Nashville Soccer Club saw its seven-match unbeaten streak come to an end as it lost 1-0 to North Carolina FC at WakeMed Soccer Park.

North Carolina FC controlled the pace of play for much of the first half, holding court in the attacking half of the pitch, yet Nashville had the edge in possession. North Carolina’s best chance of the early moments came on a DJ Taylor long-range shot that goalkeeper Connor Sparrow got a finger to and knocked away.

Nashville SC had its first big chance of the match in the 17’ minute as Justin Davis made a run down the wing and laid a ball across to Daniel Ríos, who brought it down with a skillful play and put a shot on net that was parried away. A few minutes later, North Carolina had a strong header off of a corner kick that Sparrow lunged up for and poked over the crossbar.

NCFC got the first goal nearing the end of the first half on a well-run attack forward and a goal by Ben Speas. Head Coach Gary Smith made his first substitution of the match early in the 39’ minute with Alan Winn coming on for Kosuke Kimura. Ríos had another good chance late in the half, but his shot from the top corner of the box missed wide.

In the early second half, Cameron Lancaster had a good chance in the 51’ minute, but his header in front of goal sailed high and over the crossbar. Nashville kept pressing with numbers forward and had plenty of shots, but few on net.

Lancaster had another good chance on a long-range free kick, but the North Carolina keeper got to it on the near post. In the final minutes, Ríos had a free kick from distance that the NCFC keeper also saved at the other post.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday night’s match:

1) Putting on the Pressure

Nashville SC was defending for much of the first half but stepped to the front foot in the second half. The Boys in Gold had 59% of the possession in the second half and took 12 shots to North Carolina’s three. However, despite all the chances, Nashville SC couldn’t find the back of the net, getting shut out in a loss for just the third time this season.

2) Streaks End

Saturday night’s loss marked the end of a number of streaks for Nashville SC. It marked the end of Nashville’s seven-match unbeaten streak and a lengthy road unbeaten streak that dated back to April. For Cameron Lancaster, it marked the end of his five-match scoring run, having found the back of the net in every other match he has played for Nashville SC. Because Matt LaGrassa did not make an appearance in the match, his streak of 52 consecutive appearances for the club dating back to last season came to an end. Finally, the loss was also Connor Sparrow’s first in a Nashville SC shirt.

3) Wacky Night in the USL Championship

Nashville’s loss added to what was already a chaotic night near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. New York Red Bulls II, Indy Eleven and Louisville City FC all drew on the night, while Tampa Bay Rowdies needed a stoppage time goal to beat Ottawa Fury FC. Nashville SC will fall to fifth place with this loss.

Up Next

Nashville SC continues its road swing next Saturday night with a trip up I-65 to take on Louisville City FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT.

The Nashville Sounds lost to the Oklahoma City Dodgers 13-6 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,326 Sunday night. The Dodgers hit five home runs to highlight their offensive night.

The rout started in the first inning when Gavin Lux hit a leadoff homer in the first inning. The Sounds did respond with a run in the bottom half of the inning to have the game tied at 1-1 into the second inning.

The Dodgers scored the next 12 runs from innings two through five. Four runs came in the second inning on four hits to put them up 5-1. They scored two more runs in the third inning on back-to-back home runs by Jon Kemmer and Jake Peter to make it 7-1.

Nashville did load the bases in the bottom of the third inning but was able to score just one run and make the score 7-2. Oklahoma City stayed hot in the fourth inning with a two-run shot by Zach Reks and a solo shot by DJ Peters. With the score 10-2 into the fifth inning, the Dodgers kept it coming with three runs to put the score at 13-2.

Dustin May, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ third best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, pitched well in his Triple-A debut. He earned the win, going 5.0 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts. May is currently ranked the 51st best prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

The Sounds scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, putting forth their best offense of the night. Tyler Pill hit in the first run on a sacrifice fly. Zack Granite hit a two-run triple and was hit in by Eli White to make it 13-6.

That would be the final score as Oklahoma City took game two of the series and now lead the season series 3-2. Monday night’s game starts at 7:05 p.m., where Sounds’ left-hander Joe Palumbo (0-0, 8.31) will face Dodgers’ right-hander Tony Gonsolin (1-1, 2.77).

Post-Game Notes

– With tonight’s 13-2 loss, the Sounds dropped to 35-47 on the season.

– Tim Dillard set single-game career-highs in runs allowed (13), earned runs allowed (13), hits allowed (15) and home runs allowed (5).

– Scott Heineman had a season-high three hits, his sixth multi-hit game of the season. It was the 38th time a Nashville hitter had at least three hits.

– Tyler Pill pitched as a position player in the ninth inning. Pill used to be a full-time pitcher and is now a full-time hitter.

– Jacob Lemoine, Kyle Bird and Tyler Pill combined for 4.1 shutout relief innings.

The 2019 season is the 42nd in Nashville Sounds franchise history and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.