BURNABY, BC – Whitecaps FC 2 battled to a 2-2 draw against Cascadia rivals Tacoma Defiance but fell 4-2 in the ensuing shootout at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC on Sunday afternoon.
The young ‘Caps opened the scoring just six minutes into the match, as Emiliano Brienza’s free kick strike from the top of the box was parried by Tacoma goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley into the path of Finn Linder, who smashed in his first professional goal to give WFC2 the early 1-0 advantage.
In the 26th minute, Tacoma would find their equalizer through midfielder Marlon Vargas’ near post effort to tie the match at 1-1.
Both teams continued to exchange possession in the first half but neither could find the go-ahead goal before the halftime interval.
Following the break, WFC2 almost took the lead in the 60th minute, as Vasco Fry attempted a chipped effort from 45 yards out, forcing Tacoma goalkeeper Lapsley into a big save.
Five minutes later, the home side made their second half pressure pay off.
On the counterattack, substitute Jay Herdman switched the play to Simon Becher, who carried on his run, evaded two Tacoma defenders and played Herdman in on goal.
The product of Surrey, BC calmly tucked in a left-footed finish into the bottom corner to score his second goal of the season and give WFC2 the 2-1 lead.
Tacoma had a chance to equalize a couple minutes later through forward Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez, who put his shot over the top the WFC2 goal from inside the box.
In the 83rd minute, WFC2 almost extended their lead as Herdman played a ball across the box which deflected to Becher, who rounded the goalkeeper but saw his shot cleared off the line by Tacoma defender Achille Robin.
Both teams were shown red cards in stoppage time due to a brawl in the corner, with WFC2 substitute Joe Hanson and Tacoma forward Ocampo-Chavez getting second yellows and ejecting them from the match.
Following the skirmish, Tacoma would equalize the match at 2-2 in stoppage time through a diving header from substitute Valentín Sabella, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
Tacoma defender Achille Robin scored the winning penalty in the shootout to give his team the extra point.
WFC2 will now turn their focus to their third match of their June homestand against fellow Western Conference side North Texas SC next Friday, June 17, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. PT at Swangard Stadium. Tickets are complimentary for MLS season ticket members, or $10 at the game. You can also catch all the action live on www.mlsnextpro.com.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Aubrey Kotelko
Scoring Summary
6’ – VAN – Finn Linder
26’ – TAC – Marlon Vargas (Cody Baker)
65’ – VAN – Jay Herdman (Simon Becher)
90+8’ – TAC – Valentín Sabella (Travian Sousa)
Shootout
Scored – TAC – Marlon Vargas
Missed – VAN – Simon Becher
Missed – TAC – Cody Baker
Missed – VAN – Owen Antoniuk
Scored – TAC – Travian Sousa
Scored – VAN – Vasco Fry
Scored – TAC – Valentín Sabella
Scored – VAN – Jay Herdman
Scored – TAC – Achille Robin
Statistics
Possession: VAN 42.6% – TAC 57.4%
Shots: VAN 10 – TAC 8
Shots on Goal: VAN 7 – TAC 3
Saves: VAN 1 – TAC 4
Fouls: VAN 10 – TAC 13
Offsides: VAN 0 – TAC 4
Corners: VAN 2 – TAC 5
Cautions
21’ – TAC – Adolfo Ovalle
23’ – VAN – Filip Rakic
28’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
45+2’ – TAC – Hal Uderitz
45+2’ – TAC – Achille Robin
55’ – VAN – Elage Bah
79’ – VAN – Vasco Fry
89’ – TAC – Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
90+1’ – VAN – Joe Hanson
90+4 – TAC – Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
90+4’ – VAN – Joe Hanson
90+4 – TAC – Marlon Vargas
Ejections
90+4’ – TAC – Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
90+4’ – VAN – Joe Hanson
Whitecaps FC 2
60.Isaac Boehmer ©; 53.Simone Masi, 64.Cristian Campagna, 83.Finn Linder; 46.Filip Rakic (44.Chris Lee 61’), 45.Pedro Vite (92.Jay Herdman 61’), 52.Vasco Fry, 68.Owen Antoniuk, 57.Elage Bah; 29.Simon Becher, 49.Emiliano Brienza (76.Joe Hanson 77’)
Substitutes not used
50.Max Anchor, 47.Pípé Fernandez-Salvador, 48.Théo Collomb, 95.Joshué Ndakala
Tacoma Defiance
36.Wallis Lapsley; 33.Cody Baker, 90.Achille Robin, 32.Hal Uderitz, 82.Joe Hafferty; 88.Adolfo Ovalle © (31.Travian Sousa 79’), 77.Sota Kitahara; 93.Georgi Minoungou (80.Valentín Sabella 60’), 39.Marlon Vargas, 97.Juan Alvarez; 87.Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
Substitutes not used
67.Wyatt Nelson, 42.Alexander Hall, 44.Jack-Ryan Jeremiah, 72.Eric Kinzner, 91.Alfred Gombe-Fei
