Franke tallies first professional goal
Madison, WI (July 29, 2023) – The Greenville Triumph SC took away a point in hard-fought, 1-1 draw against Forward Madison Saturday night. Noah Franke recorded the tying goal to rally Greenville in the second half.
Greenville kicked off the match at Breese Stevens Field, but Forward Madison quickly intercepted the ball and drove down the pitch. After regaining possession, a high press from Madison almost caught Triumph goalkeeper, Jared Mazzola, off guard and nearly resulted in a goal. This error foreshadowed Christian Chaney’s goal in the 11th minute to give the Mingos’ the lead. As the first half progressed, Madison had an excellent opportunity to double their advantage when Brandon Fricke challenged Jayden Onen inside the Greenville box, that led to a penalty. Nazeem Bartman stepped up to take the kick, but his effort deflected off the crossbar, and subsequent attempts also hit the posts before Mazzola finally thwarted the third shot.
The home side ended the first 45’ with the lead but Greenville came out of the locker room hungry for the net. Noah Franke leveled the score in the 52nd minute with his first goal of the season to make it 1-1. Madison countered and Chaney, their leading scorer, belted a shot at Mazzola who swiftly punched it away. Madison continued to press forward and test Mazzola to overtake the Triumph. In the final minutes of regulation, Jayden Onen unleashed a powerful long-range effort that threatened to put Madison ahead, only for the ball to ricochet off the crossbar and into the path of Tyler Polak, whose header back to Mazzola stopped the run of play.
In the end, the score remained deadlocked at 1-1 between the fourth and fifth League One teams. The hard-earned point gives Greenville an 8-6-5 record this season. The Triumph will return home for its next match on August 5th versus Charlotte Independence and celebrate Star Wars Night. Tickets are on sale now!
