Cosmos fall 2-3 to Greenville Triumph

(Greenville, South Carolina)

The Cosmos returned to league action on Wednesday night as they faced Greenville Triumph at Stone Stadium on the campus of Furman University. The Cosmos were looking for a positive result before returning home to face Fort Wayne on Saturday.

The Cosmos made two lineup Changes from the weekend as Davey Mason and Christian Koffi returned from injury, leaving Davide Galazzini and Nick Zielonka on the bench. The match couldn’t have started in worst fashion for the Cosmos, as just three minutes in center back Brandon Frick found the back of the net on a great strike from outside the box, helping Greenville to an early 1-0 lead. After the goal Greenville took control of the match and had a few quality chances that were thwarted by the Cosmos defense. The match progressed and Patrick Bohui was able to find space on the right side leading to some dangerous chances for the visitors. It would pay off in the 25th minute as Bohui found Ajmeer Spengler in the box, and the midfielder would tie the match with a low finish past the keeper. The Cosmos would control the last 20 minutes of the first half. Christian Koffi would find space on the left side and on a counterattack would find the oncoming Bohui, who was unable to generate a good opportunity for his side. The match would go into the break tied at 1.

Greenville would take control of the match in the second half. In the 57th minute Cosmos keeper Tristan Stephani would drop a cross in front of the penalty area, leading to a shot by Azaad Liadi which would strike the woodwork and bounce off Jordan Chaves for an own goal, giving Greenville a 2-1 lead. The mistake from Stephani would change the momentum of the match and give Greenville control. Greenville’s press would cause problems for the visitors, and in the 62nd minute a sequence started by Ezra White, would lead to another goal for the Triumph. Evan Lee would find Rodrigo Robles outside the box, and the Spaniard would find the back of the net on a tremendous dipping strike from outside the box. Stephani’s diving effort could not prevent the goal, as Greenville extended the lead to 3-1.

When it looked like the match was practically over, Davide Corti would make all Cosmos substitutes in the 73rd minute. Nick Zielonka, Julien Lacher, Nick Mendonca, Nestor Cabrera and Will Noecker would enter the match in place of Christian Koffi, Patrick Bohui, Massimo Morabito, Davey Mason, and Justin Milovanov. Noecker would make his debut for the club after joining the week prior. The moves seemed to spark the Cosmos as they began to show fight. In the 76th minute Nick Zielonka found space on the right side and crossed the ball into the top of the box as Nick Mendonca fired the ball into the top of the post, he would follow up the play and score on the rebound in the 77th minute, cutting the deficit to 3-2. In the 84th minute Stephani would come up with a quality save to keep the Cosmos in the match. This would set up a tense finish as multiple yellow cards were issued over the next few minutes. The Cosmos would have a quality chance to tie the match in injury time, but would not capitalize as the match ended 3-2 for Greenville Triumph.

Despite the 0-3 start, the Cosmos still have a chance to change their fortunes. Despite conceding 9 goals in 3 matches, the Cosmos have conceded a low number of shots in three matches. They have to find a way to limit their mistakes and get off to better starts. The mistake by Stephani on the second goal is something that shouldn’t happen. It will be interesting to see if Corti makes a change at the goalkeeper position, and starts the match with the more experienced Derrek Chan on Saturday at Hinchliffe against Fort Wayne FC.