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USL1 Greenville Triumph SC

Triumph SC Defeats Chattanooga 2-1

August 23, 2023 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Greenville Triumph SC News Release


Greenville, SC - The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club used two first half goals to earn a 2-1 victory over a physical Chattanooga Red Wolves squad at Paladin Stadium on Wednesday night. Gunther Rankenburg made his first career start in goal in place of the injured Jared Mazzola, and goals from Lucas Coutinho and Jacob Labovitz lifted the Upstate side to fifth in the standings as the league enters the final third of the season.

Both teams took to the pitch with high-intensity and the desire to secure a win., The high stakes quickly turned physical with Chattanooga accumulating a handful of fouls as they fought for control on the field in the opening moments. Nine minutes into the match, Greenville striker Lyam MacKinnon, who scored a haul in Greenville's previous match against Chattanooga, attempted to chip the goalkeeper. Chattanooga's Carlos Avilez narrowly made the save on the goal line after sprinting backwards to prevent an early lead for Greenville. The 26th minute witnessed a moment of brilliance as Lucas Coutinho fought off two defenders to sail the ball into the upper right corner netting. The impressive finish earned Coutinho his fifth goal this season and career best. In the wake of a series of injury delays, a substantial eight minutes of stoppage time were added to the first half. Greenville seized this opportunity to execute a set piece with precision. After maneuvering skillfully around Chattanooga's defense, a header from Jamie Smith crashed against the crossbar, only for Jacob Labovitz to pounce on the rebound and extend Greenville's lead to 2-0. Taking advantage of a defensive lapse moments later though, Chattanooga swiftly capitalized on a poorly cleared cross to narrow the margin and enter halftime with a score of 2-1 in favor of Greenville.

The second half commenced with strategic substitutions from Greenville as Tevin Shaw and Nate Shultz entered the field to inject new energy and relieve some tired legs. Greenville introduced three more substitutes around the 70th minute: The trio of Devin Boyce, Leo Castro, and Hassan Gabo instantly invigorated Greenville's offensive efforts, pushing the home side forward in search of another goal. In the final minutes the scoreboard remained unchanged at 2-1 in favor of Greenville and the hard-fought victory marked a Greenville home win in the first of a two-match home week.

"I've got to give our guys credit," said head coach John Harkes. "They were tired from the long-distance trip, they came back in, and they competed again. we got two early goals which were great in the first half. We held on but made it a little bit scary. You've got to give congrats to Gunther too, that's why he's a keeper. Jared gets a knock and we rest him and we trust Gunther and he's done well. He got the win tonight and we're very proud of him."

The Triumph returns to Paladin Stadium on Saturday, August 26th to play Union Omaha. Tickets are on sale now.

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