Port City FC men go from winless season to playoff berth

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — One area team is in the midst of a bounce back season for the ages.

Port City FC’s men’s team had a winless season in 2024. Once the calendar flipped, so did their fortune. The Gulls are now headed to the NPSL playoffs as one of the top teams in the Southeast Conference.

Head Coach Nate Torbett feels it is a sign of things to come for the young franchise.

“The goals coming into this season was make the top four and get into the playoffs,” Torbett said. “At the beginning of the season when we looked and saw the roster that we were bringing in, we thought that was a very realistic goal. To watch the guys go out and get it done this summer has been awesome.”

The team has one regular season game remaining. That will be on Saturday at Greenville United.

Captain Jackson Minneci knows what will take place after that contest, but says all the focus is on their next opponent.

“Absolutely, we want to win,” Minneci said. “Nothing but a win. I think our mindset for the whole season has been to take every game as if it is a final. I think that’s the best way to compete moving forward. I think we can win it all. We have a great chance. We have a winning culture. We can go as far as we want.”

The women’s team will open their playoff run on Wednesday when they face McLean in Washington D.C.