After saving 3 shots in PK’s, Eryk Dymora helped secure a 3-1 win for North Texas SC against Austin FC II, after both teams were tied 0-0 after regulation at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium on Wednesday night. Los Toritos now sit at 9th in the Western Conference with 31 points.
Lineups and Tactics
North Texas maintained a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Dymora earning his 17th start of the season. The backline saw one change from their previous match, with Álvaro Augusto replacing Leandro Gonçalves at CB. Slade Starnes (CB) swapped with Álvaro and held down the left half of the field.
In the midfield, newcomer Lucas Martins earned his 1st start of the season at CM alongside Caleb Swann (CM). Paired with both CM’s, Edu Nys started at CAM for his 22nd start of the season, most of any player for NTSC this season.
The lone change up top was the addition of Da’vian Kimbrough for Natty James at ST. Kimbrough, who made his 2nd start of the season, was paired with Daniel Baran (LW) and Ricky Louis (RW) out wide on the wings.
The Verde Dos held a 4-3-3 formation with a holding 6 in Djakaría Barro, who earned his 20th start of the season. Alongside him in the midfield were Kenan Hot (CM) and Patrick Gryczewski (CM). Gryczewski made his 1st start for the away side since joining the team in 2025.
In goal, Charlie Farrar earned his 5th start of the season. The backline consisted of Patrick Cayelli (LB), Jules Bery (CB), Evan Watt (CB), and Daniel Cieśla (RB). This experienced group of defenders for Austin has been a huge reason for their success in having recorded the fewest goals scored against in MLS Next Pro.
Up top, Ibrahima Sall started at ST, while Erick Feliciano (LW) and Adrián González (RW) played out wide on the wings. Most notably absent from the starting XI was Jorge Alastuey, who leads the team in goals.
The Game
Despite being outpossessed through the first half of action, North Texas managed to outshoot the Verde Dos with 3 shots on target to Austin’s 1. They also drew 3 more corners than Austin, which ultimately did not have any bearing on the game as both teams were held scoreless through 45 minutes.
“Da’vian Kimbrough was really good in the first half, and Nick Simmonds came in and was fantastic,” Head Coach John Gall said. “Defensively, we did a really good job taking away what they wanted to do through midfield. Their goalkeeper also made three or four really good saves. Overall, I’m really proud of the group…”
The second half was much of the same as neither team could break through. The Verde Dos continued to dominate possession, with 64% to NTSC’s 36%. Both teams doubled their shots on target from the previous half, with North Texas finishing with 6 shots on target to Austin’s 2.
In the 64th minute, North Texas’ newest signing Martins accumulated his second yellow card of the game, resulting in a red card. North Texas played the remaining 36 minutes down to 10 men.
However, after 90+ minutes of soccer, the game headed to a shootout. In which Eryk Dymora was able to tally 3 saves in front of the home crowd to help secure two points for North Texas SC.
Penalty Kick Results:
NTX – 🔴🟢🟢🟢
AUS – 🟢🔴🔴🔴
“I’m thoroughly proud of the group tonight,” coach Gall said. “We were resilient, organized, structured and disciplined, and we did enough to win the game. We had 20 (total) shots against the top team in the league and beat a very experienced team on penalty kicks.”
Despite only coming up with 2 saves in regulation, my Man of the Match came up big when it mattered most. Eryk Dymora secured 3 saves in the shootout to help secure a much-needed 2 points for North Texas and walked away with his 3rd clean sheet of the season.
“Like Coach John said, I just wanted to do my job,” Dymora said. “It’s my responsibility to come up big in those moments. We’re at the point in the season where we need to start picking up points, and getting one tonight against the first-place team was important. Now, all our focus is on Saturday.”
Up next, North Texas SC welcomes Minnesota United 2 to Texas Health Mansfield Stadium on Saturday, August 22nd at 7:45 pm CT. The Little Loons are currently 8-10-4 on the season, with 2 shootout wins.