Greenville’s road trip ends in a 3-1 defeat
Omaha, NE (September 7, 2024)- The Greenville Triumph fell 3-1 to Union Omaha in a heated rivalry match on Saturday night, as the club looked to recover from its recent USL Jägermeister Cup run. Despite a highlight reel goal from Leo Castro, Greenville fell short of bringing the belt home and cracking its five-match winless streak.
The match began with intensity, as Greenville goalkeeper Christian Garner displayed cat-like reflexes in the seventh minute, pushing away a near-post volley from a corner to keep the score level. In the 21st minute, Triumph winger Lyam MacKinnon dazzled with a brilliant solo run, dribbling past three Omaha defenders before chipping a perfect ball to Leo Castro, who returned from injury to smash a shot into the upper corner. It was Castro’s first start since July 20th, marking a dream return to action. However, in the 34th minute, disaster struck for Greenville when a powerful cross from Omaha’s Josué Gómez ricocheted off Tyler Polak’s chest, resulting in an unfortunate own goal. Still even at the half, both sides entered the locker rooms to regroup.
The second half saw more misfortune for Greenville as the Owls doubled their lead in the 55th minute. A deflected shot off Polak dipped over goalkeeper Garner, making it 2-1 to the hosts. Greenville responded with two substitutions in the 61st minute, hoping to spark a comeback, including new signee Federico Stachuk. However, just a minute later, Omaha capitalized on a transition moment to score their third goal, leaving the Triumph with an impossible hill to climb before the whistle.
The 3-1 defeat drops Greenville to 7th in the League One standings, with a record of 7-6-3. The team looks to bounce back in its next match against Chattanooga Red Wolves on September 14th in Tennessee.
