The Town FC and Gracie FC were tied at halftime, but second-half goals from midfielders Christian Enriquez and Sonny Guadarrama sealed the win for the Bay Area club.

CARY, N.C. — With win-or-go-home stakes in mind, The Town FC knew that taking down Gracie FC and reaching the Round of 16 wouldn’t be an easy feat.

The Town FC (3-1, 2-1 group stage) may have faced a 1-0 deficit just over a minute and a half into the Round of 32 clash, but it leveled the match just 20 seconds later and eventually recorded a 4-2 victory over Gracie FC (2-2, 2-1).

The Bay Area side featured four different goal scorers — including midfielder Sonny Guadarrama — who notched his fifth goal of the tournament. Both teams traded goals to close out the first frame and were even at two by halftime, setting up a thrilling second half. 

But with the team’s fate on the line, midfielder Christian Enriquez would give The Town FC the edge, as he added his name to the scoring list by tallying the go-ahead goal in the 35th minute — just five minutes before the full-time whistle.

Almost five minutes through overtime and a goal shy of the target score — Guadarrama’s right foot secured The Town FC’s fourth goal of the game — effectively clinching the win and keeping the squad alive in the tournament. The rest of the team stormed the field as soon as the ball grazed the net and pridefully posted an adhesive team logo on a large bracket.

The Town FC’s next task will be Nani FC (4-0, 3-0), a team led by former Premier League and Portuguese National Team star midfielder Luis Nani. Nani FC narrowly defeated Sneaky Fox FC (1-3, 1-2) in the Round of 32, courtesy of a game-winning goal from goalkeeper Joshua Lemos, who sent the ball the length of the field and into the net to reach the target score.

The Town FC and Nani FC will meet at 8:30 a.m. PST at WakeMed Park. The winner will face either Sire 7 (3-1, 2-1) or North Carolina FC (3-1, 2-1) in the Quarterfinals stage, pending game results.