Tormenta looks for first win against Peachtree City

South Georgia Tormenta FC was thrown into the fire to begin its 2017 season. The squad had only a couple of team practices under its belt before playing the Charleston Battery in an exhibition game. Just a few days later, Tormenta rebounded from an early deficit to record a draw in its first game of the Premier Development League season. 
    Now, with another week under its belt, Tormenta is aiming to put a dent in the win column as in-state rival Peachtree City MOBA visits for an 8 p.m. kickoff tonight at Erk Russell Athletic Park.
    And while the season is just a week old, the team is well aware of how much each match counts. Last season, Tormenta was one of the hottest teams in the league for nearly a month, but a rough patch at the beginning of the schedule proved costly as the team missed out on postseason play.
    “It’s early, but we know how important each game is,” Tormenta coach John Miglarese said. “We want to get to the last few games in a position to make the playoffs and we don’t want to have to look back to May and see games where we could have done more.”
    Tormenta seemed to get the urgency that is necessary for succeeding in the PDL’s short 14-game regular season. After falling behind in the early minutes of the season opener, Tormenta dominated the final hour of play and had several chances to earn the win outright.
    The club hopes to improve its own performance while getting a measure of revenge on its next opponent. Peachtree City wrestled away a late victory in Statesboro last season before defending its home turf in the season finale. Peachtree City MOBA was pummelled by a 6-1 count by Nashville SC in its opener last weekend and will be on the hunt for a much better result tonight.
    “We had a coach scouting the game,” Miglarese said. “(Peachtree City) lost, but they definitely have three or four players who are very good and who we need to worry about.
    “Our focus over the last few days has been to look at ourselves and work to make ourselves a better team. I think we saw some improvement even within our game (against Myrtle Beach). I don’t want to say we gave a win away — both teams played well — but we improved as the game went on and we need to have that kind of effort for a full game.”
    More time together for Tormenta should lead to a better executed game plan, but there is also the matter of Mother Nature that needs to be dealt with.
    A cluster of mild and pleasant afternoons greeted Tormenta players to Statesboro, but the temperature has since risen and figures to remain a burden throughout the rest of the season. A rough environment can make the day-to-day grind tough, but Tormenta is set up to turn the adversity into a positive. 
    In addition to normal athletic training services, Tormenta provides meals and training programs for its players to keep everyone running at optimal levels. 
    “We have a great setup,” Miglarese said. “It’s great that we have everyone set up for success with what the club provides. In the end, each guy is responsible for himself and has to make good choices. But that’s part of what we’re doing at Tormenta. This is a professional environment and we expect our players to behave in the same manner and prepare for success in each game.