New Haven, CT (July 5, 2026) — CT United FC returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Carolina Core FC at Reese Stadium on Sunday night in MLS NEXT Pro action.
CT United broke through first after a tightly contested opening to the matchup. A poor Carolina pass fell to the feet of Andre Applewhaite. Applewhaite played a well-weighted long ball to Daniel D’Ippolito, who dribbled forward and passed Barnabas Tanyi through on goal. Tanyi was one-on-one with the keeper and calmly placed it in the bottom right corner. It’s Tanyi’s eighth goal of the season and the Coywolves took a 14th minute lead.
The Coywolves’ strong defensive structure and discipline helped to hold Carolina scoreless until the end of the half. Gunther Rankenburg was particularly impressive. He made six strong saves in the first 45, but it was Carolina’s 11th shot of the half from Arnaud Tattevin that found the back of the net. The goal sent the two sides all level at 1-1 into halftime.
It took just five minutes after halftime for the Coywolves to regain the lead. D’Ippolito controlled a Rankenburg goal kick and sent the ball out wide to Dylan Lacy. Lacy drove into the box and struck a pass across the front of goal. Tanyi was the first to it and sent a stunning backheel pass into the middle of the box. Hivan Kouonang hit it first time past Carolina’s keeper to give the Coywolves a 2-1 lead in the 50th minute.
Just four minutes later, CT United struck again. Another Rankenburg goal kick found Lacy, who stroked a pass to Tanyi. Tanyi sent a pass through to D’Ippolito running into the box. D’Ippolitio took the shot on his first touch and put it in the bottom right corner for a commanding 3-1 lead for the Coywolves. The goal gave Tanyi his third goal contribution of the match and 10 in his last seven matches.
In the 79th minute, a counter attack led by substitute Niko Koloniaris nearly led to another goal. Koloniaris drove forward and played fellow substitute Laurie Goddard into space on the Carolina side of the field. Goddard found Lacy on the right side of the box. He ripped a shot that hit the post and the lead stayed at 3-1.
CT United were able to stop late pushes from Carolina’s offensive attack and finished the match with a 3-1 win. The Coywolves stayed strong in a physical game that contained 36 fouls and six cards between the two sides.
The Coywolves have now won five of their last seven games and kickstart the second half of their eight-game summer homestand next week. They will welcome Toronto FC II to Reese Stadium on July 12th in MLS Next Pro play.
CONNECTICUT UNITED FC GAME REPORT
Carolina Core FC vs CT United FC
Date: July 5, 2026
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season
Venue: Reese Stadium | New Haven, CT
Kickoff: 6:03 p.m. ET
Weather: 80 degrees, Cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 3-1-FT
CTU: 1-2-3
CAR: 1-0-1
CTU – Barnabas Tanyi (Daniel D’Ippolito) 14’, Hivan Kouonang (Barnabas Tanyi) 50’, Daniel D’Ippolito (Barnbas Tanyi) 54’
CAR – Arnaud Tattevin (Ricardo Montenegro) 45+5’
LINEUPS
CTU: Gunther Rankenburg, Andre Applewhaite, Michael Boamah, Jahvar Stephenson (Lukas Kamrath 55’), Alex Monis (C) (Cauã Paixão 78’), Dylan Lacy, Sean Petrie (Niko Koloniaris 78’), Ernesto Gómez, Barnabas Tanyi, Hivan Kouonang (Rickson van Hees 55’), Daniel D’Ippolito (Laurie Goddard 63’)
Substitutes not used: Ayden Wolanski, Anthony Ramos, Ibrahim Kasule, Jeremy Medranda
Head Coach: Shavar Thomas
CAR: Nick Holliday, Jair Caiza, Charles Orbaugh, Bryce Swinehart, David Diaz (Seth Hammond 68’), Ryan Baer (Tristan Weber 45’), Andrew Czech (Bodie Ford 45’), Ricardo Montenegro (Graham Ford 68’), Thomas Raimbault (Khalid Balogun 60’), Arnaud Tattevin, Corey Lundeen (C)
Substitutes not used: Trevor Jackson, Dominique Colon
Head Coach: Jake Davis
STATS SUMMARY: CTU/CAR
Shots: 15 / 20
Shots on Goal: 6 / 10
Saves: 9 / 3
Corner Kicks: 2 / 5
Fouls: 22 / 14
Offside: 1 / 4
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
CAR: Ryan Baer (Yellow Card) 20’
CTU: Sean Petrie (Yellow Card) 36’
CAR: Charles Orbaugh (Yellow Card) 41’
CTU: Jahvar Stephenson (Yellow Card) 45+2’
CTU: Andre Applewhaite (Yellow Card) 86’
CAR: Bryce Swinehart (Yellow Card) 89’
CAR: Khalid Balogun (Yellow Card) 90+7’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Russell Miller
Ast. Referees: Sam Conroy, Douglas Clayton
Fourth Official: Colby Johnson