Triumph Overcome Snow to Earn Draw in Madison

Madison, WI – Playing their first road match in nearly a month, the Greenville Triumph braved the snow to earn their first draw of the season on a frigid night in downtown Madison. Forward’s inaugural home opener was delayed a half hour due to heavy late afternoon snowfall that required clearing in advance of the match. Though the snow let up around kickoff, the temperature hovered in the low 30’s for the duration of the match.

A scoreless first half saw Greenville control possession 60-40 and outshoot Forward 5-3 in front of the sold-out Breese Stevens Field. The Triumph had a look at goal with a free kick taken from just outside the box in the 45th minute, however Forward keeper Ryan Coulter was able to secure Aaron Walker’s shot in front of the net.

The second half saw Madison control possession and create more chances, but the Triumph defense didn’t falter despite conceding 4 corners in the final 45 minutes. In the 68th minute, the Triumph subbed on recent signee Max Hemmings for the Georgia State product’s professional debut. The match also saw the first start for winger Omar Mohamed, who continued his return to form from a preseason ankle injury.

“We always emphasize how important it is to respond, and how you’re only as good as your next game,” said head coach John Harkes. “For the guys to bring that mentality to a tough environment in Madison with challenging field conditions and to take it to them like we did in the first half is a credit to the effort the guys put in all week. We fatigued a bit in the second half but to come here and get a point is big and I’m very proud of how we responded from the loss last week. I think this could be a really good turning point for us and we’re looking forward to returning home and building on this result as we look to North Texas next Saturday.”

The Triumph, now 2-2-1, return to Greenville and Legacy Early College Field to take on North Texas SC on Saturday, May 4 at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

STATS

Shots:

Greenville – 7, Madison – 7

Possession:

Greenville: 49.4%

Madison: 50.6%

Corners:

Greenville – 5, Madison – 5

Scoring Summary: N/A

Misconduct Summary:

MAD: Toyama (caution) – 48’, Michaud (caution) – 85’, Tobin (caution) – 90+2′

GVL: Bermudez (caution) – 42’, Polak (caution) – 63’, Boland (caution) – 65’