GREENSBORO — The Greensboro Dynamo had a slow start this season, but if the final eight games are any indication, next season should be as exciting as ever.

The Dynamo ended its the season with a 2-1 win over Bermuda, to finish 7-5-4. That wasn’t good enough to make the playoffs, but it gives reason for optimism for next season.

Pictures by AltaSky

“If we don’t let a goal in at Ocean City last Friday, we would have been unbeaten in our last eight games” said Dynamo coach Joe Brown. “If we could have won a couple of those ties, we would have been in the playoffs. We are a very young team and lot of these players will be back next season and they got some really good experience this season.”

Brown pointed to the fact that they played from behind in most of those ties and had to scramble to make it back. On Saturday   night, the Dynamo scored first and controlled the action most of the night.”

“That first goal is always the most important,” Brown said. “We got that tonight and you saw what a difference that made. I thought we could have done better in the first half in putting the game away, but we deserved to win.”

After a 1-1 tie at halftime, the Dynamo took the lead in the 74th minute. Greensboro’s Matt Rose converted a free kick into a score when he curved the ball over the defenders and into the upper left corner. The goalie was so fooled by the kick he didn’t attempt to make the save.

“He thought the right-footed player was going to take the kick,” said Rose, who will be a redshirt freshman at North Carolina in the fall. “I saw how the ball was lined up and knew I was going for the post. I kept telling the other guys ‘I can get this. I can get this.’ I think it nicked one their players and that put even more spin on it.”

The Dynamo played the Hogges for the first time this season. Bermuda formerly had a professional team, but is now mostly made up of players from the country’s national team. Some of the players will represent Bermuda in the next Olympics and possibly the FIFA World Cup qualifying round. The team is funded by the Bermudan Soccer Federation.

“He’s (Rose) is a young player,” Brown said. “For him to get the winning goal against an essentially international team is great for him and something he can point to in his career.”

There were few scoring chances for the Hogges the rest of the game and that was partially due to the aggressiveness of the Dynamo offense.

“I thought we possessed the ball well in the first half, but we couldn’t get around them,” Brown said. “We did a much better job of getting behind them in the second half.”

Both teams had some opportunities early, with Dynamo goalie Brock Duckworth making a diving stop on a Bermuda shot in the 5th minute. But it was the Dynamo which scored first.

A long pass was settled by Tanner Wolfe and he sent a pass ahead to Luciano Delbono. Delbono split two defenders and beat the goalie with a bullet into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead. But the Hogges scored the tying goal just before halftime. With several players surrounding him, Shane Hollis made a spin move about 10 yards from the mouth of the goal, and scooted a shot just past a diving Duckworth in the 44th minute.

“We haven’t been able to be consistent in our back four due to injuries,” Brown said. “When you don’t have those same four on the field at the same time there are sometimes miscommunications.”

Goals: Bermuda — Shane Hollis (44th); Carolina — Luciano Delbono, Matt Rose (74th). Assists: Bermuda — Rakeem Deshields; Carolina — Tanner Wolfe. Shots: Bermuda 8; Carolina 12. Saves: Bermuda 0; Carolina (Brock Duckworth) 1. Corner kicks: Bermuda 1; Carolina 5.

Records: Bermuda 4-10-1; Carolina 7-5-4.

SEASON SCHEDULE

May 15 Central Jersey T, 1-1

May 22 Reading L, 4-0

May 19 at Northern Va. W, 6-1

May 30 at Hampton Roads W, 4-1

June 5 at Reading L, 4-1

June 6 at Ironbound (N.J.) W, 4-2

June 12 Hampton Roads L, 2-1

June 19 Ocean City T, 2-2

June 25 Northern Va.-a L, 2-1

June 26 West Virginia-a W, 2-1

July 8 at West Virginia T, 1-1

July 10 New Jersey W, 1-0

July 14 at Hampton Roads T, 0-0

July 17 at Ocean City (N.J.) L, 2-1

July 18 at Central Jersey W, 3-0

July 24 Bermuda W, 2-1

Bermuda Hogges 1-0-1

Carolina Dynamo 1-1-2

Former Dynamo Star, Bermudian International and current New England Revolution forward/midfielder Khano Smith will make a special guest appearance at the Dynamo season Finale against the Bermuda Hogges. Khano started his pro career with the Dynamo back in 2003, leading the Dynamo to a regular season National Championship. In the 12 games Khano appeared in for the Dynamo he recorded four goals including a game winner against arch rival Wilmington. Khano will be on hand Saturday night to sign autographs and take in this historic match the first ever between the Carolina Dynamo & Bermuda Hogges. The Bermuda Football Association is providing the Dynamo with a Khano Smith National Team jersey that will go to one lucky fan in attendance Saturday Night.

