Walker, Gavilanes lead strong offensive performance for rebounding Triumph
There was no bad luck in sight in Greenville’s Friday the 13th match against Forward Madison FC, as Triumph SC scored two first half goals en route to a convincing 2-0 win at Legacy Early College.
The match began with an opponent Greenville hadn’t faced at home since 2019 – rain. With no threat of severe weather, Greenville and Madison kicked off on a damp field primed for quick play. Greenville was on the offensive early, pushing a Madison squad with a lone win on the young season. With Madison keeper Phil Breno looking directly into the sun, he struggled to fend off Greenville’s chances. In the 28th minute, the Triumph broke through with a rare goal off a set piece, as Aaron Walker deftly headed a corner kick past Breno. Energized by the early goal, Greenville doubled its lead just seven minutes later when Allen Gavilanes dribbled through the defense and ripped a strike into the back of the net to give the home side a 2-0 lead. Greenville would carry that score into the locker rooms.
Returning to the pitch in the second half, Greenville maintained possession as the sun set and fog rolled in. The home team rattled off shots at the Madison net, with co-captain Aaron Walker nearly adding another point to the board in the 63rd minute. The few attempts from Madison’s offense were unable to split the score, as Greenville kept control for the final minutes, outshooting the flamingos 21-5. As the final whistle blew, Greenville earned its second win of the League season and extended its unbeaten streak to three.
Triumph SC hits the road for two matches before returning home June 4th against Charlotte Independence at 7:00pm. Then next Friday, the Greenville Liberty holds their Inaugural Home Opener versus NC Courage U23s at 7:00pm.
“These type of games like this when we dominate, it’s positive, it’s very good stuff but we want to be able to be that team that puts a nail in it and finishes it off,” said Head Coach John Harkes. “I’m happy for the guys, happy for us to get a result at home like this again.”
Allen Gavilanes, winger (on his goal to put Greenville up 2-0): We’ve been working on getting up the middle essentially the whole week and we came here and applied it so you know it’s good to get one like that that finds the back of the net.
Tyler Polak, defender: It takes a huge amount of pressure off of us when [the offense] is putting in goals. It makes our job easier defending, and even when they’re pressing high and keeps us forcing to one side it makes it predictable for us. The guys up front did an unbelievable job as well as the guys in the midfield covering them, so all around it was good performance for everybody, yeah, probably one of the best team performances of season if not the best.
