This Sunday, Chapel Hill’s Tar Devils Sporting Club will host Liberty Arsenal at Herndon Championship Field. The game will mark the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Division 1 Final.

After we featured a piece on the Tar Devils in advance of their maiden season back in August; the Southeast Soccer Report’s Calum Ewing recently spoke with Devils’ founder and player Alessandro Racioppi (on December 3) about their season so far and their upcoming playoff final this Sunday.

Can you tell us how your season has gone since we last spoke?

Racioppi: Undefeated! We are regular season champions for the Mid-Atlantic D1. Our record is 8 wins, 1 tie, 0 losses. The only tie was when Mint Hill brought their premier team guys to play us at their home, a game we could have won nonetheless. Very proud of the players and their commitment this season. Going undefeated on our opening season is no small feat!

This is an important point. After dominating the North Carolina State League and other local leagues since 2021, the Tar Devils only made the jump to the UPSL this Fall. Their dominating steamrolling of the Mid-Atlantic was unprecedented.

Racioppi: The proudest part for me is our defensive record. It goes to show how much work the team puts in to fight for each other. Our goal differential at this point is 27 goals for, 3 against. I believe the next best defense and team has 13 goals against. We have 3 goals against the whole UPSL season. I believe based on last 5 years we are on track to potentially set the Mid-Atlantic Division 1 league record if we keep it up!

Of course, since Alessandro spoke to the Southeast Soccer Report, the Devils went on to win their last regular season game, beating bottom-of-the-table Rush United 6-1 at home. They finished, with 9 wins and a goal difference of +29, on 28 points, twelve ahead of second-place River City.

What results stood out this season?

Racioppi: Our biggest results would have to be the ones against our closest competitors. Early in the season we faced a Liberty team that has consistently wanted to take their best game to us, we had a great 4-1 win. Then came River City, the next closest team at the time. We won 3-0 against a direct competitor. Then came Combine Academy, closest at the time…we won 2-0. Then ILM came up, we won 4-0. I wouldn’t pick one result per se, but I would say that any time a direct competitor challenged us, we won convincingly!

Another result to be noted since this interview is the Tar Heels’ triumph as Carolinas Cup Champions, the amateur soccer State Cup tournament for North and South Carolina. Winning their group stage matches against USL2’s Tobacco Road FC, UPSL Premier’s Gastonia FC, and FC Boone, the club won the final 4-1 against Wilmington FC.

What players were most responsible for the team’s success?

Racioppi: Michael Pasca, the longtime captain of this team, who started his journey with the Tar Devils as my first player years ago. He has been the first to set the tone for the team in challenging times. I would also highlight Archie Filliter and Johnny McNeill who have provided a key presence with their experience and setting the tempo for some of the younger guys. Bilal Nachet up top is the current UPSL Mid-Atlantic D1 top scorer!

Our entire backline has been excellent, though a standout would certainly be Dante Shuler with his throw-in contributions and overall leadership in the team. Chris Taylor is also worth noting with three goals from outside back. Caleb Bullock, Nic Gunyon, the list could go on. Both our goalies, Jacob Smith and Trevor Fess, have done an excellent job keeping clean sheets. The newest difference-making addition has been Tyler Moczulski, a true workhorse in the midfield.

Can you spot the trend? This is a group effort, not a one-man-team!

What can you say about the team’s growth throughout the year?

Racioppi: I am extremely proud of this team, with its regular season championship decided multiple match days ahead of the season end. The boys have worked as a unit. More than even the sporting accomplishments, I am proud of the people we have brought together to form a strong community that has expanded its recognition all over the area and beyond! We are just getting started!

What do you think of your chances in the playoffs?

Racioppi: I don’t like to predict things before we decide it on the field, but I promise you with or without any key players, we will give it our all to prove, on top of the regular season championship, that the Tar Devils brand of football is the best in the region!

On December 21, Alessandro’s boys won their playoff semi-final game in emphatic fashion, with a 4-0 trouncing of Wilmington’s ILM Football Club. Moczulski and Abubaker Mayanja each scored a brace to set up Sunday’s showdown with Liberty Arsenal.

The game at Herndon Championship Field kicks off at 5pm (ET). Tickets are $10.

The visiting Liberty Arsenal International Soccer Club advanced to the UPSL Division 1 Mid-Atlantic Final via a 4-2 penalty shootout Sunday afternoon in Irmo, South Carolina. The match ended tied 1-1 after 90 minute and then knotted 2-2 after 120 minutes before the teams took to the spot to decide who’d move on in the fall UPSL playoffs.

Liberty Arsenal International grabbed the early advantage in the 12^th minute as forward Kareem P. Reynald collected a pass, dribbled around the onrushing River keeper, and then slotted the ball into the open net for the 1-0 lead. The visitors took this lead into the break and River City really dialed up the pressure in the second half looking for the equalizer.

River City thought they had their breakthrough moment a couple of times only to have the offside flag or the referee’s whistle keep the score line in favor of the visitors. As the pressure mounted, the Liberty Arsenal defense would bend but not break as River pumped ball after ball into the Liberty penalty box. River’s Evan Williams deep into second-half stoppage time provided the late, late drama to the match as he collected a loose ball off a deflected shot and buried the ball to grab the game-tying goal.

The wild celebrations carried over into the short break and just seconds into the extra-time period Williams scored again looping the ball up and over the flat-footed and now shell-shocked Liberty defense in the 91^st minute. The match had a frantic pace in the extra-time period and Liberty finally settled their nerves and began to work their way back into the game.

It was then in the 101^st minute that Liberty’s Robenson Louis again turned the momentum of the match looping a ball over the River keeper to level things at 2-2. The teams played more conservatively during the second extra time and the match went to penalties to decide who would play in the upcoming final.

Liberty shot first and rattled their first shot off the crossbar while River converted their kick for the early 1-0 advantage. The Liberty kickers converted their next two attempts while the Liberty keeper, their PK specialist who was actually a defender, saved the next two River kicks to make it 2-1 Liberty after 3 kicks. Both teams converted their fourth kicks and then Liberty Arsenal claimed the PK shootout 4-2 with their 5^th kick sending the visitors to the UPSL D1 Mid-Atlantic Championship.

