ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — It took more than an hour for Asheville City SC to find its breakthrough, but once the Blues did, the goals came in a hurry.
After a scoreless first half, Asheville City scored three times in a five-minute stretch of the second half to pull away for a 3-0 victory over Port City FC on Saturday at Greenwood Field, earning its first win of the season.
Port City threatened early, forcing Asheville goalkeeper Francois Djiba to make a diving save to his lower right in the opening minutes to keep the match scoreless.
The Blues generated several chances before halftime but couldn’t find the back of the net. In the 32nd minute, Joaquin Brizuela nearly broke through after being played into the box by Bryce Swinehart, but Port City goalkeeper Adrian Najarro tipped his shot over the crossbar.
Asheville’s best opportunity of the opening half came just before the break. Agustin Lopez collected the ball in his own half and raced down the left side, outrunning defenders before sending a shot toward the far post. The attempt rolled just wide, sending the teams into halftime tied 0-0.
The match remained deadlocked until the 64th minute.
Moments after entering as a substitute, Ashton Bilow delivered a low cross from the right side that found Franco Ocana in the box. Ocana finished the chance to give Asheville a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, the Blues struck again. Ocana’s free kick found Amadou Diop, whose powerful header was pushed onto the crossbar by substitute goalkeeper Kevin Christensen. The rebound dropped near the goal line, where Izaiah Vignali pounced and tapped it home for a 2-0 advantage.
Before Port City could regroup, Asheville added another. Less than a minute later, Bilow again connected with Ocana, who scored his second goal of the night to extend the lead to 3-0.
Port City’s best chance to spoil the shutout came in the 82nd minute when a long-range shot forced another save from Djiba. The Asheville keeper turned the attempt away to preserve the clean sheet.
Ocana was named the Wicked Pie Player of the Match after scoring twice and helping spark the second-half surge.
The Blues return to action Wednesday when they travel to face Charlotte Independence 2 before returning home June 7 to host Wake FC at Greenwood Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
