Denton Diablos FC celebrate winning the NPSL title. (Photo by Ross James)
DENTON, Texas – Trevor Amann scored twice to lift the Denton Diablos FC to a 5-2 comeback win over Tulsa Athletic to capture the National Premier Soccer League championship Saturday night.
Denton accomplished the feat in its second NPSL season.
“These guys deserve everything,” Diablos head coach Ramon Raya said. “They have been working hard since day 1, an amazing work ethic. I’m just so proud.”
Amann, who has scored 11 goals in five playoff games, was named man of the match, which was played in front of 2,934 at Bronco Field.
Early on it was all Diablos as Anthony Powell scored in the third minute courtesy of a Carlos Flores assist. Powell hit the ball on his first touch and watch it go through Tulsa goalkeeper Bryson Reed’s hands for a 1-0 lead. Only four minutes later the Diablos earned a corner kick as Brandon Cerda’s pass to found Diablos captain Eoin Wearen’s head as he buried it in the upper corner for his fourth goal of the season.
Tulsa wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Athletic captain Joe Garcia sliced the lead in half with a finish past goalkeeper Carlos Enriquez in the 19th minute. Six minutes later Garcia took a free kick from 40 yards out on the left sideline and bent it into the box. With Tulsa forward Jonathan Harris making a run, it froze Enriquez and the cross bounced in the box and in to tie things up 2-2.
The Diablos took the lead in the 39th minute as Flores found Amann, who buried his 10th goal of the NPSL playoffs to give the Diablos a 3-2 lead going into the break.
In the 78th minute the Diablos broke through again through a bit of fortune. With Amann on a breakaway, Reed came out of the net and made a save only to have the deflected save go off defender Vinicius Oliveira and trickle in for an own goal and a 4-2 margin.
Tulsa would have breakthrough moments but just weren’t able to find the net.
“We just weren’t able to step up and play like we did all year, and it wasn’t for a lack of effort, the team just seemed nervous,” Tulsa Athletic head coach Levi Coleman said.
Five minutes later, Amann scored up his 11th playoff goal off a through ball played by James Doyle. Amann again had a one-on-one with Reed but this time he slotted it just to the keeper’s right to put the Diablos ahead 5-2.
“These guys deserve everything,” Diablos head coach Ramon Raya said. “They have been working hard since day 1, an amazing work ethic. I’m just so proud.”