Liberty will play the No. 1 seed Tar Devils SC in the final as they won their semifinal 4-0 over ILM FC.

River City now enters the offseason after a historic fall 2025 season where the team posted the most points in club history, highest finish in UPSL history, most goals scored in club history, and their first UPSL playoff appearance.

Charleston United collected a massive win Sunday night in Irmo as they upset the regular season champs Soda City 2-1 to advance to the UPSL Premier Mid-Atlantic final.

A pair of first-half goals in the span of four minutes from Charleston put the visitors in the lead entering the halftime break. Charleston struck first off a corner kick as the attacker flashed to the near post and turned in a driven ball with a deft flick that fooled the Soda keeper as it bound into the net. The Charleston forward was on his brace just minutes later in the 40^th minute as a long ball served from the Charleston keeper was flicked on twice to put him in 1v1 to toe poke the ball past the frozen Soda keeper.

With the 2-0 advantage at the break, Charleston took a more conservative approach towards the second half defending deeper with their block. A late tackle and second yellow looked to possibly derail this Charleston defensive strategy as the visitors were reduced down to 10 men in the 58^th minute.

Soda City used the extra space to control the midfield possession battle and pulled a goal back in the 77^th minute when the Soda forward headed home a cross served from the right flank to cut into the Charleston lead. A flurry of late-match Soda chances produced two huge Charleston keeper saves in both the 80th and 95^th minutes but Soda just couldn’t find the tying goal over these final minutes of action.

Charleston had played in the UPSL Division 1 ranks as recently as the Fall 2024 season and have picked up two impressive 2-1 road victories in the 2025 fall playoffs over NCFC and now Soda City.

Up next is another trip to Columbia, SC to play the South Carolina United Heat in the final. The match will be played on the weekend of December 13 and 14.

It was a dominant 6-0 win for the South Carolina United Heat over the Coastal Kings in the UPSL Premier Mid-Atlantic semifinal played Saturday night in Columbia.

John Ighede scored a first-half hat trick as the visitors from Savannah had no answers for the big man up top for the Heat.

Ighede beat the Kings high defensive line in the 12^th minute to go on a long solo run to calmly slot the ball in the net for the 1-0 lead past the onrushing Kings keeper. Ighede added another goal in the 22^nd minute timing his run perfectly across the Kings back line to collect a ball looped over the top for the cool finish low past the helpless Kings keeper. The hat trick was complete in the 33^rd minute as a Heat shot was parried by the Kings keeper right to Ighede who beat the keeper low to the near post with a one-time half volley with the outside of his right boot.

Up 3-0 at the half, it was now time for Heat captain Seth Hanson to score a brace to put the game well out of reach. After some clever Heat interplay worked the ball up the right flank created a low driven cross, Hanson collected the poorly handled ball off the Kings keeper to fire the ball into the empty net for the 4-0 advantage in the 57^th minute. The brace for Hanson was completed in the 72^nd minute after a quick pass deep in the box put Hanson in on goal to nutmeg the keeper and push the score to 5-0.

A late goal in the 89^th minute from Martin Carpena completed the rout and sends the Heat to the conference final next weekend. The Kings had defeated the Heat 4-3 in Columbia late in the regular season and the Kings had been the hottest team in the conference over the past few weeks. But the clock struck midnight on this Cinderella inaugural season for the Kings as they crashed out of the UPSL playoffs versus the Heat.

Andreas Kokoska went all 90 minutes in the Heat net earning the shutout win.

The Heat will host Charleston United in the final after Charleston defeated Soda City in the other semifinal. The final will be played December 13 or 14 in Columbia.

It was the South Conference getting the better of their North Conference foes in the Fall 2025 UPSL Mid-Atlantic quarterfinals played Saturday, November 22. The South swept all four matches across North and South Carolina to advance into the semi-finals.

Soda City, the SC United Heat, Charleston United, and the Coastal Kings all advanced to the semi-finals in a dominant display for the Mid-Atlantic South Conference over their northern neighbors. Semi-final matches will be hosted at Soda City and the SCU Heat over the weekend of December 6 and 7.

Playoff Results:

N4 AC Raleigh 1-4 S1 Soda City: Irmo HS, Irmo, SC.

N3 Combine Academy 1-2 S2 SCU Heat: Southeastern Freight Lines, Columbia, SC.

S4 Coastal Kings 3-1 N1 Pro-Finish FC: OrthoCarolina Sportsplex, Pineville, NC.

S3 Charleston United 2-1 N2 North Carolina FC: WRAL Soccer Park, Raleigh, NC.

Soda City needs extra time to advance 4-1 over AC Raleigh

Jose Flores scored an extra-time hat trick after Troy J Paul had given Soda City a lead very late in Irmo to advance Soda into the semifinals. After playing a scoreless and uneventful first half, the match took its first major turn in the 76th minute when AC Raleigh was reduced to 10-men after a late tackle ended up as a red card. This numerical advantage allowed Soda to turn up the pressure and just miss the opening goal on several occasions. Soda’s Troy Paul scored what looked like the game-winner in the 90^th minute off a long-range shot but AC Raleigh was able to rally just seconds later leveling the match in the 90+1 minute off a wild scramble inside the PK box to send this match to extra time. It was all Soda and all Jose Flores in the extra time period as he scored in the 100^th minute tapping in a low, driven cross, the 107th minute off a long ball/back pass misplayed by the Raleigh defense, and the 112^th minute off another long ball he took solo down the flank before slotting the ball into the back post side netting.

Two second-half goals lift the SC United Heat 2-1 over Combine Academy

The stingy Combine Academy defense was on full display Saturday night in Columbia as the visitors turned aside numerous South Carolina United Heat attacks in the first half of their playoff quarterfinal. Against the run of play, Luca Clausse scored for the visitors just before the half to have Combine dreaming of an upset result over the Heat. The Heat had other ideas, and scored in the 60^th and 80^th minutes off goals from Mehdi Dioury and Midou Faye to claim the win and advance into the next round with this furious second-half comeback.

