Late push not enough as Greenville suffers second defeat to Knoxville in eight days
Greenville, SC (April 9, 2025)- Greenville Triumph SC battled hard against One Knoxville SC in the final of a five-match homestand, but a single first-half goal proved the difference in a tight 1-0 defeat. The first half featured tense moments, with Greenville goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg stepping up big in the 30th minute to deny Knoxville an early lead. However, just seven minutes later, the hosts capitalized on an inch-perfect cross to take the lead in the 37th minute. Despite some solid spells of possession, Greenville went into halftime down a goal.
In the second half, Greenville looked more assertive, with Ben Zakowski, Connor Evans, and DJ Benton each testing Knoxville’s back line. The attacking trio generated several close chances, but the finishing touch continued to evade the visitors. As the match wore on, frustrations began to rise—none more evident than in stoppage time.
In the 91st minute, Greenville’s push for a late equalizer took a hit when Chapa Herrera was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge. Even down a man, the Triumph nearly found their moment: in the 95th minute, Ropapa Mensah lofted a clever chip over the goalkeeper, but the ball slowed just enough for a defender to clear it off the line. The final whistle blew shortly after, confirming a hard-fought 1-0 loss for Greenville.
“We’re lacking a killer instinct in the attacking third right now,” said head coach Rick Wright. “We’re not creating the opportunities for ourselves – we’re expecting others to create it for us. We did have nine shots but, you know, hit the crossbar again and we should be putting some of those in the back of the net. I believe in the odds will turn and we’ll start making our own fortune, but we’ll reflect on this match, take a few days off before Chattanooga and we’ll come back stronger.”
Greenville will go on the road for the remainder of April, returning home on May 17th following the Liberty home opener. Tickets are available now.
Tyler Polak, defender: “At the end of the day, it’s a game of moments. We just need to clean those up – I feel like we’re good 99% of the game but we let that 1% get away from us. If we can clean that up moving forward, I think this is still a really good team.”
Evan Lee, midfielder: “It’s tough to lose these matches, especially at home. I thought we had some good moments, but we just shot ourselves in the foot a bit. That’s footy sometimes, but we’ll get it cleaned up.”
Rick Wright, Head Coach: “We’re lacking a killer instinct in the attacking third right now. We’re not creating the opportunities for ourselves – we’re expecting others to create it for us. We did have nine shots but, you know, hit the crossbar again and we should be putting some of those in the back of the net. I believe in the odds will turn and we’ll start making our own fortune, but we’ll reflect on this match, take a few days off before Chattanooga and we’ll come back stronger.”
