Saturday night was the 7th regular season edition of the Battle for the Belt and the two sides drew for the third time in a row. Union Omaha scored early in the first half, but Greenville was able to answer just before the halftime whistle was blown and both clubs spent the entire second half looking for the elusive winner that would never take place. With a final score of 1-1, the season series will be decided in Week 22, when Greenville hosts Union Omaha for the last regular season matchup between the rivals.
Union Omaha fans watching the broadcast hardly had a chance to get settled into their seats before Noe Meza pulled fans to their feet to celebrate the early lead. In the 8th minute, Joe Brito ripped a shot from the right side of the penalty area and the Triumph’s netminder Jared Mazzola was unable to secure the shot, deflecting the ball directly into the path of Union Omaha’s leading goal scorer. Noe Meza’s easy follow-up goal was his sixth of the season, keeping him in second place for the Golden Boot. It was also his third goal against Greenville this season.
In the club’s postmatch write up, Meza expressed his happiness in notching another goal to his season tally. “I’m glad to get on the scoresheet again,” Meza said. “I thought we started the game strong. There’s a number of areas we will improve on to get the results we want. We’ll use the upcoming weekend break to work on those aspects and make things right.”
Despite the fact that Union Omaha and Greenville are on opposite ends of the league rankings in total passes and passing accuracy, the match was surprisingly even in both of these regards as the contest continued. Historically speaking, as fans of both clubs can attest, the midfield battle was as alive as it ever has been in the rivalry matchup. This is the first half heat map from both clubs:
The middle third of the field has several splotches of red, noting the heavy amounts of play in those areas. Union Omaha was often seen operating the offense along the sidelines, causing their presence in the central portion of the field to be less active than normal. Here’s an image of Union Omaha’s heat map:
It’s also evident that while the team was highly present in the middle third of the field, the team had a harder time establishing a heavy presence in the final third.
As the first half continued, it looked as though the Owls might be able to take the lead into the locker room for the halftime break, but Greenville had other ideas. In the second minute of stoppage time, Tyler Polak took a direct kick that eventually found its way to the foot of Leo Castro, whose shot was blocked, but the follow up from Lyam MacKinnon gave the Triumph the equalizer.
With the score level at halftime, Union Omaha also carried a slight edge in possession, with 54% going their way. The Owls also earned four corners and had eight crosses from open play. Union Omaha only had two total shots in the first half and their possession in the opponent’s half was 59%, one of the lowest this season. It was a hard fought first half with moments of quality link up play and combinations.
After the teams made their way back onto the field and the whistle was blown, the battle for the midfield commenced. With long stretches of the match passing in the middle third of the field, it seemed as though neither side would ever have another quality chance on goal, but Union Omaha would soon have their chance.
In the 72nd minute, the Owls looked to counter after a Triumph set piece. As the team moved up the field, Pedro Dolabella stretched the field with a pass to Steevan Dos Santos, who was able to evade several Triumph defenders and put a shot on frame. The threat was real enough that Mazzola had to make himself big to defend his goal. That shot on goal was one of three for the Owls in the second half. Moments later, the Triumph provided an opportunity for Union Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu to shine, as well.
Just as the second half was drawing to a close, Greenville midfielder Noah Pilato took a long range shot towards goal. If not for Nuhu’s late-match heroics, the Triumph would’ve taken all three points on that shot alone. That save has already been nominated for Save of the Week, his fourth in a row and his eighth nomination of the season.
The draw keeps Union Omaha in ninth place for the fourth straight week. The Owls have a bye week in Week 14, but return to action in Week 15 with home matches against One Knox and South Georgia Tormenta.
Match Summary
Attendance: 2,164
Goal Summary
8’: OMA – Noe Meza (unassisted)
45’+2: GVL – Lyam MacKinnon (unassisted)
Substitution Summary
73’: OMA – Alex Steinwascher replaces Luis Gil
73’: OMA – Eddie Gordon replaces Shaft Brewer Jr.
76’: GVL – Venton Evans replaces Lyam MacKinnon
85’: GVL – Aaron Walker replaces Daniel Wu
87’: GVL – Lucas Coutinho replaces Leo Castro
88’: OMA – Conor Doyle replaces Joe Brito
Discipline Summary
41’: GVL – Leo Castro (Yellow card)
45’+1: OMA – Shaft Brewer Jr (Yellow card)
62’: GVL – John Harkes (Yellow card), Lyam MacKinnon (Yellow card)
90’+7: OMA – Eddie Gordon (Yellow card)
Who Gives A Hoot? 