Coastal Kings upset Pro-Management FC 3-1 on the road in Charlotte

The hottest team in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic region kept on winning Saturday night in the Charlotte suburbs as they shocked No. 1 seed Pro-Management 3-1. Wilmar Gonzalez Aguinaga, Christopher Comber, and Zack Hargreaves scored the goals for the visitors. The Kings have been in playoff mode the last few match days and have been facing playoff elimination every time they have stepped on the pitch. Huge wins over the Heat and Charleston to close out the regular season saw the Kings crash the playoff party at the expense of Mint Hill and the Kings have not disappointed in the postseason with this massive win at Pro-Management.

Charleston United scores twice in the second half to defeat NCFC

NCFC looked to be on their way to a win Saturday night in Raleigh but the visitors from the Lowcountry would complete the southern conference sweep with some late-goal drama of their own. Charleston scored a pair of late goals from Kemar Edwards and Eli Pilcher in the 70^th and 90th minutes to erase the NCFC lead and grab the road result.

Soda City will host Charleston United in the semi-finals while the South Carolina United Heat will host the Coastal Kings. Soda defeated Charleston 5-0 in Irmo in late September while the Kings defeated the Heat 4-3 in Columbia in early November. It’s UPSL Playoff time and Columbia, South Carolina will be the center of the UPSL Mid-Atlantic soccerverse for the semi-finals in early December.

It was a dominant 5-0 win for River City FC over Boiling Springs United II in UPSL Mid-Atlantic First Division action Saturday afternoon in Irmo.

The win for River (5W-3L-1T) keeps them in a tie for second place and on-pace for a UPSL playoff berth in this successful return to the UPSL league this fall 2025 season. The top four teams earn a playoff berth.

Ryan K Wahome opened the scoring for River in the 19^th minute making a late run from the midfield to loop the ball past the frozen Boiling II keeper for the 1-0 advantage.

Defender Aden L Brown was next on the scoresheet as he converted a corner kick in the 41st minute to put the hosts up 2-0 late in the first half. Wahome wasn’t finished with the River scoring in the first half as he stole the ball off a Boiling defender and then drove into the box to drive the ball into the near post and River into a 3-0 lead at the halftime break.

Luis E Reyes Lopez added a brace of his own scoring in both the 65^th and 70^th minutes as he slotted the ball low both times into the nets after River pressure had won the ball near the Boiling goal and quick passes found Lopez wide-open for the neat finishes.

Alan C. Figueroa played all 90 minutes in the River goal earning the shutout.

River will conclude the regular season on December 3 in an away match against Mint Hill II at the OrthoCarolina Sportsplex in Pineville, NC.

The UPSL Mid-Atlantic Premier playoff field is set and will again follow the pathway created last spring with cross-over divisional matchups for the 2025 fall edition. The format has first-round matches across the North/South Mid-Atlantic conference boundary creating some exciting matches this coming weekend. There will be four matches, two in North Carolina and two in South Carolina, during this opening playoff round.

The Mid-Atlantic South conference was claimed again by Soda City FC with a perfect 10W-0L-0T (30 points) record. The South Carolina United Heat captured the second spot with 24 points. Charleston United picked up the third seed with 16 points and a +3 goal differential over the Coastal Kings also on 16 points but with a -1 goal differential.

The Mid-Atlantic North conference went to Pro-Finish Management FC with a 8W-1L-1T (25 points) record. North Carolina FC posted 24 points to claim the second seed while Combine Academy (17 points) took third place and AC Raleigh (16 points) rounds out the field in fourth place.

Playoff Matches:

Saturday, November 22

N4 AC Raleigh @ S1 Soda City: Irmo HS, Irmo, SC. 6 PM

N3 Combine Academy @ S2 SCU Heat: Southeastern Freight Lines, Columbia, SC. 6 PM

S4 Coastal Kings @1 Pro-Finish Management FC: OrthoCarolina Sportsplex, Pineville, NC. 5 PM

S3 Charleston United @ North Carolina FC: WRAL Soccer Park, Raleigh, NC. 5 PM

The story lines:

Soda City is cruising into the playoffs and has scored 40 goals while allowing just 5 goals in their 10 matches played this fall. The Coastal Kings are in excellent form entering the weekend after winning two recent matches at the Heat and home to Charleston to leapfrog over Mint Hill in the standings to enter the playoff field. The Heat are still smarting from the loss to the Kings and will be laser focused entering the postseason while Charleston enters the playoff mix on a two-match skid streak.

Pro-Finish Management FC suffered their first loss of the season last time out on the pitch falling 0-3 to Gastonia in what had to be a playoff round wake-up call. NCFC enters the playoffs on a two-match win streak and scored 32 goals during the season en route to the second seed. Combine Academy hold a four-game winning streak and were one of the stingiest defenses in the conference, only allowing 9 goals all season. AC Raleigh blasted a conference-high 40 goals this season but have been on a roller coaster ride of results lately with blow-out wins over Wake and close losses to NCFC and Gastonia.

It’s sure to be a great weekend of UPSL Playoff soccer in the Carolinas.

It was a 4-3 win for the Coastal Kings Sunday night in Columbia over the South Carolina United Heat. The win moves the Kings just outside the top four in the conference standings with just one match left to play in the 2025 fall campaign.

The Heat (8W-2L-0T on 24 points) entering the match were already locked into the second seed in the conference standings and despite the setback still look to be a formable force just ahead of the postseason in a couple of weeks.

The Coastal Kings scored an early goal to grab the lead but that was cancelled out by the Heat goal at the 20-minute mark to level the score. The Kings then struck in the 30th and 45^th minute to hold a 3-1 advantage at the break.

A flurry of chances for the Heat were turned away by the excellent play of the King’s keeper to open the second half and the Kings looked like they were cruising to the win with their fourth goal in the 80^th minute. The Heat, however, made the final moments very tense as they mounted a furious comeback to cut the King’s lead to 4-3 but were just unable to find the final strike to level the match late.

The Heat now await the playoff pairings as the No. 2 seed while the Kings have one final match versus Charleston United on November 15 in Savannah. A win for the Kings on this final match day would vault the Kings over Mint Hill (regular season complete) and into a tie with third-place Charleston both sitting on 16 points. Charleston defeated the Kings 2-0 earlier in the year and the Kings with a favorable win can split the series and pass Charleston if the goal differential is in the King’s favor.

It was a 3-2 win for Mint Hill FC Saturday afternoon in the Charlotte suburbs as they advance past the visiting South Carolina United Heat in the Second Round of 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup qualifiers.

