In the fourteenth and final game of the 2026 season, Salem City FC took home an exciting win against Wake FC with a 1-0 final score. With a large portion of the squad already gone, the team worked together and pulled out a solid victory with just four subs. 

Sitting in tenth on the South Atlantic divisional leaderboard, Wake came to City with something to prove, following their season opener loss to the club in a 4-0 final score. Despite Wake’s persistence, City stayed strong throughout the entire 90 minutes and brought the club its first win in the new M. Douglass Crater Stadium. 

Earning his second win in just two starts, Kevin Stanton picked up three points and his first clean sheet at the USL 2 level. Alongside impressive goalkeeping from Stanton was the backline of Caleb Frakes, Patrick Tierney, Sasha Rabala, and Hubert Deragon who were in fine form on Saturday night. Bolstered by the likes of Jalen Moore, Raul Canas, and Carlos Santamaria, City controlled the game from the starting whistle. 

Rounding out the final match lineup was Robbie Reeves, Guilherme Fontes, and Oscar Tonidandel who proved to be an influential trio from the start. Tonidandel and Reeves were the epitome of a dynamic duo in the first half as they created countless chances on goal for City. 

Throughout the game it was clear that City was in top shape, with effective communication and effortless ball movement which left no room for Wake to produce chances on goal. In the few quality shots created by Wake, Stanton showed his elite caliber with fearless and aggressive tackles on their strikers. 

Perhaps the star of the first half came in Reeves, who was featured in almost every play in the opposition’s box. An incoming freshman at Elon University, Reeves has been incredible throughout his 2026 summer campaign after being called up from City’s academy team halfway through the season. Despite not having a goal to his name, Reeves will certainly be a big name in the next few years for this squad. 

With the first half winding down, City continued to fire away at Wake’s goal with fiery shots from Moore, Deragon, and Fontes. However, impressive goalkeeping from Wake kept the score even at zero as both teams entered their respective locker rooms. 

Soon enough, the second-half whistle went off and the last 45 minutes of the season were underway. The first ten minutes passed without much action as both teams looked to gain control of the ball. The first real chance of the second half came from a Wake breakaway where Stanton once again proved tough with a tackle on the edge of the box. 

Making his USL 2 debut from City’s academy team, Abisai Carmona entered the pitch, along with Jameel Durhan, and Fynn Mewes. Perhaps the most entertaining play of the game came from a Frakes cross to Carmona, before Tonidandel made contact for a header straight to the goalkeeper. 

As the game winded down, City became more dangerous in Wake’s half of the field. Such attempts proved successful as Canas converted a goal following a free kick from Frakes in the 83rd minute. Despite the advances of Wake in the final minutes, City held strong and added another goal by Tonidandel before an offsides call kept the score 1-0. And with that, the final game of the 2026 season came to a close with your Salem City team earning a 5-7-2 overall record. 

Both Fontes and Mikey Hernandez said goodbye to the club after several successful years in Winston-Salem, as they both retired from USL 2 play. Santamaria and Fontes both played their final game of their respective careers, ending with impressive performances in the twin cities. Most of the players will now start to make their way back to their respective college programs, while others look to step into the next chapters of their lives.