AZUSA, Calif. - The No. 2 Trinity Tigers (1-2) dropped a 2-1 decision to Redlands (2-0-1) in a game of two distinct halves at Cougar Soccer Complex on Sunday morning.
Redlands made their intentions clear from the opening whistle, employing a simple but effective game plan. Play long at every opportunity and win the second-ball battle. It was a stark departure from the free-flowing, possession-based soccer Trinity prefers to play, and it never let the Tigers settle into any kind of rhythm through the first 45 minutes. Redlands controlled the territory that mattered, out-shooting Trinity 6-2 in the half, though the Tigers' backline and
Jayden Schell (Dallas, Texas / Plano) largely kept the danger to a minimum.
In the 21st minute, Azavedo swung in a corner kick that found the head of Robertson, who powered it home for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Redlands lead that stood at the half.
The Tigers emerged from the halftime break a completely different team. Trinity took over the second half from the opening whistle, dominating possession and territory and finally playing the kind of soccer that had eluded them in the first 45. The equalizer came in fitting fashion in the 55th minute, as
Gabriel Romanenko (Los Angeles, California / Geffen Academy) drove down the left wing and cut the ball back across the box for
Joey Perryman (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound), who slotted home into the right-hand corner of the net to level the match at 1-1 and open his tally for the season. Trinity kept pushing from there, working six second-half corners and generating chance after chance, but couldn't find the second goal to complete the turnaround.
It was a costly missed opportunity. Moments after a Trinity corner kick came to nothing, Redlands broke the other way and made the Tigers pay for the only real chance Redlands had all half, as Darmanyan sprung Beckton in behind for the game-winner in the 86th minute.
Trinity finished with the better of the shot count, 13-11, corner kicks, 7-6, and turned in an 11-5 shot advantage after the break alone, but a sluggish start and a sharp sucker-punch on the counter proved to be the difference.Â
Up Next
The Tigers will look to bounce back from their California trip as they return home to face off against the University of La Verne on Friday, September 11th at 7:00 p.m. and Texas A&M-San Antonio on Sunday, September 13th at 6:00 p.m.
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