Costly Early Error and Missed Chances Drop Greenville Below Playoff Line
Greenville, SC (August 23, 2025)- The Greenville Triumph SC suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to Texoma FC on Saturday night at Paladin Stadium, slipping to ninth place in the League One table to fall below the playoff line as the season enters its final two months.
Texoma struck early in the 8th minute when Brandon Fricke’s misplaced goal kick fell directly to Phillip Spengler, who buried the chance to give the visitors the lead. Greenville worked to respond through the remainder of the first half but couldn’t connect passes to build offensive momentum and find the equalizer.
In the second half, the Triumph turned to attacking reinforcements, introducing Rodrigo Robles and Conner Evans to push the pace. Their best chance came in the 71st minute when DJ Benton’s curling effort forced Texoma goalkeeper Javier Garcia into a fingertip save, pushing the shot just over the crossbar.
Tensions rose in the 90th minute as a scuffle broke out while Greenville lined up for a dangerous free kick, but the opportunity came to nothing. When the final whistle blew, Greenville was left empty-handed, the early mistake proving too costly.
“I was very disappointed in the effort tonight,” said Head Coach Rick Wright. “We weren’t ready to play at the whistle and then we gave up a big mistake early and couldn’t read the game. We were playing right into their hands, and we’ve got to figure out how to fix that and play better if we want to make moves back up the table.”
The loss leaves the Triumph in ninth place, just below the playoff line, making the coming matches crucial for the club’s postseason hopes. Greenville returns to Paladin Stadium on September 3rd against Portland Hearts of Pine at 7:00 PM. Tickets available now.
Pascal Corvino, midfielder: “We didn’t play with enough urgency, especially in the first half. It was an important match and we need to come out of the gate with more intensity next time out.”
Brandon Fricke, defender and team captain: “We’ve got to try and find our footing in the game early and be on the front foot against the team at home and not make mistakes like I and we did tonight. We just couldn’t quite find the final pass tonight to break them down and get the breakthrough. We need to reflect across this time off next week and come back better against Portland in 10 days.”
