BURNABY, BC
– Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) finished their preseason with a 3-2 victory against Oregon State University (OSU) on Saturday at Simon Fraser University.
“It was a good test,” said WFC2 head coach
Alan Koch
after the match. “Oregon State gave us what we needed going into our final week of preparations before we kick off our season on Sunday versus Sounders FC 2.”
From the opening kick of the match the Beavers were motivated and eager to earn the respect of their opponent.
The visiting university side struck first in the second minute when a shot from the top of the penalty area curled past a diving
Spencer Richey
. Moments later, OSU were on the break again looking to double their lead, but a strong save by Richey kept the score 1-0.
The Blue and White found their footing and began utilizing
Brett Levis
and Victor Blasco on the wings to open up the middle of the field. First Levis had his shot parried out for a corner kick by OSU goalkeeper and Whitecaps FC Residency graduate
Nolan Wirth
. Later, Blasco had opportunity from a 30-yard strike that was collected by Wirth.
On 16 minutes, WFC2 tied the match. OSU played a short free kick at midfield, but an alert
Ben McKendry
stripped the ball from the receiving Beaver defender and took off down the right wing. McKendry then cut into the middle of the field when he was nearing the corner, and with his head up he spotted a trailing Blasco who calmly scored and drew the game level at 1-1.
Once level, WFC2 began to grow in control of the play and nearly found a go-ahead goal on numerous occasions.
Caleb Clarke nearly redirected a McKendry cross at the back post. Soon after
Ethen Sampson
crossed to McKendry, whose header couldn’t elude the arms of Wirth. Levis and Blasco also continued to cause the OSU defence problems. Blasco almost scored his second of the match when he struck a Levis cross first time, but Wirth was equal to the task.
A second strong start to a half by OSU put them in the lead for a second time when they headed in a 51st minute corner kick.
The ‘Caps would not be denied though, and on 65 minutes captain
Tyler Rosenlund
ended up with the ball after a corner kick abd struck a shot into the bottom left corner to knot the match at 2-2.
With nine minutes to go, substitute
Mackenzie Pridham
– who scored four goals on Thursday – received a pass from defender
Jackson Farmer
and fired a shot off the crossbar and down, but not across the line.
The pressure by WFC2 paid off on 84 minutes. McKendry again made a darting run and after drawing in the defence, the Vancouver native slipped in Coquitlam’s
Jovan Blagojevic
, who then took one touch inside the penalty area and struck a low hard shot past Wirth for a 3-2 victory.
WFC2 kick off their inaugural season this coming Sunday, March 29, on the road at Cascadia rivals Sounders FC 2. The match will kick off at 4 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on
whitecapsfc2.com
.
Come and see the next generation of Whitecaps FC stars as USL arrives in Vancouver. With Season Tickets available for as low as $118, WFC2 matches will be a unique and affordable experience for fans, families, students, and supporters. Flex packs are also available to fit your schedule - get seven tickets to use any way you want, to any matches you want. For
more information on all WFC2 ticket options
, call 604-484-7862 or e-mail
wfc2@whitecapsfc.com
.
Scoring Summary
2’ – OSU
16’ – VAN – Victor Blasco (Ben McKendry)
51’ – OSU
65’ – VAN – Tyler Rosenlund
84’ – VAN – Jovan Blagojevic (Ben McKendry)
Whitecaps FC 2
39.Spencey Richey; 42.Jordan Haynes (55.Chris Serban 57’), 54.Craig Nitti, 41.Jackson Farmer, 27.Ethen Sampson; 37.Mitch Piraux (56.Alex Marrello 77’), 30.Ben McKendry; 46.Brett Levis (Sahil Sandhu 69’), 45.Tyler Rosenlund, 48.Victor Blasco (47.Jovan Blagojevic 69’); 34.Caleb Clarke (49.Mackenzie Pridham 57’)
