The South Georgia Tormenta (USL League One) cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over visiting Harbor City FC (UPSL) in the First Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Thursday night in Statesboro, Ga.
Both teams battled the strong winds around the park during the match but it was the hosts who found the better run of play and the goals needed on the night to separate the two sides. Tormenta were the more aggressive side and Harbor City FC sat in a deep defensive block giving Tormenta the majority of possession and scoring opportunities.
Tormenta opened the scoring in the 23rd minute as Jonathan Nyandjo collected a floated ball across from the right flank and slotted it neatly into the bottom corner of the net through a crowded six-yard box for the 1-0 advantage. Tormenta looked to find a second goal late in the first half but were just off the mark to send the game to the half up one.
The second half saw Tormenta again create chances around the box but the hosts were just unable to find the final goal-scoring touch until the 75th minute when substitute Niall Reid-Stephen streaked into the box on the end of a Connor Doyle pass to bury the ball for a 2-0 lead.
Reid-Stephen had just subbed into the match in the 71st minute and made an immediate impact in the match. Just a few minutes after his first goal, he put the game out of question on a free kick as he curled a driven ball around the Harbor City FC wall at the top of the box in the 80th minute for the 3-0 final score line.
The driven free kick just swerved around the hip of the defender guarding the near post and Harbor City FC goalkeeper Bryce Notardonato was surprised low to the near post as the left-footed curler nestled in the back of the net.
When asked about the free kick after the game Reid-Stephen had a simple answer as to what he saw, “a goal,” he said with a huge smile. “I just struck it…from practice, after training every day I keep putting in the reps.”
The early rounds of the Open Cup are about a “survive and advance” mentality, said Tormenta head coach Ian Cameron.
“We are through, I don’t think we conceded too many chances,” he said. “We had control of the game in some tricky circumstances — the wind and a lack of atmosphere — as they we’re up and at it too aggressively, but we navigated the round to move on and see who we get in the next round.”
Round Two of the 2025 US Open Cup will be played April 1 and 2 and Tormenta now awaits the draw to see who they will face in the next match.