Four goals by four different scorers helps Owls rise above loss of key forward
PAPILLION, Neb. (May 4, 2024) – In a break from the stormy conditions that have battered Omaha of late, it was the home team that brought a much-needed torrent of goals.
Four different players found the back of the net for Union Omaha, a mark that only gained importance after the mid-match departure of striker Steevan Dos Santos due to injury.
Said Head Coach Dominic Casciato, “Good win tonight against a good Tormenta team that caused us problems. I think it’s great for us to get four goals on the board. The game probably got a bit too chaotic at the end for us, but really pleasing to get the three points.”
Nortei Nortey kicked things off not even ten minutes in with a strike from way downtown. The move was well worked up the left wing, before a couple lay-offs left the ball at Nortey’s feet. The Chelsea youth product knew what he wanted to do before the ball even got to him. He took a gentle touch to settle it, then a swing with his right boot from at least 30 yards out. The ball bounded to Ford Parker’s right, skipping over his glove and into the net for a shock to South Georgia’s system.
“I was very pleased to see that go in,” Nortey said of the goal after the match. “I’m always trying to tell myself to get in a position to have a pop at goal. I didn’t really think too much about it, I just took a touch and hit it, and luckily for me today it went in.”
While Owls aren’t exactly renowned for their sense of smell, these ones smelled blood in the water. Much like in their Wednesday match, it didn’t take long for them to tack on a second goal.
Ford Parker only punched a corner as far as the edge of the box, where Lagos Kunga was lurking. He took an audacious, swerving volley that may still have the crossbar rattling as you read this. Dos Santos stuck a leg out to corral the carom for Joe Gallardo, who blasted it from there. Pedro Dolabella used the Force to bring that shot his way so that he could stab it home, and celebrated the goal by showing off his lightsaber skills. Only three minutes had passed since their opener.
Union dominated the early proceedings in all facets. 58% possession in the first 15 minutes, 6-3 in shots, 81% to 66% in passing accuracy, and so on. The team were incredibly happy to have Steevan Dos Santos back from a few games’ absence, playing into him early and often as a target man. He provided hockey assists on both of the Owls’ first-half goals, too.
After that, though, things slowly trickled downhill towards halftime. Omaha were progressively getting worn down by shot blocks and a brief injury stoppage for Nortey. By the time the clock ticked into stoppage, who else but Conor Doyle whipped in an inch-perfect corner, the kind the Werner Park faithful had become accustomed to, and Sebastian Vivas got a free header to drive it home. While Doyle would get some applause from the fans upon being subbed off, the reaction to this goal was, predictably, not as cordial.
Then, while playing a long ball on the turn, Dos Santos got caught in the turf. It would be his last action of the match. At the halftime break, Tormenta was up 13-8 in shots, and Omaha were down their striker.
The reset was much-needed, though. Tormenta’s attack was tempered yet again, while the Owls’ attack shifted to play with more pace, now with Omaha neophyte Zeiko Lewis playing in Dos Santos’ stead.
In the 70th minute, Aarón Gómez would do his best impression of the injured striker with some phenomenally strong hold-up play, and fed it down the flank to a streaking Dion Acoff who had seconds earlier brought the ball out from the back. On the opposite flank, Joe Gallardo was following suit in busting his lungs to make it to the far post. Acoff found him with a long-distance cross that Gallardo leaped to get a boot to. Almost in slow-motion, the ball rolled past a tangled-up Ford Parker and settled into the corner for the insurance goal they needed.
It’s a good thing too, because Tormenta would earn and score a penalty in the 84th minute after Blake Malone lowered his shoulder into Gabriel Rodriguez.
Except… that spot kick was taken amidst a volt green haze. 54 seconds after crossing the white lines, and only 20 seconds into ball-in-play time, Missael Rodríguez found a fourth goal for the home team. Joe Gallardo found him with a whipped through ball from the wing, and his bar-down goal put the match safely out of reach for the Ibises. It also demonstrated the exact kind of pace and canny off-ball movement the team will need, should Steevan Dos Santos’ absence be a lengthy one.
Given the stop-start nature of the schedule to begin Union Omaha’s season, staying fit will be on everyone’s minds.
Nortei Nortey had these remarks on the subject: “It’s been a little heavy. Games have been coming thick and fast, but that’s what we want. We want to pick up some rhythm, pick up some form, and get some wins under our belt after a slow start to the season in terms of the schedule. So, it’s been fun just to have some games back to back. Obviously a little heavy on the legs, but it’s what we want.”
The big one is right around the corner now. Union Omaha made a successful debut in the inaugural USL Jägermeister Cup, and the empire was defeated in the league. Now they face their biggest test yet in a team from a galaxy far, far away… the MLS. Sporting Kansas City will be coming to Caniglia Field at UNO on May 8th, with a spot in the U.S. Open Cup’s Round of 16 on the line. After that, Union Omaha’s next home match will be another Jägermeister Cup match against Central Valley Fuego on May 29th. That match will also be our One Means All Community Night, presented by Bellevue University.
ABOUT UNION OMAHA
Union Omaha, the 2021 USL League One Champion and 2023 USL League One Players’ Shield Winner, is the only professional soccer team in the state of Nebraska. USL League One is a United States Soccer Federation-sanctioned professional men’s soccer league that occupies the third tier of American soccer, below USL Championship (tier two) and Major League Soccer (tier one). Union Omaha plays its home matches at Werner Park in Sarpy County, also home to the Omaha Storm Chasers of Minor League Baseball. The team is led by General Manager of Business Operations Alexis Boulos in the front office and Head Coach Dominic Casciato on the field.
