MATCH NOTES
- José Mulato scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season
- Henri Santos scored his second goal, while Tomas Pondeca scored his fourth goal of the year
- Midfielder Dylan Lacy registered his first professional assist in Pondeca’s goal
- MLS NEXT Pro Box Score
Houston, Texas (September 17, 2023) – North Texas SC (7-11-8, 30 points) defeated Houston Dynamo FC 2 (11-11-4, 40 points) 3-1 to earn its first-ever Texas Derby win on Sunday night at SaberCars Stadium.
FIRST EVER TEXAS DERBY WIN
North Texas SC earned its first Texas Derby victory over Houston Dynamo 2 in tonight’s 3-1 win. The all-time record between both clubs is at 1-3-2 favoring the southern rivals.
DE COLOMBIA PAL MUNDO
Colombian forward José Mulato scored his 10th goal of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season. He set a new career-high with tonight’s goal after scoring nine goals during the 2022 campaign. Mulato brings his career-total to 19 goals in 40 appearances for North Texas SC.
COMEBACK COMPLETE
Tonight’s 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo 2 was North Texas SC’s first ever win after trailing at half time and conceding first in the match on the road in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season. The club had tied and lost two times each when trailing at the half, and lost five with one tie after conceding on the road during the 2023 season.
UP NEXT
North Texas SC hosts interstate rival Austin FC II for Decision Day 2023 at Choctaw Stadium. The match kicks off at 4PM CT on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Lineups
North Texas SC — Antonio Carrera; Malachi Molina (Yeicar Perlaza – 85’), Amet Korça (Alejandro Araneda – 64’), Henri Santos, André Costa; Carl Sainté, Tomas Pondeca (Theo Ferreira – 88’), Dylan Lacy; Herbert Endeley (Diego García – 63’), José Mulato (Lautaro Taboada – 85’), Hope Avayevu.
Substitutes not used — Nico Montoya, Manuel Caicedo, Diego Pepi.
Houston Dynamo FC 2 — Andrew Tarbell; Isaiah LeFlore, Talen Maples, Tate Lampman, Jathan Juarez (Omar Grey – 66’); Isaiah Reid (Mujeeb Murana – 81’), Diego Gonzalez, Charles Auguste (Sebastian Rodriguez – 73’), Papa Ndoye; Jacob Evans (Ezekiel Soto – 81’), Brooklyn Raines (Yair González – 73’).
Substitutes not used — Andrew Pannenberg, Paolo Ríos, Jesus Orejuela, Ifeanyi Udanoh.
Scoring Summary:
HOU: Papa Ndoye (Talen Maples) – 29’
NTX: José Mulato (Herbert Endeley) – 59’
NTX: Henri Santos (Diego García) – 67’
NTX: Tomas Pondeca (Dylan Lacy) – 75’
Misconduct Summary:
NTX: Henri Santos (caution) — 37’
NTX: André Costa (caution) — 39’
HOU: Charles Auguste (caution) — 55’
NTX: Tomas Pondeca (caution) — 76’
NTX: Malachi Molina (caution) — 78’
HOU: Diego Gonzalez (caution) — 79’
HOU: Yair Gonzalez (caution) — 86’
NTX: Dylan Lacy (caution) — 90’+2’
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 91°F
Post Game Quotes
Interim Head Coach John Gall
On earning the first ever Texas Derby win over Houston…
“Of course, I mean you know this is a big game for the club. You know not just us as North Texas but actually Dallas in general. It's a huge rivalry with Houston, we know they've had our number over the last several games and I think what I'm more proud of is the fact that this is the first win the team has come from behind in the second-half this season. I’m really proud of the group for the work. It's just incredible and we enjoy every day and we're certainly going to enjoy the bus ride home.”
On the team’s half time talk…
“I can’t tell you what I told the guys exactly, but I did say some truths. I didn't think the first 30 minutes of the game we were the team from the last several games. We've been really on the front foot and for some reason we were a little bit on the back foot. Maybe that's because Houston was pushing in the game because they knew they had to win. We addressed a few things during the water break. At half time in the locker room we told them exactly what that was needed to be said. The most enjoyable thing about this group is how they respond, and they responded fantastically, and you know honestly, we probably could have won that game by four. In the second half we dominated over three fourths of the game. We know we’re eliminated from the playoffs already and just credit to these guys for putting in the work. I can’t thank these guys enough for turning it around because we're the better team than what we were in the first 30 minutes.”
Midfielder Tomas Pondeca
On getting the win over Houston…
“It’s a great feeling to be honest. It’s a rivalry between Dallas and Houston, and I am happy that we got our first ever win over our main rivals. We always want to be the best team and we want to keep on winning these matches.”
On his second half of the season…
“The last half of the season, I felt like I’ve gained more confidence. Being around this group has been great because we push each other to be better. We always push each other to be better individually and as a team.”
