gavin Wetzel to prevent the home side from extending its winning streak to five, David Vazquez and CJ Olney combined in the 77th minute to secure three points for the Boys in Blue. With the victory, Union II returns to top spot on the Eastern Conference with 46 points, one more than FC Cincinnati 2 with four games remaining in the regular season.
Marlon LeBlanc’s side featured seven players signed to first team contracts with goalkeeper Oliver Semmle getting his first game action since July. With center back Neil Pierre away with the U.S. U-18s, the backline saw Olwethu Makhanya and Academy prospect Gavin Wetzel anchoring the defense while Jamir Berdecio and Frankie Westfield provided width. It was an all homegrown midfield with Nick Pariano at the base of the diamond with David Vazquez and CJ Olney playing alongside Kellan LeBlanc from the Union Academy’s U-18 squad. Eddy Davis III and Markus Anderson sought to stretch the Carolina Core FC defense with speed to combat the unique playing surface inside a baseball park.
Union II needed just a few minutes to get on the scoreboard as they attacked Carolina Core directly with a strong run from Vazquez. The Union homegrown sliced into the box and was taken down but the ball was chased down by Anderson who drew a foul and a point to the spot. Homegrown Pariano was given the attempt from the penalty spot and calmly deposited it into the back of the net for his first goal as a professional.
Carolina tried to equalize shortly after the road side took the lead but couldn’t connect on a cross which presented Philly with an opportunity to quickly counter. The ball got to the left side for Olney as he raced to the end line and whipped a centering pass into the six. Davis III raced into the box and tried to redirect the hard cross from the Union midfielder but saw the effort go just wide of the CCFC net.
Just past the half hour mark Carolina Core tested the young Union II side with a patient build up that led to a shot from distance from Santiago Cabindo that just missed the far post. Makhanya was credited with a block on the shot which netted the home side a corner kick chance but the defense kept the home fans silent.
The two sides continued to trade scoring chances in the first half with Westfield nearly making the home team pay for a turnover at the top of the box while Facundo Canete rang a header off the post.
Leading by a goal, Union II knew they’d have to adsorb wave after wave of pressure from the North Carolina side desperate to continue their push to get above the MLS NEXT Pro playoff line. After holding possession for 66% of the opening half, they held onto the ball for 80% after coming out of the break to pin the Boys in Blue on their side of the field. Despite the long spells without the ball, Union II delivered the first legitimate scoring threat of the half as Westfield smashed a header off a free kick chance off the woodwork.
At the hour mark fresh legs were en route for the Boys in Blue as Sal Olivas, Jamir Johnson and Zach Mastrodimos took to the pitch for Union II to see out the road result that could propel them back atop the Eastern Conference table with four games to go.
As the pressure tightened, Union II’s Wetzel and Makhanya shined like diamonds with both contributed key blocks to prevent the Carolina Core offense from getting back into the contest. With big stops at the back, Philly put the match away in the 77th minute as Vazquez and Olney connected to extend the lead to 2-0. The homegrown duo combined as Vazquez raced to the endline and sent a slow rolling pass toward the penalty spot. Jamir Johnson held up his marker to prevent the clearance and it set up for Olney to slot it home after a making the late run into the six.
