MATCH NOTES
- Pedrinho, Logan Farrington, Carl Sainté, and Anthony Ramirez score in four-goal win thriller
- Attendance: 1,744
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
Arlington, Texas (October 26, 2024) – North Texas SC obtains a 4-1 MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference semifinal win over Tacoma Defiance tonight from Choctaw Stadium. Tonight’s win seals North Texas’ first-ever Western Conference final which will be played on Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 PM CT from Choctaw Stadium versus either The Town FC or St Louis CITY2.
BRINGING THE BRAZILIAN BOOM
Midfielder Pedrinho evened the contest via an assist from Diego García in the 20th minute. Pedrinho now has 11 goals in the 2024 campaign and his first playoff goal. Pedrinho is also the first player to register a goal and an assist in MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for North Texas SC.
BIG DAWG MAKES HIS MARK
Three minutes after the start of the second half, forward Logan Farrington scored the second goal to give North Texas the lead for the first time tonight. The goal was assisted by Herbert Endeley and Nico Gordon. This is Farrington’s first goal in MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for North Texas SC. Farrington spent the week training with NTSC following the end of his stellar rookie season with FC Dallas.
THE HAITIAN SENSATION
Midfielder Carl Sainté scored his first goal of the season and first goal in MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. Sainté scored after finding the ball following the Tacoma Defiance goalkeeper's rebound. . Sainté is one of three current North Texas players to have featured in North Texas’ 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Playoff run.
RAMIREZ THROUGH THE ROOF
Midfielder Anthony Ramirez scored the fourth and final goal for North Texas in the 77th minute via a Tomas Pondeca assist. Tonight marks the most goals scored by North Texas in franchise playoff history. It also marks the most individual goals scored in a single playoff game for North Texas in MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs.
UP NEXT: WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
North Texas SC continues its historic playoff run as it hosts the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference final for the first time in franchise history versus the winner of The Town FC and St Louis CITY2. The match will be played on Saturday, November 2 at 7:30 PM CT from Choctaw Stadium.
Post Game Quotes
Interim head coach Michel Garbini
Thoughts on the game…
“From the beginning, I think the team started on the right foot and set the tone during the first minute. There was a goal that we could have avoided but the reaction after the goal was fantastic, and we didn't panic. The team was still organized and taking care of the actions of the game. The second half was brilliant and consistent.”
On maintaining Resilience…
“We had a wakeup call after last weekend’s second half versus Vancouver. That was the half we didn't want to play. But today the standard was excellent, we showed the players film and some things we could correct. We did it during the week and the results showed today against Tacoma.”
Thoughts on Logan Farrington…
“He is a fantastic player and human being. He has bought in since the first moment we told him he was going to play in the playoffs with us. He is also very connected with the players. His leadership inside the field and outside the field is very important for us. To have a player like him on the roster and in the group makes a difference.”
Player Logan Farrington
On individual performance…
“I think there is a lot of quality on this team. Even though I haven’t played with them most of the year, I know most of the guys and watched them and know how the playstyle is and how Michel coaches and so it wasn’t too hard. The quality is very high here and it’s easy to jump into a system like this.”
Thoughts on the flow of the game…
“I thought it was very good compared to last week. Last week the first half had good energy and good chances were created. We had a huge drop-off in the second half and a burst of quality saved us that game. This game we made it a goal to not let that happen again. I think we achieved that goal tonight. First half, they scored off a lucky deflection. I think we responded very well to score a goal to tie it up in the first half. In the second half, we really put on a show and made a statement.”
