Marrieta, GA (July 31, 2026) - Carolina Core FC battled back from two goals down, with Arnaud Tattevin recording a hat trick before the Foxes outlasted Atlanta United 2, 10-9, in a thrilling penalty shootout on Friday night at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Center.
The Foxes came out on the front foot, applying early pressure to Atlanta United 2 and earning both a free kick and a corner kick in the opening minutes. Despite Carolina Core FC's energetic start, Atlanta broke through the press with a long ball that launched a quick attack. Cameron Dunbar got on the end of the pass and opened the scoring to give the home side an early 1-0 lead.
Atlanta doubled its advantage in the 18th minute after Dunbar once again played a key role in the buildup. Driving into the attacking third, he found Dominik Chong Qui on the left side of the penalty area, where Chong Qui calmly finished to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Foxes continued to push forward in search of a response and were rewarded in the 38th minute. Arnaud Tattevin stepped to the penalty spot after Carolina Core FC earned a penalty and confidently buried his attempt to cut the deficit to one.
Atlanta would answer minutes later. Enzo Dovlo worked his way into the penalty area before lifting a shot into the top-right corner, restoring the hosts' two-goal cushion just moments after The Core had climbed back into the match.
Carolina Core FC refused to let the setback slow its momentum. Just one minute later, Charles Orbaugh found Tattevin with a well-placed pass on the left side of the box. Tattevin took advantage of the opportunity, firing a strike over the goalkeeper and into the top-right corner to make it 3-2 heading into halftime.
The Foxes carried that attacking momentum into the second half and wasted little time finding the equalizer. In the 50th minute, Bodie Ford delivered a dangerous pass across the face of goal that found Tattevin in front of the net. The forward finished from close range to complete his hat trick and level the match at 3-3.
Both sides continued to trade attacking opportunities throughout the remainder of regulation. Carolina Core FC maintained pressure in the attacking third while Atlanta searched for a late winner of its own, but both defenses stood firm when it mattered most, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
The shootout proved to be just as dramatic as regulation. Carolina Core FC converted all 10 of its penalty attempts, repeatedly putting the pressure back on Atlanta United 2. With a chance to keep the shootout alive, Atlanta stepped to the spot for its 10th attempt, but goalkeeper Nolan Anderson made the decisive save to secure a 10-9 shootout victory and earn the Foxes two points on the road.
Carolina Core FC returns home to Truist Point Stadium Saturday, August 8, for a matchup against Huntsville City FC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
MATCH DETAILS
Date: July 31, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro
Venue: Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Center | Marietta, GA
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET
Weather: 90º degrees, Sunny
SCORING SUMMARY
FT 3 - 3
ATL - 4' Cameron Dunbar
ATL - 19' Dominik Chong Qui
CCFC - 38' Arnaud Tattevin
ATL - 44' Enzo Dovlo
CCFC - 45'+1' Arnaud Tattevin
CCFC - 50' Arnaud Tattevin
LINEUPS
Carolina Core FC: Nolan Anderson; Nolan Evers, Charles Orbaugh (45' Rashid Tetteh), Bryce Swinehart; Ricardo Montenegro, Seth Hammond (45' Graham Ford), David Diaz, Ryan Baer, Tristan Weber (45' Ricks Ford); Arnaud Tattevin (55' Antonio Pineda), Nick Kaloukian (85' Corey Lundeen)
Substitutes not used: Trevor Jackson, Khalid Balogun, Dominique Colon, Thomas Raimbault
Atlanta United 2: James Donaldson; Daniel Chica, Matthew Senanou, Mohamed Cisset, Dominik Chong Qui; DD Sibrian (73' Adedamola Browne), Jardines; Enzo Dovlo (65' Amir Henry), Ignacio Suarez-Couri (74' Gonzalo Riveras), Cameron Dunbar (90'+7' Oluwaseyitan Fakiyesi); Liam Butts (73' Patrick Weah)
Substitutes not used: Joshua Brown, Noe Santillan, David Ilevbare, Reuben Clarson
STATS SUMMARY
CCFC / ATL
Shots: 12 / 12
Shots on Goal: 6 / 4
Saves: 1 / 3
Corners: 6 / 5
Possession: 0%/ 0%
Fouls: 19 / 13
Yellow Cards: 2 / 0
Red Cards: 0 / 0
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CCFC - 24' David Diaz
CCFC - 87' Nolan Evers
