In a hard-fought battle, South Georgia Tormenta FC fell to rival team Greenville Triumph with a 1-3 score in the fourth round of the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage on Sunday, June 9 at Tormenta Stadium.
South Georgia has four matches at minimum left to play in the USL Jägermeister Cup in its inaugural season.
In the third minute of play, Tormenta FC’s Austin Wehner took the first shot of the night, sending the ball blasting from just outside of the box but was unable to convert the attempt. Greenville Triumph netted the first of the night off of a corner kick just moments later.
Upon Greenville’s early scoring, South Georgia responded by making a series of defensive plays and clearances, attempting to push the ball up to create chances for attacking plays. This high-pressure attacking style proved fruitful for the Ibises.
Defender Preston Kilwien sent the ball flying down the center of the field, which after a series of short passes was soon collected by Wehner, who saw a second chance at finding the back of the net and slotted his second professional goal. This match marked Wehner’s first professional start of his career.
With the score stagnant at 1-1 with more than half the game completed, the match intensified with multiple yellow cards shown to members of both teams. The first major scoring opportunity of the second half did not come until the 68th minute when South Georgia was awarded a free kick following a handball from Greenville, but ultimately Aaron Lombardi’s shot went just over the crossbar.
Greenville Triumph found its second and third goals of the evening less than ten minutes apart from each other in the 80th and 89th minutes. Had the match continued to remain at a draw, penalty kicks would have immediately followed the match, as dictated by the regulations of the USL Jägermeister Cup.
South Georgia Tormenta FC hits the pitch again Saturday, June 15 on the road against Forward Madison. The match will be streamed on ESPN2, marking the fourth league match in USL League One history to receive a national broadcast slot.