These two UPSL clubs are familiar opponents in the Mid-Atlantic Conference and have met the past two years in USOC qualifiers with the road team winning the previous meetings. Mint Hill reversed this road-team-winning trend on this cloudy, mild, early fall afternoon on the field turf at Mint Hill Veterans Memorial Park.

The Heat had a dream start to the match and went up 1-0 in just the 10^th minute as Matheus Barrozo was able to settle a long ball sent over the Mint Hill backline that caused confusion as it bounced around drawing the Mint keeper off his line. Barrozo slotted the ball past the onrushing keeper and put the Heat up 1-0.

Just minutes later, Barrozo looked to finish off a free kick service with another goal but was deemed to be offside erasing second goal that would have sent the Heat on thier way. Mint Hill picked up the physical play and weathered this Heat wave of attacking soccer early in the match to slowly tilt the field in the home team’s favor.

The breakthrough moment for Mint came in the 32^nd minute as John Agnew curled a free kick through a gap in the Heat defensive wall to level the match. The right-footed Agnew hit a driven, curling ball at the center of the wall where the ball had just the right flight to find a gap in the wall before bouncing just before the goal line leaving the Heat keeper at full stretch unable to make the save. Game on at 1-1.

Mint Hill scored again in the 40^th minute as Matthew Guarda drove into the penalty area running down a pass where he drove a slicing ball high into the near post upper 90. Mint took this 2-1 lead into the halftime break.

A physical, midfield stalemate played out to open the second half and this pattern of play lasted until each team was shown a red card on a hard tackle and resulting mass confrontation in the 78^th minute. The match opened up as both teams played with just 10 men and Mint Hill was first to use this extra space to their advantage.

A ball was played by Mint Hil square across the top of the box and Jamie DiLuzio found the ball in a free pocket of space and made no mistake curling the ball low into the near post for the 3-1 Mint Hill advantage in the 88th minute.

The Heat pulled a goal back in second-half stoppage time as Alfredo Diaz-Santillan looped a header off a corner kick over the multitude in the goal mouth to make the score 3-2 in the 90+5 minute. Just seconds later was the full-time whistle to send Mint Hill into the next round with the 3-2 win.

“It means a lot (to advance), the last three years we’ve played the SCU Heat in the First Round (of Open Qualification) so we know it’s always a really hard fight,” said Mint Hill FC Captain Ian Larson. “Last year was the first year we beat them and we got to advance, so that gave us a little bit more experience to come out here and fight hard, we knew what we had to do. Everybody stepped up and played their position quite well, we had a couple of injuries right before we kicked off, so we had a couple of guys who had to step in and that’s really tough to do last minute playing this good of a team. A team effort across the board and we’re excited for anything (in the next round of qualifiers).”

Mint Hill FC will find out their next opponent in the upcoming draw for the Third-Round match to be played November 1 or 2.

There isn’t a much better way to introduce yourself. After the first 3 matches of their first UPSL season, Tar Devils SC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina have gone 2-1-0 to top the UPSL Division 1 Mid-Atlantic South standings.

Their most recent game away to Mint Hill FC saw a lot of chances and not a lot of goals, finishing 1-1. In the first half, Caleb Bullock got the ball on the left touchline, beat three defenders while driving forward into the box, and slotted the ball past the keeper for an early lead. However, Mint Hill would equalize off a penalty in the second half. The away side saw a lot of chances come their way, some from great ball movement, some from corners, and the majority from dangerous through balls. However, a collection of bad first touches and a late chip over the goalkeeper that bounced just left of the post meant that the Tar Devils weren’t able to be as clinical as they would’ve liked, settling for the point.

The week before, there was no need to settle due to a dominant 4-1 win over Liberty Arsenal International. After some early struggles in the first 10 minutes, a corner was controlled by Johnny McNeill and deflected to Archie Filliter, who slotted it home from close range for the lead. Josh Rutland would join the party soon after, when a long cross from Dante Schuler was flicked on by an Arsenal center back behind the defensive line. Rutland proceeded to chip the keeper as he stormed out of the net, controlled the ball with his chest, took a touch to his right past a retreating defender, and scored. Schuler would grab his second assist off a long throw into the box towards Michael Pasca, who awkwardly put the ball to the keeper’s left near the post as the goalie tried to keep it out (the ref awarded the goal after some hesitation). Pasca’s assist in the second half was much more straightforward, as he chipped it over the backline to Josh Rutland, whose second goal came from finishing the 1v1 opportunity.

The club would miss multiple opportunities to extend their lead from there in the second half, including a few 1v1 and even a 2v1 opportunity, and they would allow a late consolation goal on a defensive mistake after subbing out starters, but the win showed that the Devils’ were a huge threat even when missing chances and had one of the UPSL’s most exciting front lines.

The first game of the season was the beginning of the Tar Devils’ struggles being clinical in front of goal, but it didn’t mean points were dropped. Far from it, in fact; a 5-0 win could’ve been 10-0 against Rush United FC. The first two goals showed the threat of Dante Schuler’s long throw, as the first flew all the way into the 6-yard box with the goalie touching it before it went in. The second was headed in by Bilal Nachet. Nachet picked up his brace by beating a defender dribbling right and powering it past the keeper to score. The game was iced in the second half from not only a 30-yard screamer by Daniel, who ripped a shot over the keeper to the top-center of the net, but also by an assist from the substitute. He turned past a Rush defender, drove the ball towards goal, beat a defender, crossed across goal from the left, and gave Youssef an easy finish. The club was wasteful with 15-20 shots throughout the game, but it was a performance to be proud of.

If you want to see these goals for yourself, all previous match highlights can be found on the club’s Instagram.

Now, the Tar Devils sit tied at the top of the Division 1 Mid-Atlantic with River City FC on 7 points each. The Chapel Hill club leads on goal differential. This Sunday, both sides will face off for first place, and with River City grinding out low-scoring results this season, the Tar Devils must be more clinical against a stronger defensive side.

Come back to the Southeast Soccer Report next week for continued coverage of Tar Devils SC!

It was a 1-0 River City FC win over the visiting Liberty Arsenal International SC Saturday night in Irmo, South Carolina. The hosts used a Jacob Gardner penalty kick and then four crucial Robert Morales saves in the nets to remain undefeated on their fall 2025 UPSL Division 1 campaign.

