It’s hard to find positive takeaways in a loss like the one Brave SC suffered Wednesday night after surrendering a stoppage-time goal to Nona FC (8-1-2) for its first defeat of the season.
However, if there is a silver lining, it’s that the Buffalo (7-1-2) are more focused than ever, following the setback.
“Some guys — myself included — were talking about having a barbecue and we were talking about free days next week, so our mindset was we were already champions and we wouldn’t really have to play in these last two games,” center back Leo Andrade said. “That loss brought us back to reality.”
If there’s a moment indicative of this team’s desire to win, it was late Wednesday night when the bus arrived back at the club’s Summerfield complex. Rather than turning in, the players gathered in the living room of the house on property to watch a replay of the match.
“We get on the road, get back around 1 a.m. and everyone wants to watch the game?” striker Oscar Resano said. “That just speaks to the commitment and how everyone wants to get better.”
The 2-1 loss may have been a necessary heat check for a team that had won seven straight and seemed poised to cruise to a second consecutive Southeast Division title as of the 95th minute Wednesday night.
“Sometimes, for a team that’s winning and playing really well, it’s hard to see the mistakes, or it’s easy to overlook them,” Resano said. “Things happen, and I feel like this was a perfect time for us to dissect the game and figure out where things went wrong and learn from there.”
If there’s another small comfort to be taken from the loss, it’s that the Buffalo are still in control of their own destiny. While the Longhorns took over first place in the division table with 26 points, the Buffalo are only three back with a game in hand. That means the maximum for each team is still 29 points. With the teams splitting the season series evenly, should both win out, the next tie-breaker would be goal differential, in which Brave currently holds a three-goal advantage.
Were the Buffalo to win their remaining two matches against Brevard SC (1-7-2) and Inter Gainesville KF (3-7-1) by only one goal apiece, Nona would have to clear Brevard by five goals on Tuesday, just to take things to the next tie-breaker, total goals. And, with the rival Longhorns playing early in the week, the Buffalo will know exactly what they need to secure the division title in their regular-season finale on July 12.
“If there was a moment to lose, it was that game,” Andrade said “We didn’t lose our first place chance. We just lost our advantage. It was three points but, now, we can still tie for first place.”
Putting higher stakes on the remaining games will also force the Buffalo to play with urgency and maintain form heading into USL League Two‘s Southern Conference playoffs, to which they could secure a berth as soon as Wednesday night with a win over Brevard and a Miami AC win over Sarasota Paradise.
“Now, it’s a matter of putting the foot on the gas because there’s no tomorrow,” Resano said. “The coaches are asking us to be aggressive and we have to.”
Brave SC will face Brevard SC at 7 p.m. Saturday night at The Range at The Villages Charter Middle School.
For more information on Brave SC, including the roster, Southeast Division standings and a complete schedule, visit BraveSC.com.