BURNABY, BC – Despite coming close at the end of the match, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 fell to a 1-0 defeat on Sunday night against Western Conference foes The Town FC at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC.
The match began full of energy, as both sides tried to get a hold of the game early on. Jeevan Badwal had the first look on goal, finding space in the middle of the pitch and firing a shot over the bar. The Town FC got their first on target just past the 15th minute, after Wilson Eisner went for the audacious and tried a bicycle kick effort that went straight into the hands of Isaac Boehmer.
The Town then took the lead right at the half-hour mark, after Edwyn Mendoza took down a loose ball at the edge of the box after a set-piece and placed a volley into the far post.
Giuseppe Bovalina tried to fire WFC2 back level with five minutes to go in the first half, but his shot from the left side of the box was blocked before it could nestle the back of the net.
Liam Mackenzie’s follow-up shot from a corner looked promising, but failed to dip before it went high. That was the last action of the half as The Town went into the break with the lead.
The second half began with the young 'Caps hunting for the equalizing goal.
After fighting tooth and nail against a stubborn Town defense, WFC2 came agonizingly close to equalizing in the 78th minute. Mihail Gherasimencov put in an inswinging cross from the corner spot that almost went in for an olimpico goal. Finn Linder then got on the end of the loose ball and saw his header come off the post. Cyprian Kachwele then forced the rebound towards goal but it was miraculously cleared off the line by a Town defender.
The Town then followed suit and struck the post on their own chance to double the lead as Sean Bilter smacked the near post after dashing into the box from the left. Riley Lynch tried to catch Boehmer off-balance on the follow-up but smashed it into the side netting.
The young 'Caps were almost saved right at the death after a Town defender miscontrolled a lofted pass and nearly looped it over his goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa into the back of the net, but the ball went a whisker wide of the post. Myles Morgan then hit the upright from the ensuing corner as the final whistle promptly blew to end the match in the Town’s favour.
Whitecaps FC 2 continue their push to the playoffs with their final regular season home match of the year next Saturday, September 21 against Cascadia rivals Tacoma Defiance. Kickoff from Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC is set for 4 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Mazzen Black
Scoring Summary
29’ – TTFC – Edwyn Mendoza
Statistics
Possession: VAN 48% - TTFC 52%
Shots: VAN 10 - TTFC 14
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 - TTFC 5
Saves: VAN 4 - TTFC 2
Fouls: VAN 11 - TTFC 12
Offsides: VAN 2 - TTFC 2
Corners: VAN 8 - TTFC 6
Cautions
33’ – TTFC – Cruz Medina
52’ – TTFC – Joel Garcia
74’ – TTFC – Alejandro Cano
90+4’ – VAN – Darko Ilić
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer; 56.Immanuel Mathe, 53.Buster Sjöberg, 83.Finn Linder; 41.Eliot Goldthorp (43.Antoine Coupland 62’), 59.Jeevan Badwal, 48.Malcolm Simmons (55.Cyprian Kachwele 74’), 49.Malek Mehri, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina (54.Mihail Gherasimencov 62’); 97.Liam Mackenzie (46.Darko Ilić 85’), 52.Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (44.Myles Morgan 85’)
Substitutes not used
90.Alexander Milošević, 51.Dembo Saidykhan, 61.Johnny Selemani, 95.Joshué Ndakala
The Town FC
41.Emmanuel Ochoa; 78.Joel Garcia (53.Chance Cowell 88’), 66.Alejandro Cano, 45.Wilson Eisner, 72.Ricardo Ibarra; 64.Beau Leroux (58.Rohan Rajagopal 84’), 38.Edwyn Mendoza, 99.Cruz Medina (54.Jermaine Spivey 76’); 71.Riley Lynch, 60.Eduardo Blancas (96.Tomo Allen 88’), 52.Julian Donnery (63.Sean Bilter 76’)
Substitutes not used
91.Marcelo Guerra, 93.Oliver Hernandez Parra, 95.Scott Chavira
