To anyone who has watched Greenville Triumph SC play regularly this season, last Friday’s contest against Orlando City B looked quite familiar. Though facing the team at the bottom of the League One table, Greenville was unable to find an opening goal for more than an hour despite dominating the game.

For plenty of teams, that might have led to panic, or desperately piling bodies forward in search of a winner and becoming vulnerable to a sting in the tail. But that’s not the case for Triumph SC, which went on to score two quick-fire goals to seal three points, a result which coupled with Forward Madison FC’s draw with FC Tucson on Saturday clinched a spot in the League One Final for the second consecutive season.

Under Head Coach John Harkes, Greenville has continued the success of its inaugural season by sticking to a similar script: defend resolutely, stay patient in attack, and when chances do arise, be clinical in finishing them. Many times late in games this season, it looked like Triumph SC was headed for a 0-0 draw, only to score and leave the opposition with little time to respond.

“It was us getting together at halftime and saying that [the goal] is going to come,” said midfielder Alex Morrell on the team’s mentality during the win over Orlando. “We do that all the time.”

At the back, Triumph SC has allowed a league-fewest six goals in 13 games and kept a league-high nine clean sheets. Reigning League One Goalkeeper of the Year Dallas Jaye has again been exceptional, but the side’s commitment to defending as a unit from front to back is what makes it so difficult to break down.

And though singling out one player feels a bit like taking away from a team that succeeds because of its efforts as a group, Morrell has put together a standout season. With three goals and six assists (including one of each in Friday’s key victory over OCB), Morrell has been involved in over half Triumph SC’s goals in 2020 and is the linchpin of a midfield filled with excellent players. When asked to rate his season though, Morrell is quick to demur.

“For me, it’s all about the group effort,” said Morrell. “It’s very, very little personal effort. I’ve had a great season, but so has everyone on the team. That’s what keeps pushing us forward.”

Triumph SC will play three more regular season games before the League One Final on October 30 and needs five points to clinch the right to host the title game at Legacy Early College. When that night arrives, the goal will be to avenge last year’s League One Final defeat to North Texas SC, a game in which Greenville were underdogs who performed well but came up just short.

“We still have loads to compete for and we want to host the Final,” said Jaye. “I think that we’re leaning on our leadership, playing with a bit of a chip on our shoulder, especially the 2019 group. We understand we have a chance to redeem ourselves. That doesn’t happen for many teams in any sport, a second bite at the apple.”

This year, the shoe will be on the other foot, with Greenville looking like favorites to hoist the trophy. But for the time being, the team remains focused on its remaining regular season games and continuing to make improvements.

“We can’t let our foot off the gas,” said Harkes. “We haven’t earned anything. No team is going to come in and play us that way. The key is to continue this self-belief that each individual player is displaying right now. The competitive nature in a group of guys like this doesn’t just go away.”