Arlington, Texas (May 8, 2022) - North Texas SC earned one point thanks to a 1-1 draw in regulation against Tacoma Defiance but was unable to gain a second point after falling 4-2 in the tie-breaker shootout at Choctaw Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Game Summary
First Half:
- 6’ – SHOT (NTX) – Blaine Ferri nearly found the bottom corner of the goal but Tacoma goalkeeper Andrew Thomas made the save.
- 32’ – SHOT (NTX) – Santiago Ferreira attempted a long range shot from an acute angle but Thomas was able to make the save.
- 40’ – SHOT (NTX) – Ferri played in a ball behind the Tacoma defense for Tomás Lacerda but his shot was saved by Andrew Thomas who had to come off his line.
Second Half:
- 47’ – CHANCE (NTX) – Bernard Kamungo dribbled into Tacoma’s box but Thomas rushed off his line to smother the chance.
- 50’ – GOAL (NTX) – Paul Amedume opened the scoring for North Texas with a close-range tap-in from Chase Niece’s cross after Ferri’s initial free kick was saved by Thomas.
- 69’ – GOAL (TAC) – Achille Robin leveled the score for Tacoma with a looping shot from close range following a scramble in North Texas’ box.
Lineups:
North Texas SC — Antonio Carrera; Collin Smith, Paul Amedume, Chase Niece, Isaiah Parker; Santiago Ferreira (Derek Waldeck - 80’), Tomás Lacerda (Tarik Scott – 46’ (Blake Pope - 86’)), André Costa; Blaine Ferri (Nolan Norris - 63’), Hope Avayevu, Bernard Kamungo.
Substitutes not used — Fabian Enriquez, Alejandro Urzua, Will Baker, Alex Araneda, Malachi Molina.
Tacoma Defiance — Andrew Thomas; Randy Mendoza, Eric Kinzer, Achille Robin, Joe Hafferty; Fito Ovalle, Sota Kitahara; Reed Baker-Whiting; Marlon Vargas, Valentín Sabella; Alfonso Ocampo-Chávez.
Substitutes not used — Wallis Lapsley, Travian Sousa, Hal Uderitz, Cody Baker, Toussaint Gombe-fei, Juan Alvarez, Georgi Minoungou.
Scoring Summary:
NTX: Paul Amedume (Chase Niece) – 50’TAC: Achille Robin – 63’
Misconduct Summary:
TAC: Achille Robin (yellow card) – 32’
NTX: Paul Amedume (yellow card) – 39’TAC: Randy Mendoza (yellow card) – 49’
NTX: Isaiah Parker (yellow card) – 57’
NTX: Isaiah Parker (red card) – 60’
NTX: Nolan Norris (yellow card) – 74’
Weather: Sunny, 95℉
Referee: Eric TattersallAssistant Referees: Logan Reeves, AJ Franklin*
4th Official:* Emily Gomez
North Texas SC Post Game Quotes
Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah
General thoughts on the match…
“I think we dominated the game. In the first half, I think we should’ve been two goals up. They had a couple of chances. We came in at halftime and told the boys that there’s more in them and they showed it. We got the go-ahead goal, unfortunately we got a man sent off and they equalized on a scrambled ball on a set play. But what I’m most proud of is the resilience to not give up. We could’ve easily given up but the boys dug in and we got a result, which is very pleasing after going a man down and getting a point. Penalty shootouts are a lottery and today it didn’t go our way. Last time we played them we won it (the shootout) and this time it went their way. If you take away the penalties, I’m very proud of this group because everything we ask of them, they do it. And today it’s another step in the growth.”
On Santiago Ferreira’s positioning as a defensive midfielder…“
“He’s been doing it for the past few games and I think that he hasn’t played it for a while. But it’s a position that suits him well because he has the engine to defend. But we also know that he’s still developing and he’ll be able to control the game more in possession. I think he did that very well in the first half today and I think he’s getting used to the position.”
Midfielder Santiago Ferreira
General thoughts on the match…
“Like coach Pa mentioned earlier, it was a tough one today. To play in super hot weather, on turf and with one man down for over 30 minutes can be difficult. It was a hard fought game and we will look to bounce back from this one.”
On his positioning…
“I started the season playing as an eight but during training I would play as a six and I started feeling more comfortable. We are trying out this six role and I'm feeling great in it but we will see how it goes.”
On being one of the consistent players in the team…
“I tend to get early to training, I come in early because I like to be one of the first ones in and one of the first ones on the field. I feel like that comes into play when game day comes around.”
