Houston Dynamo 2 earned two crucial road points over North Texas SC after overcoming two deficits in regulation to force a shootout from the penalty mark. Dynamo 2 beat their in-state rivals 6-5 in the shootout and improved their record against North Texas SC to 2-0-2 (WLD).
Houston forced a shootout in the fourth minute of second half stoppage time after forward Isaiah Reid scored the second equalizer of the game for Dynamo 2. Reid was able to find space between two North Texas defenders and thread the ball into the far corner of the net.
Goalkeeper Andrew Pannenberg made three saves during the shootout and none more crucial than the save against defender Amet Korça’s attempt, which put Dynamo 2 in the position to earn two points. Defender Jathan Juarez secured the triumph after converting the sixth goal for Dynamo 2.
North Texas took the lead in the sixth minute after Carlos Sanite found the back net following a free kick from outside the box. The home team doubled their lead in the 17th minute after forward Bernard Kamungo found forward Jose Mulato open at the top of the 18-yard box.
Houston cut into the North Texas lead with a long-range effort from forward Yair Gonzalez, his second goal of the season, in the 35th minute. Gonzalez’s goal came off a free kick outside the box earned by defender Isaiah LeFlore. The Argentinian's low, buzzing effort skipped past traffic inside the box and evaded the fingertips of North Texas SC goalkeeper Julian Eyestone at the near post.
Midfielder Jacob Evans, who was wearing the captain's armband for the first time this season, equalized in the 71st minute of the match after LeFlore found the Englishman at the near post. Evans was able to sneak the ball past a diving Eyestone for Houston’s second goal of the night.
North Texas regained the lead in the 82nd minute after North Texas’ Diego Hernandez scored the would-be game-winning goal. Dynamo 2 responded with their ninth goal in the all-time series against North Texas SC.
Dynamo 2 nearly equalized in the 13th minute after Houston caught the North Texas defense unbalanced in transition. The North Texas SC defense was able to recover and clear the ball away before Dynamo Dos could capitalize.
Dynamo forward Joseph Farouz, who made his first start of the season, had a shot in the 21st minute in front of the goal that had the speed to cut into the North Texas lead.
LeFlore appeared to have scored in the 31st minute but the official on the nearside raised the flag to indicate offside.
Pannenberg made a key fingertip save in the 38th minute after the North Texas attack found space inside the box. Pannenberg earned his first clean sheet of the season last week against Real Monarchs in a 3-0 win at SaberCats Stadium. The Dynamo 2 shot stopper made a crucial save in the 57th minute to deny Kamungo and keep the score 2-1.
In the 67th minute forward Zeke Soto, who entered the game a minute prior, nearly scored his first goal of the season after midfielder Diego Rosas found the 16-year-old behind the North Texas backline. Soto's shot forced a save from Eyestone. The rebound bounced back to Soto whose second attempt was off target.
Several Houston Dynamo Academy products featured in the match against North Texas SC today. Defender Tate Lampman, who made his Dynamo 2 debut as a second half substitute against Real Monarchs, earned his first career start in the match. Midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez returned to the starting lineup after coming off the bench last week against Real Monarchs. Midfielder Cesar Cordova returned to the starting lineup for the first time since April 3, 2022.
Houston Dynamo 2 returns to SaberCats Stadium on Sunday, May 28 to host Austin FC II.
