ARLINGTON, Texas (June 16, 2023) – North Texas SC (5-6-4, 19 points) was defeated 1-0 after a late goal from Earthquakes II (5-5-2, 20 points) Friday night at Choctaw Stadium.
ACADEMY STARS
*FC Dallas Academy forward Jared Salazar earned his first start of the season. Defender Luke Shreiner made his professional debut as an 84th-minute substitute. Academy players have registered 2,444 minutes played and accumulated 53 appearances total in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.
HOME STREAK ENDED
*The club saw its four-game home unbeaten streak ended with tonight’s late defeat. North Texas had earned two wins and two draws since its previous defeat at Choctaw Stadium, a 1-0 loss to Real Monarchs on April 21.
UP NEXT
*North Texas SC visits Sporting KC II on Sunday, June 25 at Rock Chalk Park. The match will kick off at 6PM CT and will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Lineups
North Texas SC — Antonio Carrera; Alex Araneda, Henri Santos, Manuel Caicedo; Yeicar Perlaza, Theo Ferreira (Diego Hernandez – 59’) , André Costa (Luke Shreiner – 84’), Tyshawn Rose; Jared Salazar (Anthony Ramirez – 75’), Nayrobi Vargas (Pablo Torre – 75’), Diego García (Tomas Pondeca – 75’).
Substitutes not used — Julian Eyestone, Justin Stewart, Malachi Molina.
Earthquakes II — Emi Ochoa; Oscar Verhoeven (Aaron Edwards – 46’) , Alejandro Cano, Casey Walls, Keegan Tingey; Jerry Ayon (Roberto Hategan – 90’+1’) , Edwyn Mendoza (Cruz Medina – 46’), Eduardo Blancas, Rodolfo Castro, Alex Chow (Martin Kwende Jr. – 67’), Jose David Serrano (Sebastian Carbajal – 77’).
Substitutes not used — Eric De La Cerda, Roberto Hategan, Nathan Rodrigues.
Scoring Summary:
NTX: Cruz Medina (Martin Kwende Jr.) – 90’+2’
Misconduct Summary:
NTX: Andre Costa (caution) — 45+2’
SJ: Aaron Edwards (caution) — 64’
Weather: Sunny, 90°F
Attendance: 949
Post Game Quotes
Head Coach Javier Cano
Thoughts on the match…
“I am frustrated today. We knew we were in for a tough game against a good opponent and with weather coming into play. In the first half we were not able to find the final product of our build up. Then in the second half we were able to move the ball better. I told our guys at the end of the game that we can not afford to throw the game away in the final minutes of the game. We gave them one opportunity, and these are the type of matches where one mistake can cost you the game. I am happy with the effort the guys put in, but I am frustrated with the outcome of the match.”
On his message to the team after the game…
“We can’t go home happy because we’re disappointed with how we lost. I told them, we need to try to close out games. At the end, the goal was from a counterattack when they caught us in a bad spot. It’s one mistake, a small mistake. They had the luck on that one and we didn’t have the luck on Diego Hernandez’s (shot of the post). They were both clear chances. In the end I’m disappointed. We’ll come back on Monday to the training field to keep working for Kansas City. It’s another important game. We have 14 games left and we need to try to get as many points as possible for the playoffs.”
Midfielder Diego Garcia
On his takeaways from the match…
“It was a hard match to play. Both teams had chances to score. The last one they had was a coin flip and they scored off it. But we played hard in this game. Now it’s about working on the little details and improving this week so we can go to Kansas City and get three points.”
On the challenges of improving week-in and -week out…
“We just have to keep working this week. When we do win games we’re obviously happy to get the win but when we lose, we have to stick together. It helps us to keep improving and getting better as a team. Going forward, we have 14 games coming and we need all of them. We have to keep trying to win and working out.”
