For the first time since 2020, Union Omaha left Greenville, South Carolina with three points as the Owls scored on either side of the halftime break to secure a 2-1 victory over the Triumph. With that said, we can finally celebrate the Belt returning to Omaha!
Union Omaha entered Paladin Stadium on Saturday night looking to extend their ongoing win streak and keep pace with the top of the table. Greenville, meanwhile, was looking to preserve an active undefeated streak at home, lasting through their previous seven matches. Before kickoff, both teams had to tap into their roster depth, as notable players from both sides were excluded from the starting lineups for lingering injuries.
After the opening whistle, it didn’t take long for Union Omaha goalkeeper Ian McGrane to be called into action. In the second minute of play, the Triumph were already unleashing their first shot on goal. McGrane was calm and composed as he collected the threat and turned the possession the other direction. That same presence of mind helped the Owls take the lead before halftime.
In the 31st minute, Union Omaha midfielder Joe Gallardo combined well with defender Dion Acoff for the give-and-go that sent Gallardo on a direct path towards Greenville’s goal line. Once Acoff returned the ball to Gallardo, the ball was immediately lobbed into the box. Pedro Dolabella was the first in line to connect with the ball, but opted to let it run to the next option – midfield maestro Joe Brito. With two teammates pulling defenders closer to the goal, Brito stood alone near the penalty spot and one-touched the ball across his body into the side netting. While the goal looked easy, it was anything but that. The goal was Brito’s second goal of the year and Gallardo’s third assist.
Though the halftime lead only showed one goal separating the two sides, there was unprecedented action on the field. In all of the previous matchups in the series against Greenville, the Triumph managed to attempt between 8 and 13 shots in an entire match. In last night’s first half alone, the hosts had 10 shots against the Owls. The visitors had their own measure of success in the first half, attempting all but two of their shots inside Greenville’s penalty area. That point-blank pressure would help the Owls double the lead in the second half.
Union Omaha was awarded a set piece opportunity just outside of Greenville’s box and Gallardo lined up to take the kick. The 62nd-minute shot ricocheted off the four-man wall, but conveniently fell into the path of defender Alexis Souahy, who headed the ball toward the goal. What looked to be a sure goal quickly rebounded off the crossbar and, in another stroke of luck, the ball found its way to Union Omaha forward Steevan Dos Santos, who left the ground to side volley the ball into the ground en route to the goal. Greenville goalkeeper Jared Mazzola wasn’t able to get low quick enough and the Owls collected their insurance policy, which came in handy before the final whistle. The goal from Dos Santos was his sixth of the season, placing him in a tie for second place among Union Omaha goal scorers.
In the dying moments of the match, Greenville was able to pull one back, but that’s as close as the home side would get. After four straight draws between the two clubs, a winner was finally declared at the sound of the final whistle.
With the win, Union Omaha collected three points to pull within a single point of league leaders North Carolina FC. The win streak extended to six matches, tying a USL League One record initially recorded by Lansing Ignite in 2019. In order to break the record, the Owls will have to do so with a win against the aforementioned league leaders when they come to Werner Park on Wednesday, September 6th. The promotional theme that night is Cancer Awareness Night, presented by XCancer.
Random Facts
- This is the sixth straight victory for Union Omaha and extends the ongoing club record.
- In the same six-straight collection of victories, the Owls have never played from a losing position. The club hasn’t played from a losing position since their away match at Lexington on July 22nd.
- The victory also keeps Union Omaha undefeated against the Triumph when playing in Greenville.
- With the pair of goals in tonight’s victory, the Owls matched last season’s goal count of 14 goals on the road. The club record for away goals stands at 21, which happened in 2021.
- Last night’s victory also matches last season’s total points collected from away matches (19). The club record was set by the 2021 squad, when they earned 26 points on the road.
- With eight matches remaining, this year’s Union Omaha squad also matched last year’s squad in total points earned (43). The club record also comes from the 2021 squad, as they collected 51 points en route to the Championship.
- Union Omaha remains undefeated when leading at halftime.
- The club also remains undefeated when scoring first.
- The Owls also remain undefeated in matches where they score 2 or more goals.
- When counting the goals scored by Union Omaha in all of the regular season matchups against Greenville leading up to this season, the Owls scored four goals across six matches. This season alone, Union Omaha has scored six goals across three matches.
- Team Captain JP Scearce earned his 100th appearance with the club, the first player in club history to do so.
Match Summary
Attendance: 1,735
Availability Report:
GVL: GK #99 Jared Mazzola (Questionable – injury)
GVL: DF #3 Tyler Polak (Out – injury)
GVL: DF #4 Jamie Smith (Probable – injury)
OMA: FW #7 Noe Meza (Questionable – injury)
OMA: DF #3 Stefan Mueller (Out – injury)
Goal Summary:
31’: OMA – #8 Joe Brito (assisted by #11 Joe Gallardo)
62’: OMA – #10 Steevan Dos Santos
90’+1: GVL – #18 Jacob Labovitz (assisted by #12 Evan Lee)
Substitution Summary:
45’: GVL – #18 Jacob Labovitz replaces #13 Noah Franke
45’: GVL – #11 Devin Boyce replaces #9 Lyam MacKinnon
60’: OMA – #20 Luis Gil replaces #8 Joe Brito
64’: GVL – #24 Tevin Shaw replaces #10 Lucas Coutinho
71’: OMA – #13 Anderson Holt replaces #11 Joe Gallardo
71’: OMA – #44 Alex Steinwascher replaces #26 Dion Acoff
83’: GVL – #14 Hassan Gabo replaces #22 Nate Shultz
87’: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis replaces #10 Steevan Dos Santos
Discipline Summary:
1’: OMA – #22 Conor Doyle (Yellow card)
5’: OMA – #8 Joe Brito (Yellow card)
47’: GVL – #22 Nate Shultz (Yellow card)
53’: OMA – #25 Ian McGrane (Yellow card)
66’: GVL – #24 Tevin Shaw (Yellow card)
69’: OMA – #11 Joe Gallardo (Yellow card)
78’: GVL – #18 Jacob Labovitz (Yellow card)
90’+7: OMA – #6 Chavany Willis (Yellow card)
Who Gives A Hoot? 