Lansing Ignite throttles North Texas, 4-1, in battle of league's two best teams
Phil FriendLANSING — Lansing Ignite Football Club's end-of-season schedule is loaded. Three of the final five matches feature the other three teams in the top four of the standings.
Up first was league leader North Texas SC on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. But the visitors did not leave Lansing's capital city in first place, thanks to a thoroughly dominating performance from Nate Miller's side.
Goals by Pato Botello Faz in the eighth minute and 69th minute, Elma Nfor in the 50th and Tumi Moshobane in the 71st gave Lansing a commanding 4-1 win, firing the Ignite into first place with 39 points, one ahead of North Texas.
The Ignite has now won four matches in a row and is unbeaten in nine straight and 12 of 13.
"I just think we played at a tempo that the opponent couldn't handle and we finished our chances. Just a great team performance," Miller said. "We're playing how we want to play and the players are asserting themselves and willing to suffer in games physically and mentally. They're just performing at a very high standard."
Man of the match
Over Lansing's nine-match unbeaten run, Pato and Alex Bruce have rotated in the starting XI at forward. It was Pato's name on the team sheet Thursday, and he repaid Miller's trust with a pair of goals.
The first goal came thanks, in part, to a lapse in North Texas' defense, but Nick Moon's pass from the right touchline found its way through to Pato, who put it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead.
The second goal made it 3-0. There was no lapse the second time around, just a perfectly placed, low-driven cross from Moon right in front of the net to Pato.
"We're two different players. I do stuff that he doesn't do and he does stuff that I don't do," said Pato of him and Bruce. "And tonight, coach trusted me and I did my best to help the team come up with the victory."
Pato now has five goals on the season.
"It's more of a tactical decision who plays and how training has gone," Miller said. "They give the team so much. Pato today, that (second) goal that we scored off the right side was a thing of beauty and the whole team produced it."
After a season that started with Moon playing any number of positions, he's found a home on the right side. Those were his third and fourth assists of the USL League One campaign.
"I ask so much of Nick in this system and shape," Miller said. "He's amazing. I can't say enough about him. He has to work really hard and be really switched on in defensive transitions because he's such a real threat going forward."
Reversal of fortune
The first time these two teams played on May 18 North Texas scored twice in the last 10 minutes to secure a 2-2 draw.
In the June 29 rematch, North Texas controlled the game in a 3-1 victory.
That's also the last time LIFC has lost.
Much like the first 80 minutes of the May 18 match, the Ignite's counter-pressing Thursday night had North Texas on its heels from the opening kick. Back-to-back goals in the 69th and 71st minutes effectively gave Lansing a 3-0 cushion to put the game away.
"We approached this game saying, hey, if we want to talk about being the best team in the league, we have to win today," Miller said. "Not just that, we have to impose ourselves on our opponents and dominate them. You can see from the performance we achieved our goals."
Lansing may have only had 41 percent possession, but didn't waste its time with the ball. The Ignite had more shots on target (8-4), created chances (15-11) and big chances (4-2).
Lansing also tallied more interceptions (12-8) and tackles (27-26).
"I just don't think we let them play at all," Pato said. "We pressured them so much that they couldn't get out of their own half, and when they did it was long balls. Our backline is just so strong in the air, they just couldn't handle that. We were able to play our game and we were better than them."
Grant Stoneman, in particular, was a defensive standout. He won all three aerial duals, and 8 of 10 duels overall, while completing 75 percent of his passes, two tackles, five clearances and an interception.
Brandon Fricke also had a key block in the 43rd minute to keep North Texas off the board.
"I believe we're the best team in the league," Pato said. "I think we showed that tonight, and we have to keep showing that every week from now on until the playoffs."
Playoff implications
There is no trophy for finishing the regular season in first place. It's all about playoff positioning and the potential to host postseason matches.
The top four teams make the playoffs, with the top two seeds hosting the semifinals and the highest seed remaining hosting the USL League One playoff final.
Although Lansing is currently at the top of the table, North Texas had played three fewer matches, so talk of being a 1-seed will have to wait for now. But Lansing leads South Georgia Tormenta (threw fewer games) and Chattanooga Red Wolves (two fewer) by seven points for second place, as they each have 32 points.
Lansing will host Chattanooga on Sept. 14 and Tormenta on Sept. 21, and a lurking Forward Madison on Oct. 5. There will be plenty to play for in all three games.
"We have some big aspirations," Miller said. "These big games are going to come at the end of the season. I just want this team to achieve its potential and I think its potential is a trophy, but there's a long way to go."
Contact digital sports reporter Phil Friend at 517-377-1220 or pfriend@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Phil_Friend.
USL LEAGUE ONE STANDINGS
Team GP W L D GD PTS
Lansing 24 10 5 9 7 39
North Texas 21 11 5 5 7 38
Tormenta 21 8 5 8 6 32
Chattanooga 22 8 6 8 -2 32
Greenville 20 8 6 6 6 30
Madison 21 8 8 5 4 29
Tuscon 20 6 7 7 3 25
Toronto II 20 6 8 6 -2 24
Richmond 19 6 9 4 -7 22
Orlando City B 22 3 15 4 -22 13