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USL1 Greenville Triumph SC

Greenville Falls to North Carolina FC 2-1

April 29, 2023 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Greenville Triumph SC News Release


Greenville, SC - The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club's recent winning form was halted by North Carolina FC on Saturday, as the club fell 2-1 at Paladin Stadium in its sixth league match of the 2023 season. NCFC used two first-half penalties to capture the lead, riding the momentum to a third straight victory. Despite the loss, Greenville found a bright spot in the final moments as former NCFC youth star, Daniel Wu headed the ball in late to score his first professional goal.

The match got off to a choppy start, with both sides struggling to build momentum against a flurry of fouls. The tides turned in North Carolina FC's favor in the 17th minute when they were rewarded with a penalty kick after Triumph defender Hassan Gabo conceded a foul in the box. Triumph goalkeeper Jared Mazzola made a sliding save, but NCFC was quick to close in for the rebound to put the visitors up 1-0. On their heels from the unexpected penalty, Greenville struggled to bounce back as fouls continued to disrupt open play. After a collision in the Triumph 18-yard box in the 37th minute, the center referee awarded a second penalty kick to NCFC. Mazzola again stepped up to protect the goal, but this time couldn't make the stop as North Carolina doubled their lead.

After two unanswered goals and quintette of yellow cards, the Triumph tried desperately to shift the momentum in the second half behind a vocal home crowd and a set of subs, including Brandon Fricke's first appearance this season. The final quarter of the match gave Greenville its best chance to get on the scoresheet. In the final minute of the match, Daniel Wu soared over the North Carolina defense to score a header for his first professional goal. With no time remaining on the clock, however, Greenville could not equalize as the match concluded 2-1.

"At the end of the day we have to be a team that really starts with the energy on the front foot," said Head Coach John Harkes. "We did it against Fuego and we saw the result, three nil. We were capable of doing it again tonight and for some reason we just weren't firing on all cylinders."

The Greenville Triumph will endure another short turnaround as they travel to Charlotte to face the Independence on Wednesday, May 3. The club will return home for the double-header weekend on Saturday, May 13th following the Greenville Liberty Season Opener the night prior. Get your tickets to the May 13th match versus the Richmond Kickers at 7:00 PM ET now!

John Harkes, Head Coach, on the match: "At the end of the day we have to be a team that really starts with the energy on the front foot. We did it against Fuego and we saw the result, three nil. We were capable of doing it again tonight and for some reason we just weren't firing on all cylinders."

"We've got to go in and have honest conversations, the fierce conversations that sometimes people don't want to talk about, and see from a coaching standpoint too, how do we get our communication across as well."

Daniel Wu, defender, on his first professional goal: "It's exciting. I mean obviously it's not the result we wanted but it feels good. It was a great ball in and a great feeling scoring my first professional goal."

Devin Boyce, midfielder, on the match: "I think it was pretty unfortunate. We put together a game plan all week and then early we get thrown that penalty on a tough decision and I think it threw us off. The team is still learning one another and I think we have a lot of new pieces that are still learning to mesh. We're seeing glimpses of success come together but it's going to take a little time and I think the guys are really positive about that. The group is professional with a lot of quality so I think as we get to learn one another. we'll start to see better results moving forward."

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