ARLINGTON, Texas – (Aug. 17, 2024) – Houston Dynamo 2 fell 4-1 on the road to North Texas SC at Choctaw Stadium earlier today. Houston played the final minutes of the second half with 10 men after midfielder Diego Gonzalez received his second yellow card of the match.
North Texas took the lead in the ninth minute after striker Tarik Scott capitalized on a defensive mistake. The striker won possession on the right flank following a long pass from goalkeeper Michael Collodi. The North Texas forward dribbled to the top of the box and fired a shot toward the near post that deflected off goalkeeper Xavier Valdez for the first goal of the match.
North Texas doubled their lead in the 48th minute after midfielder Pedro Fonseca found the far post, following a pass from Anthony Ramirez.
Houston got one back in the 66th minute with a wonderful strike from midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez. He set himself up just outside the left corner of the box and put the ball over Collodi for his second goal of the season.
Fonseca extended North Texas’ lead three minutes later with his second goal of the night. Tomas Pondeca scored the final goal of the night in the fourth minute of stoppage time after he capitalized on a rebound at the top of the box.
Houston’s first shot of the match came in the 18th minute following a through ball from Gonzalez to Stephen Annor. After receiving the ball on the right side of the box, the forward played it to his right, where Kieran Sargeant forced a save.
Annor nearly equalized in the 42nd minute. He received the ball on the left side of the box, where he dribbled past a defender with a sweet, quick move to his left before taking a low right-footed shot that was saved by the keeper’s feet. Dynamo 2 forced six saves from the North Texas goalkeeper tonight.
Houston had another scoring opportunity minutes later after Jordy Burbano found space behind the backline but his shot from outside the 18-yard box was saved by Collodi.
Rodriguez took his chances again from well outside the box in the 68th minute, blasting the ball into the keeper’s hands.
In the 82nd minute, Gonzalez tried to cut the lead to one with a shot that hit the right side of the woodwork. The midfielder’s evening came to an end following a foul on defender Femi Awodesu. The Dynamo 2 captain was cautioned for the second time in the match following an argument due to the reckless foul from Malik Henry-Scott.
Dynamo 2 return to SaberCats Stadium for a two-game homestand against Minnesota United FC 2, with the first match on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and the last match on Sunday, Aug. 25. Tickets for that match, and all Dynamo 2 games are free and available HERE.