The Bermuda Hogges & NE Revolution have also been kind enough to donate Khano Smith Jersey as well that will be raffled off on Saturday Night. Kick-off is 7:30PM at Macpherson Stadium at the Bryan Park Soccer Complex. Tickets start at just $5 for kids 18 and under and $7 for adults. For more information call the Dynamo at 336-316-1266 or visit www.carolinadynamo.com

The Dynamo then turned around and beat Central Jersey 3-0 Sunday afternoon before traveling home.

The Dynamo came right back tying the game in the 8th minute of a goal by Karo Okiomah, his fifth of the season. Tanner Wolfe (Stetson Alum) recorded the assist. Northern Virginia netted the eventual game winning goal in the 32 minute.

This past Saturday, the West Virginia Chaos came to town to face the Dynamo. The Dynamo took the lead in the 38th minute off a goal by Tanner Wolfe assisted by Karo Okiomah. West Virginia tied the match in the 77th minute. Tanner Wolfe scored his second goal, the game winner just three minutes later in the 80th minute to give the Dynamo the win. Brian Harrison recorded the assist.

The Dynamo is currently 4-4-2 and has some time off not playing again until Thursday, July 8th at West Virginia.

Make sure we post very visibly the next home game on July 10th

Thanks

On Saturday, June 19th the Carolina Dynamo played their first ever match at High Point University. The Dynamo went down two goals before making a comeback to earn a 2-2 tie. Chris Estridge (Wake Forest) scored his third goal of the season off an assist from Scott Rojo (High Point) in the 58th minute Just two minutes later Rojo, drew a penalty, fellow High Point University teammate Karo Okiomah stepped up and converted the kick to bring the match level. . Rojo is ranked third in the League with six assists, and earned PDL Team of the Week honorable mention for his efforts.

Saturday May 29: Dynamo 6-1 No. Virginia
Sunday May 30: Dynamo 4-1 Hampton Roads

This past Memorial Day weekend the Carolina Dynamo regained their form with two important road victories. Saturday night the Dynamo defeated he Northern Virginia Royals 6-1. Josh Rice (UNC Chapel Hill) proved to be the man of the match recording a hat trick. The Dynamo traveled onto Virginia Beach post game for a Sunday evening match vs. the Hampton Roads Piranhas. The Dynamo again were victorious by a 4-1 score. Scott Rojo (High Point) scored his first two goals of the season. Karo Okiomah (High Point) and Josh Rice also netted goals for the Dynamo who controlled the play throughout the match.

Stephen

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GREENSBORO – Carolina Dynamo goalkeeper Brock Duckworth described the play as just unlucky.

But for the next several days, the game-tying goal that Central Jersey’s Jerry Saintil headed in off a corner kick in the 83rd minute of a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Bryan Parks Macpherson Stadium may leave the Dynamo questioning whether its defense is ready to carry it the way it did last season.

There were moments when it looked capable, holding the Spartans (0-0-1) to only four shots on goal in the first half and yielding few real threats. But then there was the header in the game’s final minutes, when a set play soured what would have been a solid season-opening victory.

“We have the players that can get it done,” said Carolina coach Joe Brown. “I think as a team we didn’t play well as a whole. We just have to be smarter.”

Brown didn’t expect his team to be as reliant on defense as it was last season, when one-goal victories were common during a successful 10-5-2 year. With this year’s squad bringing more of an attacking personality to the offense, more breathing room was anticipated as the Dynamo (0-0-1) prepared for Saturday’s opener.

But after Stephen McCarthy displayed the explosive potential of the Dynamo’s attack with a goal in the eighth minute, when he took a long through pass and slipped behind the Spartans defense before sticking a shot in the right corner for an early 1-0 lead, it was Carolina’s defense that was left to make the advantage stick.

And there was little reason to believe it couldn’t.

First there is Duckworth, who anchored last season’s defense with a 1.0 goals against average and is coming off a junior season at UNC-Wilmington in which his .886 save percentage ranked second in the nation. In front of him is Seahawks teammate Indy Smith, a third-team All-American who helped Duckworth lead UNCW to a Colonial Athletic Association championship.

With those two leading, the Dynamo made their one-goal lead stick for most of the night despite defending eight shots on goal in the second half.

“We were solid in the back,” Duckworth said. “We didn’t give up too many chances. It’s just a set piece late in the game. Just unlucky.”

But that unlucky break showed Brown that his team isn’t yet ready to rely on its defense the way it could last year. Perhaps that will come and the expected addition of defender Mark Linnville from Princeton next week could provide more stability in back, Brown said.

But for the next several days, a defense that was the cornerstone of success last year will be looked upon as a work in progress.

“This team will get stronger as the season goes on,” Brown said. “But these guys here have to learn more about each other. It’s going to take time for us to develop, no question.”