Hickory FC set for another home playoff match

The Hickory FC semi-professional men’s soccer team extended its season with a second consecutive 1-0 victory, this time against the Lubbock Matadors in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) South Region title match on July 19 at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Moretz Stadium.

With the win, which saw Alvaro Sanchez score the lone goal of the match in the 63rd minute, Hickory moved to 13-1-1 overall (including friendlies) and 12-0-1 against NPSL opponents as it advanced to the national semifinals. And the team will be at home again tonight (Saturday, July 26) at 7 p.m. for a battle with Ristozi FC, with the winning squad advancing to the national championship on Aug. 2 to face either El Farolito or Michigan Rangers FC.

It was also announced this week that Hickory’s Antonio Pineda, who has scored seven goals this season and was previously named the MVP of the Southeast Conference as well as June’s NPSL Player of the Month, has been chosen as the Select Sport America 2025 NPSL Golden Ball winner. The Golden Ball is the most prestigious individual honor awarded by the NPSL.

Crawdads struggling since All-Star break

The Hickory Crawdads entered a four-day break last week that coincided with Major League Baseball’s All-Star break having won five of their previous six games and with a 1 1/2-game lead over the Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Pelicans for first place in the second-half standings in the Single-A Carolina League's South Division, but the team has gone 1-4 since play resumed on July 18 to fall 2 1/2 games behind the Pelicans for the division’s top spot.

The only victory for the Crawdads (50-41, 17-9 in second half) since the resumption of play was a 7-5 home win over the Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs at L.P. Frans Stadium last Sunday, when Hickory pounded out 10 hits. The Crawdads’ offensive attack was led by multi-hit performances from Esteban Mejia (triple, two singles, run) and Wady Mendez (two-run home run, single, two RBIs, run).

Hickory relief pitcher Aneudis Mejia (3-5) earned the win after tossing two innings of one-run, two-hit ball during which he had a strikeout and a walk, while Michael Trausch (2 IP, H, 2 K) notched his first save of the year.

The Crawdads were scheduled to host the Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets late Thursday and again on Friday before the clubs face off at 5 p.m. today and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Then Hickory travels to Fayetteville to begin a six-game series with the Woodpeckers on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m.