FC Frederick and Hub City FC Finish with 2-2 Draw

June 23, 2026

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By Sheldon Shealer/FC Frederick

For the second straight meeting, FC Frederick and Hub City FC combined for four goals. This time, however, the scoring was evenly split as the budding rivals played to a 2-2 draw Saturday at St. John’s Catholic Prep in National Premier Soccer League action.

FC Frederick, which won the previous meeting 4-0, is 2-3-2 on the season and remains in sixth place in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. Hub City is 2-5-1 and eighth, on tiebreakers, in the nine-team conference.

Caleb Wesley gave FC Frederick a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute off an assist from Max Riley. The Blue controlled the opening half, outshooting the visitors 11-3, holding a 5-0 edge in corner kicks and forcing Hub City goalkeeper Darius Geaman to make seven saves.

After making a few halftime adjustments, Hub City seized the momentum and broke through in the 56th minute when James Pele Sesay was taken down in the penalty box by FC Frederick keeper Brendan Kane. Joshua Wisdom converted the penalty kick in the lower left corner as Kane was caught diving the wrong way.

Only seven minutes later, Sesay gave Hub City a 2-1 lead as he got behind the FC Frederick defense and chipped Kane into an open net.

Hub City’s lead, though, was short-lived as Riley served up his second assist, this time playing a ball to Joni Ndrenika, who drilled a game-tying shot in the 65th minute.

The draw left FC Frederick wondering what might have been after its dominant first half produced only one goal. Even so, with matches remaining against the league’s third-, fourth- and ninth-place teams, FC Frederick controls its own path to a postseason berth.

“It was a hard-fought battle between two budding rivals,” said FC Frederick assistant coach Josh Gilmore, who stepped in to serve as head coach in the absence of Colin Viti. “The way we played in the first half, we should have gotten more out of this match. But I’ll take the point. In this league, every point is valuable, and this one keeps us in the hunt for the playoffs.”

Despite the number of goals, it was a banner night for both keepers. Geaman, a recent high school graduate, was the star of the match for Hub City, finishing with 10 saves. Kane finished with nine saves, including eight after halftime.

Kane’s nine-save performance tied for the third-most saves in a match in FC Frederick’s 12-year club history.

FC Frederick’s star of the match was Riley, who became only the sixth player in FC Frederick history to post multiple assists in a single game. He also created five dangerous scoring opportunities, three of which forced saves from Geaman.

Moments after Hub City was reduced to 10 players due to a red card, Geaman stopped a point-blank attempt by Riley, which would have given FC Frederick a late 3-2 advantage. Geaman, who made four saves in the opening 15 minutes, kept Hub City in the match while the visitors struggled to generate offense.

“Even though he’s inexperienced at this level, his instincts, ability and raw athleticism take over,” Hub City head coach Mike Long said.

Although the NPSL serves as a proving ground for many college and aspiring professional soccer players, Geaman is pursuing a different path. Despite his success as a high-level Maryland club goalkeeper, he plans to continue his athletic career as a college football placekicker this fall.

Both teams return to action on Wednesday at 7:00 pm as FC Frederick faces third-place Virginia Atlantic FC at St. John’s Catholic Prep, while Hub City FC plays host to first-place Ristozi FC at North Hagerstown High School.