VANCOUVER, BC – On a soggy afternoon, TSS Rovers used an effective game plan to secure a 4-1 victory over Whitecaps FC MLS Academy at Thunderbird Stadium.
Whitecaps FC captain Ben Lee got the first quality chance as he burst in off the right wing. His low shot forced Rovers ’keeper Justyn Sandhu to punch the ball away in the driving rain.
In the eighth minute, the Rovers capitalized on the counterattack as Tyler Dhillon’s cross was headed in by Devin O’Hea for a 1-0 lead.
The Rovers created chances by stretching the 'Caps backline with long passes, but goalkeeper Ben Alexander made two smart split-second decisions to keep the match close.
He alertly sprinted out 30 yards to knock away a dangerous ball through, and then scrambled back to deny Tyler Dhillon from in close.
However, the Rovers went up by two when Matteo Polisi connected inside the box for a low shot that eluded Alexander in the 36th minute.
Alexander got some redemption again though. In mid-air, he jumped up and punched away a half-volley from Kian Proctor that looked headed for goal.
Three minutes before halftime, Rovers forward Gurman Sangha put a header away for a 3-0 lead. However, the 'Caps had a golden opportunity as defender Aidan Fong took a wide angle and cracked the ball off the crossbar in stoppage time.
In the second half, Whitecaps FC defender Amoni Thomas had his boot on the ball from four yards out but Sandhu stood his ground.
In the 73rd minute, the 'Caps climbed back into the match off an Angelo Zhu corner kick as forward David Ajagbe’s header put them back in contention.
The home side nearly clawed within a goal as Riley Ferraro’s strike hit the crossbar. But it was not to be on the day as the Rovers' Massud Habibullah put his side up by three with a tap-in with 10 minutes remaining.
The next match for the 'Caps is away in Nanaimo against Harbourside FC on Saturday, May 11. The next home match at Thunderbird Stadium will be on Sunday, May 19 against Rivers FC at 6 p.m. PT.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Joey Ratcliffe
Scoring Summary8’ – TSS – Devin O’Hea (Tyler Dhillon)
36’ – TSS – Matteo Polisi
42’ – TSS – Gurman Sangha (Kian Proctor)
73’ – VAN – David Ajagbe (Angelo Zhu)
80’ – TSS – Massud Habibullah (Koji Poon)
Cautions53’ – TSS – Ali Zohar
65' – VAN – Amir Ghasemi
Vancouver Whitecaps FC MLS Academy90.Ben Alexander; 74.Aidan Fong (98.David Ajagbe HT), 87.Sahai Williams; 65.Mario Lefevre (89.Elijah Bean HT), 68.Cristiano Da Silva, 73.Benjamin Lee ©; 84.Amoni Thomas (55.Isaac Charbonneau 88’), 88.Angelo Zhu; 79.Matteo Samori, 95.Markus Rukavina; 23.Amir Ghasemi (34.Riley Ferraro 66’)
Substitutes not used
99.Matheus De Souza, 78.Colby Renton, 91.Felix Masson
