North Texas SC was able to walk into Allianz Field and come away with three crucial points as they defeated MNUFC2, 2-1, in a hard-fought battle for an ever-elusive spot in the post-season.
Coming into tonight’s game, North Texas sat just outside the playoff line at ninth in the West with 37 points. Minnesota, on the other hand, was tied for 6th with 38 points. Huge playoff implications rode on tonight’s game.
For their ever-so-important road game, North Texas opened up in a 4-3-3 formation with JT Harms getting his 13th start in goal. In the backline, Mohamed Cisset and Jackson DuBois both returned to the starting lineup.
Christopher Salazar got his first start of the season for NTSC, with Sam Sarver and Jaidyn Contreras out of the wings alongside him. Most notably absent for Los Toritos was James Bulkeley, who has started the last three games at CB and has left for the U20 World Cup.
MNUFC2 decided to take the 3-back approach with their 3-5-2 formation. Kayne Rizvanovich earned his 12th start in goal, while newcomer Alexis Fariña earned his first start for the home team in the central midfield.
Up front, Logan Dorsey and Loïc Mesanvi started as the team’s dual-striker front. Most notably absent from tonight’s starting XI was Luke Hille, who tore his ACL against the Tacoma Defiance on August 15th and is out for the remainder of the season.
In the big Western Conference matchup between MNUFC2 and NTSC, North Texas would find the back of the net first.
In the 42nd minute, Diego Garcia played a beautiful through ball to Sarver, who was able to get past his defender. Sarver would have his initial shot saved, but the follow-up was then laid off to Caleb Swann in the box, who slotted it home for his second goal of the season, giving NTSC a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota would equalize in the 55th minute. After DuBois misplayed a ball, Dorsey was able to find Fariña on a 3-on-1 counter. The MNUFC2 midfielder was able to slip it past Harms to make it 1-1.
The reigning champions would regain the lead in the 60th minute. After a cross is played in short, Contreras would blast a ball into the back of the net from the top of the box, giving North Texas a 2-1 lead and ultimately securing them the victory.
“These types of moments are key because I think Jaidyn has grown a lot in the last six months, and for him to get that reward in a situation we knew he was good at is special,” head coach John Gall said. “I’m proud of the group, happy for Caleb [Swann], happy for Jaidyn [Contreras], but most importantly, happy for the club as we keep ourselves fighting and push into a really good spot.”
Three huge points for NTSC tonight was a result of a few players who contributed to the team’s fortunate result. Our “Man of the Match” was the man himself, Jaidyn Contreras. Tonight’s game-winning goal marks back-to-back games in which the youngster has scored. It’s a crucial time to find some success and jumped into some solid form as well.
“At this stage of the season, it’s about getting three points, and that’s the mentality of the group,” Gall said after the game. “I had a feeling going into this game that we wanted to put right what happened last week, and we certainly did that, giving ourselves an opportunity to go into the last two games with a fight on our hands.”
Up next, North Texas SC returns home to Choctaw Stadium to take on Real Monarchs on Saturday, September 27th at 7:30 pm CT. The Monarchs are currently 11-7-8 on the season, with 4 shoot-out wins.
