Two second-half goals propelled North Texas SC to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over South Georgia Tormenta FC Saturday night at Globe Life Park. The win moved NTSC into third place, but the reigning champions fell two points short of a return to the title match after Union Omaha earned a late victory of its own earlier in the night. 

Tormenta FC looked to have opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Luca Mayr turned Ricardo Gomez’s through ball on goal and past Carlos Avilez, but the assistant referee flagged the midfielder for offside. 

Moments later Nil Vinyals narrowly missed picking out the top corner of Avilez’s goal with a strike from distance, but it floated just wide of the goalkeeper’s left post. 

Eddie Munjoma took North Texas SC’s first shot of the match in the 20th minute, getting on the end of Dominick Hernandez’s lofted ball over the top. Munjoma didn’t get enough on the flick and Pablo Jara scooped it up with ease. 

NTSC began to find its attacking rhythm towards the end of the first half and Arturo Rodriguez curled a shot just wide of the far post moments before Hernandez forced Jara into a diving save at the near post with a shot from a tight angle in the 38th minute.

Nil Vinyals gave Tormenta FC the lead in first-half stoppage time with a brilliant strike from a free kick near the top of the box. The Spanish midfielder lifted the shot over the wall and past Avilez to score his fourth goal of the season just before the halftime break. 

North Texas equalized less than two minutes into the second half after a quick exchange between Munjoma and Hernandez sprang Hernandez free inside the penalty area. Hernandez took a touch to settle himself before calmly finishing past Jara to draw the hosts level. 

Munjoma found himself in behind the back four in the 52nd minute, but fired his shot high and wide of Jara’s goal leaving the goalkeeper untroubled. 

Munjoma forced Jara into a save in the 63rd minute after he connected with Kevin Bonilla’s cutback near the penalty spot, but his shot was straight at the goalkeeper and the two sides remained tied at one. 

Moments later Mayr took Tormenta FC’s only shot of the second half, creating space at the top of the box before striking a shot that landed on the roof of Avilez’s goal. 

Munjoma finally found his way past Jara in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time as he ran onto Nkosi Burgess’s flicked header and rolled the ball into the bottom corner of the goal to seal victory for NTSC.

Scoring summary

TRM (45+3): Vinyals (fourth), unassisted 
NTX ( 47'): Hernandez (third), assisted by Munjoma 
NTX (90+6'): Munjoma (second), assisted by Burgess