North Texas SC defeated Timbers2 Saturday evening at Choctaw Stadium 2-1 in the MLS NEXT Pro’s Game of the Week.
The home side now have won four consecutive games, bringing its record to 7-1-2 as the club remained atop of the Western Conference standings.
North Texas SC wasted no time taking the lead, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes of the match behind stellar play from the frontline.
Forward Jose Mulato scored in spectacular fashion in the 12th minute as his first touch from a ball over the top set him for a clinical finish from outside the box to mark his third goal of the season.
NTSC doubled the lead seven minutes after Mulato drew a foul inside the box from T2 goalkeeper Hunter Sulte.
Forward and leading goal scorer for the team Bernard Kamungo stepped up and buried the PK for his seventh goal of the season.
Down 2-0, T2 looked overwhelmed on the road — but there was still fight left in Shannon Murray’s squad.
The away side, who have yet to win a game in regulation, fought back and eventually forward Jamin Gogo Peter scored two minutes before half to make it 2-1.
Despite cutting the lead in half, T2 couldn’t manage to find the equalizer in the second half as the North Texas SC backline held firm to secure all three points.
After North Texas SC’s win this week, only six points separate first place and sixth place in the Western Conference.
To say the least — it’s close.
The Western Conference in MLS NEXT Pro is extremely competitive, more reason to believe that North Texas SC is the best team in the league right now.
This week marked the side’s fourth straight win in league play and the club is undefeated in six matches.
The team from North Texas looks to have finally put it all together on this run.
It wasn’t always like this as the side was continuously ranked second or third in MLS NEXT Pro rankings and never quite got over the hump to be first in the West.
Not anymore.
Led by a dynamic frontline of Bernard Kamungo, Jose Mulato and Hope Avayevu who have 13 goals among them, North Texas SC is a hard cover for any team.
Along with a sturdy backline that holds any lead late in games, NTSC has MLS NEXT Pro on watch.