The opening minutes of the match saw River goalkeeper Robert Morales make his first major contribution quickly diving to his left to turn away a low Liberty Arsenal shot in the 7^th minute to keep things scoreless. Morales was again called into action in the 27th minute this time diving to his right to turn away a Liberty volley off a corner kick. The final moment of danger in the 34^th minute was a high, driven shot that Morales calmly guided over the bar with a strong hand to again keep the score 0-0.

At the 35th minute mark is when Liberty seemed to tire and an errant Liberty pass in the 39^th minute at the top of their penalty box created a scrambling sequence of defending that ended in a trip inside the area resulting in a River City penalty. River defender Jacob Gardner stepped up to the spot and wasted no time as he sent the goalkeeper the wrong way as he slotted the ball low into the nets and the hosts into the lead.

With the score 1-0 River at the half, Morales made another diving save in the 58^th minute pushing a Liberty free kick around the near post to preserve the shutout and send the hosts into the win column.

Liberty Arsenal forced the four saves out of the River keeper but failed to use the numerous free kicks and over a dozen corner kicks to provide the equalizer. River City stayed very organized in defense and always had the answer to the Liberty set pieces to preserve the result down the stretch.

With the win River moves to 2W-0L-1T and the top of the UPSL Division 1 Mid-Atlantic table. Up next is a trip to the undefeated Tar Devils SC on Sunday, October 12 in Chapel Hill, NC. Kickoff in this top-of-table clash is set for 6 PM.

It was a tense first half in Irmo Saturday night before Soda City FC erupted for four second-half goals to bounce Charleston United 5-0 in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic South Game of the Week.

Soda City forced an own goal in just the 3^rd minute of play as a Charleston defender making a recovery run swept the ball into his net seemingly putting the hosts on their way to a huge first half. Charleston United, however, settled into the match and their highly organized defensive block provided no openings or scoring chances as the match went to the half with Soda up 1-0.

Soda was very patient in the attack and displayed this willingness to circulate the ball and pick their moments to go forward in large spells of the first half. A more aggressive and higher pressing Soda emerged from the dressing room after the break.

The second half would be all Soda City and the hosts didn’t wait long into the new half to blow the game wide-open.

Caleb Daniels made a late, back post run on a Soda corner kick in the 47^th minute where he headed the ball down into the ground where it bounded past the scrambling Charleston keeper for the 2-0 lead. Just seven minutes later, it was Soda again finding the nets after some high pressing defense turned the ball over in the Soda attacking third of the field. TJ Paul was slipped a ball into his feet and he then went on a long, solo slalom run with the ball glued to his feet into the Charleston box before he drove the ball low into the back post for the 3-0 Soda advantage.

The furious opening to the second half then settled into the more patient Soda style of play but in the 80^th minute a frantic, bouncing Charleston back pass forced their keeper into an errant clearance that found its way to Soda forward Caree Collier who scrambled the ball into the open net for the fourth Soda goal.

The final goal of the evening was from Soda’s Skyler Fields who ripped a low, skipping ball from outside the area into the Charleston net through the static, shell-shocked defense deep into second-half stoppage time. Final score 5-0 to Soda.

Jacob Cotton went all 90 minutes in the Soda nets collecting the shutout.

With the win Soda moves to a perfect 3W-L-0T record at the top of the UPSL Premier Mid-Atlantic South conference. Up next is a trip to Savannah to play the Coastal Kings on Saturday, October 4 at 7 PM.

It was an 88^th minute goal from River City FC’s Nyashadzashe Makosa to earn a draw Saturday night in Irmo versus Mint Hill II in UPSL Division 1 Mid-Atlantic soccer.

River City FC had a dream start to the match winning a penalty kick in just the 3^rd minute after a hand ball was spotted inside the Mint Hill penalty box. The Mint Hill keeper guessed correctly and turned away the spot kick to keep the match scoreless.

The match turned into a midfield duel as both teams searched for a way forward but the game looked to be going to the half 0-0 until a quick ball behind the River City backline in the 37^th minute put Mint Hill #5 in 1v1 for the cool finish past the onrushing River keeper and the 1-0 Mint Hill advantage at the break.

The game settled into the same midfield duel after the intermission but a second yellow card earned a red and sent Mint Hill down to 10 men in the 60^th minute totally tilting the field in the favor of the hosts. River City used this advantage to send wave after wave of balls into the Mint Hill area but just couldn’t apply the final touch to level the match until the final seconds of the period.

In the 88^th minute it was a River City free kick that provide the break through moment for the hosts when Nyashadzashe Makosa crashed the goal and nodded the ball past the onrushing Mint Hill keeper with a glancing header that found the nets and leveled things up 1-1. River City rattled the crossbar in the 89^th minute and almost grabbed all three point at the final whistle but the match stayed knotted 1-1 at full time

.

With the result River City FC continue their successful return to UPSL soccer now holding a 1W-0L-1T mark as they sit atop the UPLS Division 1 Mid-Atlantic table on 4 points.

Up next is another home match versus second place Liberty Arsenal International Academy on Saturday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 5 PM at Irmo HS.

Eight teams are set to battle in the Fall 2025 USPL Division One Mid-Atlantic Conference this fall.

Several familiar clubs highlight the roster a well as a few new clubs and clubs returning from hiatus to complete the region. Noticeable clubs missing are Wake FC who moved up to the Premier ranks and Spring Champions Electric City who are sitting out the fall campaign.

River City from Columbia, SC and Mint Hill II from the Charlotte area return to the UPSL ranks alongside expansion clubs Tar Devils SC from Chapel Hill and Rush United from Radford, VA.

ILM Football Club from Wilmington will look to be the preseason favorites as they look to improve on their third-place finish from the Spring campaign finishing just behind the powerful-but-now-departed Electric City and Wake FC franchises of last season.

Boiling Springs II (8^th place in the spring season), Combine Academy (9^th place in spring season) and Liberty Arsenal (10^th place in spring season) round out this wide-open group of teams playing for the fall crown.

The season kicks off September 20^th as Liberty Arsenal plays host to ILM Football Club. Opening weekend matches continue on the 21^st as Rush hosts the Tar Devils in a battle of expansion clubs while Combine Academy welcomes River City back into the league and Mint Hill II hosts Boiling Springs II to close out the opening slate of matches.

