South Georgia Tormenta FC started the season tonight by fighting hard against the Richmond Kickers, unfortunately ending in a 2-4 loss at Tormenta Stadium.
The first half of the match was intense as Richmond opened the scoring with a goal from Hayden Anderson. However, our retaliatory home side brought it back to a standstill with a penalty in the 24th minute from our very own, Mason Tunbridge.
Two goals from the away side provided a daunting challenge for Tormenta.
Meanwhile, a glimmer of hope shined through as, in the first minute of added time, Niall Reid-Stephen sent the ball over for Mason Tunbridge to hit it spectacularly into the bottom right corner of the net, ending the first half.
Tunbridge’s second goal was a momentous one. Not only did it mean a brace for the English midfielder, but it also meant Mason equalized the amount of goals he had from the previous season. His hard work during the off-season paid off in this first matchup, and it will likely have a part to play in the future.
In the post-match interview, Tunbridge had this to say: “I think I went away, and I saw what it's like to be a pro, what it takes to be a pro and worked on all of that to become much stronger.”
Going into the second half, Tormenta FC gave their best effort to turn the tide of the game but were ultimately stopped by a goal in the 74th minute from the Richmond Kickers, ending the scoring for Tormenta’s first matchday. The final score: South Georgia Tormenta FC 2-4 Richmond Kickers. There were six goals tonight in Statesboro, and while it may not have been the result we wanted, there were lots of positive moments that can be built upon for the future.
“We continue to keep working, keep growing. I think we put on exciting football at times, but excitement doesn't win games, goals do and clean sheets do. We'll go back to the drawing board and hit the ground running next week.” - Mason Tunbridge
Coming Up Next: Next Saturday, March 15, Tormenta FC hosts its second of three home matches to start out the season. New USL League One team AV Alta FC will travel from Lancaster, CA, to Statesboro, GA, to take on the Ibis for their first-ever match as a club. Tickets to Tormenta Stadium are available here.
