At-the-last-whistle recap: Nashville SC defeats Lipscomb 2–0
There were some nervy moments in the first half as Nashville SC controlled possession while dealing with some close shaves on the counter. But in the 50th minute, Teacha Howell won a free kick in the right corner, and Ian McGrath headed home the ensuing free kick from Martim Galvao. Galvao bagged a goal of his own in the 75th minute on a driven shot from outside the box, and the 2–0 result is about what Nasvhille deserved on the night.
For the first time, we saw several players go a full 90 — everyone in the starting lineup except two trialists.
The starting lineup
Nashville started out the match in a 4–4–2 that looked a bit more like a 4–2–4 in attack. Defensive midfielders Bolu Akinyode and Teacha Howell were regularly dropping into the backline as Taylor Washington bombed forward along the left wing.
We also finally got a striker pairing of Alan Winn and Ropapa Mensah, which fans had been clamoring for. The partnership didn’t produce quite as many chances as you might have hoped against a college side, but there’s no doubt that Nashville’s biggest threats of the first half came from balls played over the top that Winn ran onto. The best first-half scoring opportunity came from Akinyode lofting a ball in behind, leaving Winn with just one defender to beat on his way to goal. Unfortunately for Winn, he needed to foul the Lipscomb defender in the box in order to create room for a shot.
We also got a look at Michael DeGraffenreidt at centerback and, after some first half substitutions forced him out of the central midfield, Teacha Howell at right full back. More data needed on those experiments, but I like the idea of finding a way to maximize Howell’s time on the field.
Man of the match
The jump from PDL to USL has been a tough one for Martim Galvao, as would be expected. It’s a big jump! But playing against a college side on Thursday night, newcomers got a glimpse of the magic that fans of the 2017 U23 side fell in love with, and cries of “We’ve got Galvao!” rang out from the supporters’ section, such as it was.
Galvao was a creative force from his attacking midfield position and had a hand in both NSC goals. He’ll have a regular spot in the team if he can be this productive against professionals — but that’s no sure thing.
Up next
The Boys In Gold travel to Ohio on March 3 to play FC Cincinnati. Cincy Soccer Talk reported on Tuesday that FCC will not provide a stream, so you’ll have to be there to witness it. As of Thursday afternoon, there were still limited tickets available.