It’s going to be a wild, unpredictable season this fall in the UPSL Division One Mid-Atlantic conference as it’s anybody’s trophy waiting at the end of the season. Check back this fall to recap the key matches and to see how this all plays out on the field this fall.

The UPSL Mid-Atlantic South Conference Fall 2025 season kicked off August 31 as nine clubs will be battling in one of the toughest conferences in the UPSL Premier division.

Perennial powerhouses Soda City and the SC United Heat are back along with recent playoff champions Asheville FC in a loaded conference line up. Charleston United and Charlotte SA also are returning from their spring top-five finishes along with Boiling Springs United who finished in 6^th place last spring. Former UPSL clubs making a return to the league are Mint Hill FC and Pre-College DA from the Charlotte area while the expansion Coastal Kings FC make their UPSL debut from Savannah, Georgia.

The season is a 10-game gauntlet where teams play every opponent at least once with regional opponents on the schedule playing a home-and-away series. This schedule alignment will be interesting as clubs would rather not be drawn versus Soda, the Heat, or Asheville in that home-and-away series.

The first three teams drawn into a pod are Charleston, the Heat, and the Coastal Kings playing each other home and away. Soda City have been drawn into a pod with Asheville and Boiling Springs playing each team home and away. The final pod are the three teams playing out of the Pineville, NC Sportsplex including Charlotte SA, Mint Hill, and Pre-College DA.

Key dates this season:

Charlotte SA played host to Pre-College DA in the first “Clash of the Three teams calling the OrthoCarolina Sportsplex Home derby” on August 31 with the match ending all knotted at 2-2. Mint Hill FC will also play home games at the same venue making for an odd home-field advantage this season. On October 12 there will be simultaneous 5 PM kickoffs at this venue as Pre-College hosts Asheville and Charlotte hosts Charleston.

Asheville FC hosts the Heat on October 4 at 5 PM and then hosts Soda on October 18 at 6 PM in two huge home-field matches for Asheville both at the Buncombe Sports Park.

Soda hosts the Heat on October 25 in what is always one of the premier matches of the season. Kickoff is at 6 PM at Irmo HS.

Home Openers:

Coastal Kings FC host their inaugural game and home opener on September 6 at 3 PM as Mint Hill visits Specialty Sports Complex Stadium in Savannah.

Charleston United hosts Asheville FC on September 6 at 3 PM at Pinewood Prep.

Boiling Springs FC hosts Pre-College DA on September 6 at 5 PM at the Carolina FC Soccer Complex.

Soda City hosts Boiling Springs on September 13 at 6 PM at Irmo HS.

The SC United Heat host Charleston United on September 14 at 5 PM the SE Freight Lines Complex.

Expect some great soccer this season around the region from this very competitive UPSL Mid-Atlantic South Conference.

Today, the UPSL announced that Tar Devils Sporting Club were joining the league’s Mid-Atlantic Division. The timing is perfect, as the Chapel Hill-based team who have dominated in the North Carolina State League and other local leagues since 2021 have also agreed to a coverage deal with the Southeast Soccer Report!

For our first article with the club, we interviewed founder and owner Alessandro Racioppi to profile his team before the fall season and give fans an idea of the culture and talented squad they’ve built.

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How and why was the club formed?

The Tar Devils soccer team was founded in 2021 by Alessandro Racioppi, a lifelong soccer fan from Italy and medical student at Duke University School of Medicine. He brought together former UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils players, which inspired the team’s name, Tar Devils, blending the two rival schools. What started as a way to play competitive adult soccer with friends soon became a winning team. The Tar Devils won the OCASL league title four times and steadily moved up to higher competition, including the State Cup.

Recently, the Tar Devils competed in the North Carolina State League (NCSL), the state’s top amateur league, facing strong teams like Say Word FC, Gastonia FC, Mint Hill, and Central Raleigh. Key players have been vital to the team’s success. Michael Pasca, an original member, now serves as captain. Howard Huang has played for the team and also helps with administration and team management.

In their debut NCSL season, the Tar Devils defeated every opponent, highlighted by a 3-1 playoff win over Mint Hill’s first team. They reached the championship but narrowly lost 2-1 to Say Word FC after a deciding penalty. Known for their grit, the Tar Devils frequently mounted comebacks. Last season, they overcame three-goal deficits multiple times in the final minutes to secure thrilling wins. Their never-give-up attitude defines the team.

What do you look for when recruiting players for the squad?

What we look to recruit:

1) Commitment - We don’t recruit “mercenaries” or guys who play for 4-5 teams just out of convenience or to get paid or not show up. That has never been our brand. We vet guys for character to the best of our abilities before letting anyone in, no matter how good their CV is. Being committed to what Tar Devils means is essential: a brotherhood. That is what we call it amongst ourselves, Tar Devils brotherhood, as our core group is extremely close both in and out dire the pitch.

2) Growth mindset -We do our best to select players who want to get better. There certainly is a baseline level of talent needed, and we do recruit at baseline high level of talent, but that alone isn’t enough. We do not seek raw talent with half effort, we want people who are here to prove themselves whatever their story may be, from redemption to their first time on a big stage.

3) Ability to be coached - We have a great head coach, Jacob Woodburn, who along with myself (Alessandro Racioppi) are always providing players with areas of improvement in game or on tape. A group of players who is able to be coached will go further than raw talent that is not coachable.

4) Talent - We have a high level roster as stated, so to fight for a spot the bare minimum talent level has to be high. This one is self explanatory, I’d imagine.

Who are some big players you’ve recruited?

Sam Raben - Former Wake Forest captain with 91 starts consecutively. Former MLS player for Colorado Rapids.

Jonathan Miller - Active Bahamas international player, former William Peace soccer alumn. Great outside back.

Daniel Bambaga - Center forward, great physical athlete with an eye for goal. Soccer athlete who just competed at Concord University last season.

Jacob Smith - Former GK at William Peace. Played for Dark Horse this last TST.

-Johnny McNeill: A great striker/center back combo with collegiate experience at Sewanee and played for Dark Horse in TST recently.

-Hugo Kemppainen: Great former collegiate player for Methodist University and former professional footballer.

