EDMONDS, WA – On a beautiful evening in Edmonds, Washington, Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 (4W-3L-0D) defeated North Sound SeaWolves FC (0W-5L-1D) by a score of 3-2 at Edmonds Woodway Stadium.
Just a few minutes in, on four minutes, the SeaWolves nearly got on the scoreboard when Nick Hamer headed a cross towards the net, but the header was stopped by 'Caps goalkeeper Simon Thomas.
On 12 minutes, the SeaWolves had another chance to take the lead when Hamer had the ball in the box, but James Farenhorst cleared the opportunity.
Later in the first half, on 25 minutes, the ‘Caps first real opportunity to take the lead came when Cam Hundal broke in alone on the SeaWolves’ goalkeeper Ryan Herman, but his shot slid just wide of the left post.
Just four minutes later, in the 29th minute, Hundal put the 'Caps ahead when his light shot slid in past Herman and into the back of the net.
On 36 minutes, the SeaWolves came surging back when a perfect set piece from Hamer ended up on target, with the rebound falling to Hammond, who fired the rebound past Thomas to equalize the match for the home side.
The ‘Caps went into halftime deadlocked with the SeaWolves, but both sides looked to steal a win in the second half.
Just over 10 minutes into the second half, on 56 minutes, the SeaWolves took the lead when a well-placed shot found it’s way past Thomas and into the back of the net.
A few minutes later, the ‘Caps almost equalized as Niall Cousens hit a short-ranged shot that was stopped by a diving Herman.
Shortly after, the ‘Caps had another chance when Bobby Jhutty made a nice cross into the box, but the ball fell through the box and out.
In the 74th minute, the Blue and White equalized when Harry Lakhan made a nice run down the middle of the field and sent his shot in past Herman.
In added time, Whitecaps FC secured a late win as Michael Winter fired a shot from 15 yards away after receiving a pass from Sasa Plavsic. The goal gave the ‘Caps their fourth win of the season.
Head of high performance Stuart Neely was proud of his team being able to earn a result.
“I’m quite proud of the boys of being able to come back each time and tying it and of course getting the winner well into added time,” commented Neely on his team’s performance. “We tried to stick to our game plan. We tried to run at them, but at times we left ourselves exposed. I think that most pleasing for me was the warrior-type mentality we had. It was also huge to have our fans there supporting the boys on the road, so a big thank you to them. At the end of the day, I’m happy with the boys.”
Next up, Whitecaps FC U-23 face Kitsap Pumas at Gordon Park Field in Bremerton, Washington. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT.
Scoring Summary:
29’ - VAN – Cam Hundal (Niall Cousens)
36’ - NS – Zachary Hammond
56’ - NS – Nicholas Hamer (Zachary Hamer)
74’ - VAN – Harry Lakhan (Marco Visintin)
90’ – VAN – Michael Winter
Match Stats:
Shots: North Sound 6 – Vancouver 19
Saves: North Sound 5 - Vancouver 2
Fouls: North Sound 12 – Vancouver 8
Offsides: North Sound 0 – Vancouver 4
Corners: North Sound 7 – Vancouver 6
Disciplinary Summary:
48’ – VAN – James Farenhorst (Caution)
76’ – NS – Nicholas Hamer (Caution)
80’ – NS – Jordan Aidoud (Caution)
90’ – NS – Braxton Griffon (Caution)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 Lineup:
1.Simon Thomas; 4.James Farenhorst, 5.Derrick Bassi, 6.Adam Clement, 16.Michael Winter; 20.Aminu Abdullah (10.Bobby Jhutty 51’), 21.Marco Visintin (26.Kevin Cobby 79’), 7.Harry Lakhan; 23.Cam Hundal, 17.Niall Cousens (12.Sasa Plavsic 80’), 11.Yassin Essa (2.Colton O’Neill 85’)
Subs not used:
13.Sean Melvin, 24.Peter Bow
North Sound SeaWolves Lineup:
1.Ryan Herman; 6.Renato Bandeira, 24.Matthew Eronemo, 15.Andres Ramires Suazo, 3.Devin Thomas; 2.Daniel Gavin (20.Jordan Aidoud 70’), 5.Nicholas Hamer, 8.Zachary Hamer; 10.Brady Ballew, 34.Braxton Griffin, 14.Zachary Hammond
Subs not used:
0.Keegan Rogers, 7.Dominique Dismuke, 21.Trevor Bartels, 19.David Durrant
