North Texas SC Fall at Home to the Rapids 2

Despite a furious rally led by team captain Sam Sarver, North Texas give up a late goal to lose at home.

On an Easter evening at Choctaw Stadium, North Texas Soccer Club will be the less joyous team despite a phenomenal comeback, losing to the Rapids 2 in a physical, end-to-end game.

Sam Sarver earned a brace to bring North Texas back into the match, but it wasn’t enough as a late goal from Rapids 2 gave the visiting team the full three points.

Truly, the game was a tale of wildly different halves. In the first half, while North Texas looked lively, two incredible goals from the visitors put them in a hole that most teams would struggle to get out of.

Buoyed by a half-time talk that may have scraped some paint off the walls in the locker room, North Texas came out and got their offense going quickly. Sam Sarver, definitely a star for this team, got his home team on the score sheet with a lacing shot that the Rapids 2 keeper couldn’t deal with. Then, he dribbled into the penalty box and earned a penalty kick, which he quickly stepped up to take himself.

Of course, Rapids 2 brought in fresh legs, and North Texas had to counter. Maybe in the end, it came down to the Rapids having a few more guys in form who were ready to push for more than a point on the road. Maybe it comes down to luck. Picking up a loose ball from Sarver, the Rapids press paid off as they whipped it into the box, and Colton Swan buried the loose ball for the win.

“Disappointment in the first half,” Gall told media. “You have to play a game for 90 minutes. When you give a team a lead, it’s always an uphill battle. I am more disappointed in the first half, to be honest.”

There were bright spots, but Álvaro Augusto looked like a 19-year-old who hadn’t played many minutes yet this season. The defender misplaced a key pass that led directly to a Rapids 2 first-half goal. Other turnovers, especially late, gave North Texas’ defense fits.

But there were opportunities to grab another goal for North Texas, the juiciest a late shot from Anthony Ramirez that went just wide.

“We had a couple of chances with Josh there at the end. We had a couple of other chances with Anthony Ramirez getting forward. Unfortunately, the ball got stuck under Sam’s feet and they got a cross in the box,” Gall said. “I don’t think the players who came in made any errors or mistakes. We actually were able to press a little more and push for that third goal. Sometimes, it is a game of inches. We can take a silver lining. We are not a team that gives in or backs down.”

Aaron Essel, on loan from St Johnstone, made his debut in this one, bringing a lot of energy to the midfield, but he looked like he was still integrating with the team, committing a foul minutes after he came on in a dangerous spot. Still, a few of his timely interventions sprung counterattacks that North Texas couldn’t quite put away.

“We’ve seen it for the last few weeks. He is very aggressive. A good footballer. He is really a two-way player that we need in the middle of the park there. He is going to be a big asset to us and for FC Dallas,” Gall said about Essel. “Good player and great kid. Disappointed that we lost the game.”

Of course, head coach John Gall didn’t hold back on his praise for the performance of Sarver, whose brace brings him up to 4 goals on the season.

“We know what Sam brings to the table. He is a great leader. He gives his all every time he is on the pitch. He is a competitor. He is a leader,” Gall told media. “Again, it’s one of those things - we want to get away from Sam having to put the team on his back. We will learn from it, and we will get better.”

North Texas welcome the Town FC on April 23 and will look to rebound after this disappointment.