Ft. Lauderdale, FL (June 20, 2026) - Carolina Core FC earned two points with a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over Inter Miami CF II after playing to a scoreless draw through regulation following a four-hour weather delay on Saturday night.
Both sides found space along the wings early but were unable to create a clear scoring opportunity. Miami's Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida missed the far corner of the net with a shot from the left side in the third minute, while Jair Caiza sent a low shot that ricocheted off two pairs of feet into the arms of goalkeeper Matias Marin in the eighth.
David Diaz led the charge in the 25th minute, driving the ball into the penalty area. He tried to set up Arnaud Tattevin in front of goal, but his pass was deflected to Corey Lundeen, who could not get his shot through the Miami defense.
The Foxes gained momentum as the first half progressed despite Miami's physical play. Carolina recorded three shots and three corner kicks, while Inter Miami committed 10 fouls before the match was delayed due to inclement weather.
After a four-hour weather delay, Miami found its best chances of the half. Mateo Saja skied a shot over the crossbar despite being set up in front of the net, and Nicholas Almeida missed with a header off a corner kick as the teams headed into halftime scoreless.
As the rain poured to begin the second half, Carolina continued to create opportunities in the attack. Tattevin sent a strike from outside the penalty area over the crossbar in the 52nd minute, while Marin denied Diaz from inside the box six minutes later.
The Foxes maintained pressure on the Miami defense as regulation wound down. Diaz made a strong run toward goal in the 72nd minute, sending his initial effort wide before Marin stopped his header on the rebound. Lundeen nearly broke the deadlock with a strike aimed at the bottom-right corner of the Miami net, but his effort narrowly missed the target in the 84th minute.
Miami made one final push in regulation, recording four shots in the final eight minutes, but none found the target as the match moved to a penalty shootout.
Lundeen and Diaz converted their penalties to give Carolina a 2-1 advantage in the shootout before Miami's Ian Urkidi sent his attempt over the crossbar. Anthony Sumo Jr. buried his penalty to extend the lead, and Trevor Jackson made a diving save to his left to keep the Foxes in control. Caiza then sealed the 4-1 shootout victory with a strike into the upper-left corner.
Carolina Core FC returns home to Truist Point on Sunday, June 28, for a matchup against Huntsville FC, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET.
MATCH DETAILS
Date: June 20, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Baptist Health Community Field | Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET
Weather: 90* degrees, Cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY
FT 0 - 0 (Carolina Core win 4-1 on PKs)
LINEUPS
Carolina Core FC: Trevor Jackson; Dominique Colon (70' Thomas Raimbault), Charles Orbaugh, Jair Caiza, Seth Hammond; Ryan Baer (85' Anthony Sumo Jr.), Andrew Czech, Robinson Aguirre (46' Ricardo montenegro); David Diaz, Corey Lundeen, Arnaud Tattevin (60' Antonio Pineda)
Substitutes not used: Nick Holliday, Nolan Evers, Tim Zeegers, Grayson Rockhill
MIA: Matias Marin; Theo Vorenkamp, Tyler Hall, Daniel Sumalla, Sloan Morrison; Matias Acevedo (56' Alejandro Flores), Nicholas Almeida (79' Sean Gormley\)\, Matheus De Paula (57' Ian Urkidi); Idoh Zelter-Zublda, Mateo Saja (57' Zidane Cadet), Diego Rey (78' Jerremy Ortela)
Substitutes not used: Nash Dearmin, Joseph Convers, Rondell White, Leandro Padilla
STATS SUMMARY
CCFC / MIA
Shots: 11 / 10
Shots on Goal: 4 / 3
Saves: 3 / 4
Corners: 4 / 5
Possession: 0%/ 0%
Fouls: 8 / 17
Yellow Cards: 1 / 3
Red Cards: 0 / 0
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
MIA - 30' Mateo Saja (Yellow)
MIA - 66' Diego Rey (Yellow)
MIA - 77' Ian Urkidi (Yellow)
CCFC - 90 +2' Corey Lundeen (Yellow)