-Brian Potocnik: Hall of Fame midfielder and All American from John Carroll University.

Why make the jump to a higher level in the UPSL? Are you looking to compete for the title this year, or are you expecting a setback?

I would actually say we may have played some higher level teams (Say Word FC, TST team, Mint Hill FC’s first team, 1st team from UPSL premier) in the NCSL, so we don’t expect a jump in difficulty per say in UPSL, more of a growth platform for long term given increased exposure and more structured league organization. The NCSL will still have much room for growth in the future.

Why now for the switch? As hinted above, we feel that our platform was ready for continued growth (we went from local amateur to semi pro NCSL, placing 2nd right away, and now UPSL within the span of less than 12 months). So we were looking to have a first season to test our level, and we saw that we were matching or exceeding most of the competition, so we felt we were ready both talent wise and for organizational growth long term. Sustainably is key, so while we were invited to UPSL last year, we refused to build our infrastructure and make sure we run a sustainable team, which is the goal. This is key to us, truly, sustainability.

For full clarity, UPSL offered us 2 options this year: Premier and Division 1. We picked Division 1 even when they urged us to go Premier due to their expectation of our level. Same reasoning there, sustainable growth. One step at a time!

Our goal this year is to win the UPSL Division 1 right away. Very clear goal we have set up for ourselves, we have the talent to, now we need to make it happen!

With the club’s platform, how are you giving back to the community in Chapel Hill?

We partnered with UNC physical therapy to volunteer our team for research studies that may help athlete injury prevention. We donate our time during each practice to be able to contribute to this research. This also makes us feel like we are an integral part of the community and giving back through work that may help many athletes moving forward. On the other hand, we are also setting us some local youth soccer clinics to be able to help young players get exposure to semi-pro athletes who may be able to help them get to where they want to be in the future.

We are very community focused, our primary business partners who sponsored us historically were all local Franklin St businesses with local supportive owners (IP3, Goodfellows, Steel String, Might as Well).

Thank you to the club for a great overview of who they are, and we look forward to watching them challenge for the UPSL Division 1 Mid-Atlantic title!

It was a championship Saturday in Anderson, South Carolina as Wake FC visited Electric City FC in the UPSL D1 Mid-Atlantic Final. The two teams had not met in the regular season as Wake forfeited that match due to travel issues and the stage was set to have the top two teams meet for the Spring title and UPSL promotion.

Electric City saw forward Kenny Walton score a first-half brace to give the hosts a 2-0 advantage at the half before they blasted out of the locker room after the break to score three goals in 12 minutes to leave no doubt as to the result of the match. Wake claimed a late consolation goal to break up the Electric clean sheet but just couldn’t find anything else to add to the scoreboard on the afternoon.

The opening 15 minutes of the match didn’t get into any rhythm as numerous fouls disrupted the flow of play. Wake was content to take long-range shots from their attacking opportunities while Electric was more patient on the ball and more deliberate in their build-up play. Wake seemed a step slow and a step behind during the run of play and Electric kept pushing the tempo of the game to keep the visitors unsettled.

Electric City found their opening goal in the 26^th minute as Kenny Walton was the first runner to a short cross driven into the near post from the right flank where he headed the ball past the keeper for the 1-0 lead. The midfield possession and control of the match only increased for Electric after the goal.

Walton struck again in first-half stoppage time as he left his feet to slide into a driven ball running across the goal box to re-direct the cross into the net for the 2-0 advantage at the half.

The weather changed greatly at the half as the warm sunny day became a very windy, overcast afternoon. Electric City had the wind at their backs and came out of the break with more energy and more focus than the visitors from Wake FC.

Electric City took the halftime talk to heart and poured in three goals in the first 12 minutes of the second half to leave no doubt to the final result of the match.

Eduardo Melgar Majia scored in the 49^th minute as he looped a header into the net from a cross driven from the right flank. Just six minutes later, Jayden Mace went on a long solo dribble on the left midfield flank before driving inside at the top of the box to rip an absolute laser of a shot into the back post upper 90 past the helpless Wake FC keeper. Eduardo Melgar Majia capped the scoring frenzy in the 57^th minute by dribbling the keeper and slotting the ball into the empty net after picking the ball off the Wake defense to score his brace and push the score out to 5-0.

Wake FC did find a consolation goal in the 74^th minute as Hector Rodriuez went on a solo dribble inside the Electric PK box to slot the ball in low to the near post and to break up the shutout on the afternoon.

This goal allowed along with the wind toppling over the match camera knocking out the livestream were the only blemishes on a perfect day of soccer for Electric City.

The final 15 minutes played out scoreless and Electric City completed their double of winning the UPSL D1 Mid-Atlantic Regular Season title and Playoff Final.

“Hard work beats talent every time,” said Electric City forward Kenny Walton after the game. “It’s been a pretty good season for us, I’m very grateful, I’m grateful to God, I play for my mom, and I’m grateful for those two goals in the championship today. Coach told us who was going to score (at the halftime talk), and they did it. He (Head Coach Jimmy George ) called it, he’s always positive with all his players. It’s beautiful to be champions this year, we just created this team…the first year and champions…it’s amazing.”

“The big picture (at Electic City) is about giving kids opportunities… a lot of kids from this community never got a shot and this season has been about giving kids that shot to get to the next level,” said Electric City Assistant Coach Ravon Ashy about Electric City FC. “One thing brought us all together, a soccer ball. It’s about bringing a community together, bringing life to a stadium in an area that needs some life. The whole season we were pushing them hard at training, we pushed them hard so when it came to game day they never saw anything they had not seen in practice. Every moment they’ve seen in games…they’ve seen in practice. Promotion comes next, but we’re going to enjoy the moment tonight, next season we obviously get the promotion but right now we’re going to enjoy ourselves and enjoy ourselves with the (Electric City) community.

Electric City finish their inaugural season with a 12W-1L-0T record and two trophies in the case. This fall Electric will join fellow South Carolina clubs Soda City, SC United Heat, Boiling Springs, and Charleston United in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Premier Division.

Just when it looked like Soda City FC was moving into the next round of the UPSL Mid-Atlantic playoffs, AC Raleigh scored a late, late goal off a corner kick and then claimed the win off an ice-cold penalty kick conversion in extra time to advance to the conference finals.

