Wrapping up the Tormenta Weekend

I never get tired of the sky over Tormenta Stadium (from Sunday)

A busy weekend with Tormenta and another busy week ahead. Let's get to it with some updates and recaps and news of the week, shall we?

I don't cover the Tormenta Academy team here, but they did have their season opener on Friday in Charlotte, earning a 1-1 draw.

The League One squad was also in Charlotte Saturday night for a matchup with the Independence. That one saw the third consecutive match between the two end in a 1-1 draw as Juan Carlos Obregon, Jr. put Charlotte ahead 1-0 in the 23rd minute with a bit of flair, taking a ball chipped in to him, popping it over Tormenta's Jake Dengler, and then spinning and touching it past Ford Parker to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead. 

South Georgia would have chances throughout the match, but struggled to get their shots on target as, for the longest time, they only had one shot on frame. One wrinkle that Tormenta unveiled was moving Nick Akoto up to the wing on the attack for he first time. Typically listed as a defender (though he's moved forward regularly throughout the season in Manager Ian Cameron's set up), Akoto created several chances and ended up with four shots, including a diving header that was just wide.

I was able to catch up briefly with Akoto on Sunday at the Tormenta USLW match (more on that below) and he said he's happy to play anywhere to help the team out. He said he wasn't sure if this was a one-time thing based on matchups or something that could happen again in the future but if it is, he'd be ready. 

Tormenta would end up trailing for much of the game. In the 77th minute, Cameron made three offensive substitutions, sending Niall Watson, Austin Wehner, and Mason Tunbridge into the game to find an equalizer.

That moved paid off as two minutes later Tunbridge would take a pass midway into Charlotte territory and proceed to dribble past and through seven different Charlotte defendersdribble past and through seven different Charlotte defenders before slotting a shot past  Independence goalkeeper Austin Pack to tie the score with his second goal of the season.

Tunbridge said back on April 27th after their first game against Charlotte that one of the dimensions he brings to Tormenta is his ability to drive with the ball and take on defenders and that was on display with his goal Saturday night. 

Neither team was able to break the tie in the final minutes of the game. Tormenta outshot Charlotte 14-8 on the night, but both teams only had three shots on target.

Next up for South Georgia is Greenville as they come to town Sunday night for another round of Jägermeister Cup action. Kickoff for that game is set for 7:30. 

Finally, on Sunday night, the Tormenta W-League team was in action against the Carolina Ascent, a team that had given up only two goals in their four matches. I've got a full recap here, (possible paywall or email address required) but the short version is Tormenta jumped out early on an Alice Bussey goal. Carolina equalized, but Tormenta added two goals right before halftime, one by Courtney Chochol that was created following a Piper Bizorek steal deep in Carolina territory, and the second a goal from beyond midfield by Briana Eads on a ball that bounced over the Carolina goalkeeper. 

Tormenta would give up a goal in the second half, but go on to win 3-2. The same two teams will be back it again on Saturday in another rematch, something Tormenta Manager Jim Robbins isn't necessarily a fan of, but that's how the schedule is. 

In slightly less important news, my kid got to do the halftime contest at the game in which he had to score on at least three out of five penalty kicks against a Tormenta front office member. That front office member also happened to be his assistant coach for his high school team. He made three of the first four and his paneka attempt on the fifth one failed, but he'd already one. Winning in front of some of the League One players and having them clap for him was certainly the personal highlight for him on the night.

So I think that wraps up the weekend and we've talked about upcoming games for the League One and W-League sides. The final thing I wanted to mention is the 2024 Carter Payne Bowling Fundraiser. Payne was a member of the 2022 League Two side who was killed in Statesboro that year. The Ibis Foundation created the Carter Payne Fund was created in his memory and has raised more than $10,000 to provide support for youth in the community to play soccer without financial constraints. 

That fundraiser will be on June 6 at 6 p.m. with teams being paired with a League One or W-League player for the competition. Those who can't make it out but still want to contribute can go here and make a donation.