MATCH NOTES
- Herbert Endeley, Diego García and Tomas Pondeca scored for North Texas tonight.
- North Texas SC playoff record is now 1-1-0 in MLS NEXT Pro
- Attendance: 1,693
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
Arlington, Texas (October 20, 2024) – North Texas SC obtained a 3-2 MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference quarterfinal victory tonight versus Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2. North Texas SC clinches an MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference semifinal game for the second time in MLS NEXT Pro history.
BRINGING THE BOOM
Defender Herbert Endeley scored North Texas’ first goal of the night in the eighth minute of the match. This was the first playoff goal scored by North Texas since November 9, 2021, when Bernard Kamungo found the back of the net.
PLAYER DEBUTS IN MLS NEXT PRO PLAYOFFS
Ten of the starters made their playoff debut: Logan Farrington, Enes Sali, Pedrinho, Tyshawn Rose, Herbert Endeley, Diego García, Nolan Norris, Mads Westergren, Nico Gordon, and Michael Collodi. Carl Sainté is the only player to play in a playoff game for North Texas SC in 2022, the last time the team made the playoffs. Nick Mendonca, Turner Humphrey, Anthony Ramirez and Tomas Pondeca also made their playoff debut by coming off the bench in the second half.
DIEGO WITH THE TAP IN
Midfielder Diego García scored the second goal of the night in the 29th minute of the first half. The goal was assisted by Logan Farrington, his first assist for North Texas SC.
CLUTCH TIME GOAL
Midfielder Tomas Pondeca scored the game-winning goal for North Texas in the 85th minute of the match. Pondeca entered the match in the 64th minute of the second half.
UP NEXT: MOVING ON TO THE SEMIFINAL
North Texas SC will pick their semifinal opponent on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. The Selection Show will begin at 2PM CT. The Western Conference semifinal will take place on Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 PM CT from Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Post Game Quotes
Interim head coach Michel Garbini
Thoughts on the game…
“I think we could have done a little better in the final third, but we created a lot. We limited their possessions and their game. We set the actions in the game. The second half for me was more momentum than anything. We got relaxed based on our first half performances. Our players just got comfortable and stopped doing what we had to do.”
Keeping the tempo…
“That was the plan to play at a high tempo as much as we can and if we got tired, more players were going to come in the second half. I think the quality of the first half was excellent, we did what we planned to. The second half we stopped doing it. That was the main thing for us.”
Midfielder Tomas Pondeca
On his goal tonight…
“I saw the opportunity to take the shot, it was crucial to make it so I tried to place it in the opposite corner so it would be impossible to reach for the goalkeeper.”
On coming into the match in the second half…
”Michel told me to come into the match with energy and change the game and help get the win. The main motivation tonight was from me to me. After coming from the bench, I wanted to change the game. I wanted to help the team in any way and thankfully I scored the game-winning goal.”
