Houston Dynamo 2's form is improving at a crucial time of the 2023 season. Kenny Bundy's side's latest win sees Dynamo Dos stretch an unbeaten run to three games. The back-and-forth 5-3 road win on Friday against Real Monarchs will instill plenty of confidence in the side.
Dynamo Dos's star on the night was Papa Ndoye, who has been named MLS NEXT Pro Player of Matchday 19. Ndoye's hat trick is the fourth hat trick of the 2023 season. His goals tied the match on two occasions, and he sealed the win by scoring his team's fifth goal.
Dynamo Dos fell behind in the ninth minute, but Ndoye emerged 11 minutes later to finish off a chance in front of goal. He received the ball on the right side and scored from a tight angle.
Real Monarchs' Jude Wellings scored to bring the home side back into the lead just before halftime. Isaiah Reid scored to make it 2-2 four minutes into the second half.
Ndoye struck again from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. Less than a minute later, Reid scored his second goal to put Dynamo Dos ahead 4-3.
To complete the hat trick, Ndoye ran onto a pass forward, knocked the ball away from the goalkeeper, and scored into an open net in the 84th minute.
Ndoye raised his goal total to eight goals with Friday's hat trick. He remains a key piece of the Dynamo Dos side after a successful 2022 season, in which he had five goals and three assists in 1,269 minutes.
The 24-year-old forward came to Dynamo Dos after playing college soccer at Southern Methodist University. He scored five goals in 10 appearances in his senior season at SMU. He started his college career at Long Island University. He signed an MLS NEXT Pro deal with Dynamo Dos on Feb. 19, 2022.
