Greenville, SC – A fierce battle between two clubs jockeying for playoff positioning ended in a scoreless draw on Saturday night, as the Greenville Triumph Soccer Club extended their unbeaten run with a 0-0 draw against the Chattanooga Red Wolves in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday night at Legacy Early College in West Greenville. The draw extended Greenville’s unbeaten streak to eight matches.
The penultimate match of Greenville’s regular season carried enormous weight, with Greenville able to overtake Chattanooga for the second seed with a victory. Both teams started quickly, not content to just hold possession given the match’s implications. Greenville nearly opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Allen Gavilanes served a precise cross in to Marios Lomis, alone in the box. Lomis tried to tuck the ball past the keeper on the right side of the goal, but the shot skipped just wide. The Triumph soon followed with a string of three straight corner kicks, but failed to threaten on them as the teams stayed scoreless at the half.
The second half saw both teams stretch possession end to end but fail to convert on their chances. The half was overshadowed by a whopping nine yellow cards handed out between the two clubs, including six to Chattanooga. Greenville’s brightest spot in the second half came in the 86th minute, as 2020 all-league selection Noah Pilato appeared in his first match since he suffered a back injury in the spring. Despite seven minutes of stoppage time, neither team could break the deadlock, cementing the scoreless draw.
The outcome kept Greenville in third place, two points behind Chattanooga. Triumph SC still has the inside track to host a playoff match, though they’ll now need a win and a Chattanooga loss next weekend to receive a first-round be. Greenville travels to Cary, NC to face North Carolina on Saturday, October 30 at 7:00 PM in the regular season finale.
