Match Recap | Loons fail at Texas track meet

Short or short a few men, the Loons entered Wednesday night’s second leg against FC Dallas looking for positive results. But if they hoped to get their mojo back, they’d have to do it on Dallas’ home field in Frisco, Texas. While both teams spent the first few minutes of the match feeling each other out, business would quickly pick up once the teams decided to open their offensive arsenals and trade on the field. It would end up being an entertaining affair, but one that ultimately ended in MNUFC’s failure on the scoreboard, as they fell 5-3 to a newly resurgent Dallas team.

Dallas forward Petar Musa would play the heel role, as he would score first blood in tonight’s match with a goal in the 17th minute. But after the goal, the Loons flipped the switch a bit and increased the aggression in attack. This approach would see the Loons force their way through on goal, with the attacking pressure paying off in the 32nd minute. It was Bongokhule Hlongwane who, following a missed goal attempt, saw his redemption come quickly when Joseph Rosales’ corner found him unmarked and produced a fine header to bring the score to 1-1.

After Bongi’s score, the athletics competition seemed to have begun, with both clubs opening up their respective attacking efforts. Unfortunately, Musa didn’t allow the Black and Blues to press the gas pedal too hard before scoring his second goal of the evening in the 38th minute, giving Dallas the lead once again. The remainder of the first 45 minutes would be a fast-paced back-and-forth affair, with both teams challenging the goalkeepers with several attempts on goal, but ultimately unable to muster another score.

The barrage that began in the first half would continue into the second, and MNUFC would step up to bring the game level once again in the 55th minute with Hassani Dotson’s solidly struck grounder bouncing off the Dallas keeper Maarten Paes, making it 2-2.

The Loons could barely catch their breath after Dotson’s goal before Petar Musa completed his hat trick in the 62nd minute to give Dallas a 3-2 lead. Jesús Ferreira’s strike in the 75th and Logan Farrington’s backbreaker in the 90th would add insult to injury and widen Dallas’ advantage. A Dallas handball in stoppage time would see Wil Trapp win and convert on a penalty in the final minutes of this one, but the damage was done and the Loons would end the night with a 5-3 loss in Frisco.

But the doubleheader week of games must continue for the Black and Blue, as they take on Austin FC this Saturday night at Allianz Field, hoping that a little home cooking is just what the doctor ordered ordered for a beleaguered Loons team looking to come back. the win column after a tough two-game road trip.