TUKWILA, WA
- If Sunday's preseason match was any indication, it's going to be a fun inaugural season for Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2).
The club's new USL team hit the road to take on Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC 2 (S2) for the first time and came away with a thrilling 4-3 victory.
"This was a good gauge of the competition that we'll see in the league this season," noted WFC2 head coach
Alan Koch
after the match. "We conceded some goals today, but we also scored some good goals. Overall, it was a step forward for the group and great to get a win on the road against one of our close rivals."
Vancouver opened the scoring on 35 minutes when Residency graduate defender
Jackson Farmer
got his head on a free kick from
Tyler Rosenlund
and directed it in.
The lead was short lived as S2 stormed right back down the field to equalize as Qudus Lawal tapped in a low cross to make it 1-1.
Three minutes into the second half and it was 2-1 for Seattle. 2015 Sounders FC SuperDraft pick Andy Craven burst up field and chipped it in to give the home side the advantage.
Six minutes later, S2 earned a penalty kick through Oniel Fisher. Kevin Parsemain stepped up to take it but goalkeeper Spencer Richey was up to the task. The Seattle native dove to make the save and keep the 'Caps within 2-1.
That save proved crucial when WFC2 earned a penalty kick of their own on 62 minutes when Saskatchewan native
Brett Levis
was taken down in the box.
Caleb Clarke
confidently took it and beat goalkeeper Charlie Lyon inside the left post to level the score at 2-2.
With momentum on their side, the 'Caps got another two minutes later when spanish winger Victor Blasco slotted a low shot inside the far post for a 3-2 lead.
Another goal on 72 minutes saw WFC2 extend their lead to 4-2, with Clarke getting on the score sheet for the second time, finishing a cross from
Christian Dean
.
The flurry of goals continued two minutes later with Parsemain pulling the Sounders within 4-3, but that was as close as they would come.
The final whistle brought an end to an exciting first Cascadia match between the club's USL sides, with promise for more entertainment when they kick off the season on Sunday, March 29.
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
35' - VAN - Jackson Farmer
40' - SEA - Qudus Lawal
48' - SEA - Andy Craven
62' - VAN - Caleb Clarke
64' - VAN - Victor Blasco
72' - VAN - Caleb Clarke
74' - SEA - Kevin Parsemain
Whitecaps FC 2
39.Spencer Richey; 27.Ethen Sampson (55.Chris Serban 75'), 26.Tim Parker, 41.Jackson Farmer, 22.Christian Dean (42.Jordan Haynes 75'); 48.Victor Blasco (50.Sahil Sandhu 75'), 37.Mitch Piraux, 45.Tyler Rosenlund (55.Alex Marrello 85'), 30.Ben McKendry, 46.Brett Levis (47.Jovan Blagojevic 75'); 34.Caleb Clarke (49.Mackenzie Pridham 75')
