Crystal Palace midfielder Val Teixeira gave the same rationale as teammates and coaches for the team’s recent 3-1 loss to Bermuda at UMBC.
“We had a lot of chances but we couldn’t finish,” he said. “They scored an early goal that really caught us off guard, and they got a second goal, and it was very hard to try to catch up.”
The Hogges, who lost 3-0 to Palace on Sunday at Baltimore City’s Poly Complex, came out strong and buried the hosts with a pair of goals in the first 17 minutes.
Palace (11-7-1, 34 points) pulled to within a goal after midfielder Larry Mark scored his third goal in two games on a fantastic cross from Teixeira, but it wasn’t enough. The Hogges’ Damon Ming scored early in the second half to secure the win.
Palace has clinched a berth in next week’s six-team United Soccer League Second Division playoffs, but still is trying to earn the third seed. It missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on third-place Cleveland (10-3-5, 35) by losing to Bermuda (5-12-2), which is tied for the second-worst record in the 10-team league.
Palace’s regular season concludes on Saturday night at 7 in Richmond, Va., against the Kickers (13-4-2, 41).
“It’s all about picking up points [in the standings],” Palace co-manager Pete Medd said. “However you can get them. There’s no gimmes in pro sports.”
The team has struggled to score consistently as it has lost five of its past nine games, and just four teams have scored fewer goals than Palace’s 30. But the team should be strengthened by the return of leading scorer Gary Brooks (seven goals, one assist), who missed three of the past four games due to a red card and an ensuing three-game suspension.
“We want the win to boost our confidence up,” Teixeira said. “We are ready for the playoffs and the team is looking forward to it.”
