As disappointing as South Georgia Tormenta FC’s form over the past 10 games has been, Tuesday night probably felt like the bottom had fallen out of the season.

A 5-0 defeat to North Texas SC – a side it not so long ago was vying with for first place in the USL League One standings – combined with Wednesday’s victory for Greenville Triumph SC meant that for the first time all season, South Georgia sat below the playoff line.

After everything that had transpired over the club’s 7-1-4 start to the season, this has been a serious shock. A combination of injuries and the feeling that many of Tormenta FC’s League Two standouts that made the move into the professional ranks with the club this year have hit a wall in terms of performance has been central to the club’s slide down the standings.

Consider that over the first 12 games of the season, concluding with June 22’s 1-0 win against the Richmond Kickers at Erk Russell Park, Tormenta FC had conceded only seven goals, was sitting fourth in the league with 117 chances created and had the highest pass-completion rate in the league at 82.1 percent.

But if Tormenta FC is going to turn the tide, it’s going to have to start this Saturday against the last side it defeated that wasn’t Orlando City B. Getting back to what made the side an early-season title contender against the Richmond Kickers on Saturday night in Statesboro is going to be key, especially given the trip to Madison that follows it on September 7.

And it’s going to start at the back.

If there’s anything that a five-goal defeat can bring, it’s a response in kind the following game, which means Tormenta FC’s players should be locked in on locking down the threat that Joe Gallardo and the Kickers can bring and getting back to the suffocating defense that allowed only an average of 2.25 shots on goal per game over its first 12 games of the season.

Next, possession is good, but attacking urgency must be the focus. Tormenta FC actually has a higher passing accuracy rate over its 10-game slide (84.1 percent) than it did over its opening 12 games, but in creating fewer chances per game – 6.4 chances created from open play compared to 8.3 previously – the Tormenta FC attack has become stagnant. The side needs to opt more often for the line-breaking pass, even if it doesn’t come off, because the percentages say your aggression will pay off.

Finally, hit the target. While South Georgia hasn’t been among the league’s leading scorers this season, one thing it did over its first 12 games was regularly test opposing goalkeepers, hitting the target on 39 percent of its 144 shots early in the season. That average has dropped by 11 percent over the past 10 games as Tormenta FC has averaged only 2.9 shots on goal per outing. Getting into the attacking third more quickly should create better shooting chances, and with that the goals the side will need to rebound.

With as poised as the postseason race sits after the past 10 days, there have been some intriguing chapters to each club’s season so far. The rises of Lansing, Greenville and Madison into the playoff positions have offered a twist that we didn’t necessarily see coming at the season’s midway point.

But Tormenta FC will be hoping its story’s third act can provide the ending its opening promised, carrying the side into a place in the League One Playoffs six weeks from now.