Lyam MacKinnon‘s third brace of the season leads Greenville past rivals, Tormenta FC
Statesboro, GA (April 21, 2024) – The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club returned to the win column with a convincing 3-0 victory over rivals, Tormenta FC on Sunday night in Statesboro, as Lyam MacKinnon’s third two-goal match of 2024 sealed the first leg of the Peach States Derby. MacKinnon’s efforts punctuated an early goal from Leo Castro and a steady defensive effort from Greenville despite missing two veteran leaders in Brandon Fricke and Sebastian Velasquez.
The match started with both teams pushing into the attacking third early. The first clear scoring chance came from South Georgia, but Greenville’s goalkeeper, Gunther Rankenburg, made a great save in the 17th minute to deny Tormenta a goal. Tormenta continued to press, but it was Greenville who capitalized on a mistake by Tormenta’s goalkeeper, Ford Parker, in the 33rd minute. Leo Castro took advantage of Parker’s dropped-ball error to put Greenville ahead 1-0.
The second half saw both teams searching for opportunities early. Greenville’s Lyam MacKinnon came close to scoring in the 52nd minute but missed wide. As the half progressed, attacking lanes opened up for both sides. The tide quickly shifted towards the Triumph in the last fifteen minutes. In the 77th minute, Greenville thought they had secured the win when Lyam MacKinnon found the net again, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Undeterred, MacKinnon scored again in the 80th minute, extending Greenville’s lead to 2-0. He completed his brace in the 85th minute, putting the Triumph up 3-0 to seal Greenville’s victory.
With the final whistle, Greenville celebrated a well-deserved shutout win and maintained its position at the top of the League One standings with 13 points. The team will now shift its focus to the all-new Jägermeister Cup, which begins on Saturday, April 27th when GTSC hosts Richmond at 7:00 PM.
