Fort Lauderdale FC claimed a 2-0 victory over Greenville Triumph SC at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 15 thanks to goals from the team’s leading scorers, Shaan Hundal and Mitch Curry, who now have six each.
Fort Lauderdale made two changes from last week’s lineup against North Carolina FC; midfielders Ignacio Poplawski and George Acosta started in place of Drew Hardin and Sami Guediri in the center of the pitch.
The opening minutes of the game saw Fort Lauderdale control possession as the players remained patient on the ball. This control eventually resulted in their first opportunity of the match in the seventh minute, when fullback Brian Rosales dribbled past a Greenville defender and sent a calculated cross to Inter Miami loanee Edison Azcona, who couldn’t quite get a clean strike across as he opted to hit the ball on the volley.
Greenville would try to catch Fort Lauderdale on the counter, sending long-balls to their striker and attempting shots from outside the 18-yard box. Goalkeeper Drake Callender, along with the entire backline, were exceptional in the opening 25 minutes, forcing Greenville to settle for half-chances as they sought to establish themselves in the game.
The remainder of the half resulted in a midfield battle between the sides as they struggled to break down each others’ defenses. This tactical deadlock resulted in both teams finishing the half on level terms.
Fort Lauderdale started the second half strong, as within the first five minutes striker Mitch Curry slid a through ball to winger Venton Evans, who shot the ball narrowly wide. The hosts continued to threaten, with midfielder Harvey Neville linking up with Curry on a pair of occasions to create chances.
Fort Lauderdale finally found its clinical touch when Shaan Hundal came on from the bench to score after only two minutes on the pitch. Following a pass from Curry, Hundal slid a precise shot from outside the box to give his team a 1-0 advantage in the 71st minute.
Curry followed suit by getting on the scoresheet himself only three minutes later; Acosta passed the ball to the forward, who struck from the edge of the box to extend Fort Lauderdale’s lead to 2-0 in the 75th minute.
Despite six minutes of additional time, Fort Lauderdale valiantly held on to its lead to come out 2-0 winners and earn its second clean sheet of the season.
Next up for Fort Lauderdale is a home matchup against FC Tucson at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