The match saw Soda City score the opening goal off a curling free kick that Joseph Davis bent up and over the wall past the Raleigh keeper into the near post for the 1-0 lead in the 18^th minute.

AC Raleigh looked to be jumping right back into the game the 23^rd minute after winning a penalty kick but the kick ran wide of the left post and kept Soda in the lead. Just minute later, Raleigh forward Finley Mitchell was able to beat the Soda keeper to a ball looped into the box where he headed the ball out of the traffic and into the empty net to level the score 1-1 in the 30^th minute.

The score line would stay 1-1 into the halftime break and then in the 67^th minute Soda would again take the lead off a free kick. A corner kick was served into the goal mouth where Soda’s Troy Paul headed the ball right down the middle to push Soda City back into the advantage.

The match looked to be Soda’s after a pair of late stoppage-time free kicks were easily collected by Blaize McGinnis in the Soda net. Then in the 96^th minute, the match script got a major edit.

AC Raleigh’s Lucas Kelly was left unmarked just six yards out from the goal where he powered in a header to tie the match in dramatic fashion and force extra time.

Soda City in extra time created a wild sequence of play in front of the Raleigh net but couldn’t find the final touch in the scramble to gain the advantage in the 99^th minute. Raleigh weathered the increased Soda pressure and things looked like they were headed for penalties in the 117^th minute when Raleigh again made a major edit to the match script.

A free kick was kept alive and recycled a couple of times before a searching ball served into the box forced a Soda City trip awarding Raleigh a penalty kick in the 118^th minute. Raleigh’s Teddy Pierce had ice water in his veins as he ripped the penalty high into the upper right corner of the net and then just stood there cool-as-you-like after the ice-cold penalty conversion to stun the defending UPSL National Champs. Raleigh played out the final minutes of extra time and celebrated their stunning 3-2 win in Irmo.

AC Raleigh advances to the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Final to face Asheville FC on July 5.

It was a tale of two halves in Irmo Saturday night as Soda City FC began the Spring 2025 UPSL Mid-Atlantic playoffs by defeating the visiting NC Lions 4-3 to advance to the conference semifinals.

The two-time defending UPSL National Champs looked to be cruising into the next round of the playoffs after they poured in four first-half goals over the NC Lions to hold a commanding lead at the half. The NC Lions used the halftime break to regroup and made things very interesting in the second half scoring three goals to make it a tense finish.

Soda City FC got on the scoreboard in the 3^rd minute as team captain Lamar Thompson chipped the onrushing Lion’s keeper for early Soda advantage. That opening period of the game was all Soda City and the pressure paid off in the 19^th minute as a corner kick was cleared to the top of the Lion’s box where Hykeem Martin was there to volley the ball over the Lion’s keeper for the second goal.

The speed of Soda City would close down all the Lion’s midfield space and limit their time on the ball in the first half which caused frequent turnovers and mistakes by the visitors.

Soda City’s Martin scored again in the 39^th minute as the Lion’s high defensive line was broken by a ball over the top that Martin sprinted onto and calmly finished 1v1 versus the Lion’s keeper. A fourth goal for Soda City in the 45^th minute capped a spectacular first half for the hosts as Marlon Williams was first to pounce on a free kick that rattled off the far post and he calmly slots the ball into the open net for the 4-0 Soda lead at the half.

There must have been some magic in the NC Lions halftime talk because a totally different team took the field in the second half. More composed on the ball and looking to play forward with more speed, the Lions jumped right back into the match with two quick goals in the 47^th and 50^th minutes.

The first Lion’s goal was from Abiel Lopez Dominguez off a one-time finish from a ball cut back to the top of the box from the right corner of the field in the 47^th minute. The next goal in the 50^th minute came from the opposite flank as a deep cross from the left into the back post was headed back central where Benny Hernandez shot a bouncing ball through the Soda defense for the second goal. Things got really interesting in the 62th minute as the Lions played a ball deep up the right channel where Hernandez collects the ball, cuts inside the box, and rips a shot with pace under the Soda keeper to make it just a one-goal game.

At this point the game settled into a midfield battle and both teams had a few half-chances but no real clear looks at another goal as the match ended 4-3 to Soda City.

Soda City FC will now play AC Raleigh who defeated the SC United Heat 4-3 in their first-round playoff match. The Soda-Raleigh semi-final match will be at 6 PM on Saturday, June 28 at Irmo HS.

Soda City FC scored two second-half goals Saturday night in Irmo to win both the match versus the South Carolina United Heat as well as the Spring 2025 UPSL Mid-Atlantic South Premier title.

The visitors had a dream start to the match as the Heat’s Jose Puente provided the final touch from a seated position to clean up a scramble inside the Soda goalmouth to open the scoring in just the 6^th minute of play. The goal came from a cross from the left flank that rattled around inside the goal box before Puente speared it home for the goal. Soda had been under heavy pressure to open the match and had just been forced to clear a Heat shot off the line just minutes before the goal.

This score line held until the halftime break as the Heat controlled the midfield, were first to most 50-50 balls, and were quick to put Soda under pressure limiting their time and comfort on the ball. This trend continued into the second half as Soda City weathered the pressure and then worked their way back into the match.

Soda won a free kick in a dangerous spot in the 64^th minute and served a ball deep into the far post where the ball was headed back across the face of the goal. Lamar Thompson was there on the end of the header to flatten the ball out squeezing the ball with pace under the scrambling Heat keeper to level the match 1-1.

Soda began to really grow into the match after the goal and this translated to several chances over the next few minutes that would see the Heat defense bend but not break. All this changed in what looked to just be a ball served deep into the left corner of the field saw an individual moment of brilliance that pushed Soda into the lead.

Jose Flores collected the deep pass down the left channel, drove the ball forward into the box, and then cut inside where he ripped a rocket of a shot past the Heat goalkeeper at full stretch into the back-post side netting. 2-1 Soda City in the 79^th minute.

The Heat pressed numbers forward over the final minutes of the match but couldn’t find the equalizer as Soda won the match 2-1.

Soda City FC win the USPL Regular Season conference title and will enter the Spring 2025 playoffs as the #1 seed with home-field advantage. The Heat will finish as the #2 seed and host at least one playoff match.