BURNABY, BC – Whitecaps FC 2 earned a shootout victory after drawing 2-2 in regulation against Western Conference side Houston Dynamo 2 in MLS NEXT Pro action at Swangard Stadium on Friday evening.
The first half started with Dynamo 2 opening the scoring early.
Following a corner kick, forward Papa Ndoye converted off a rebound attempt inside the area, as his strike gave his squad the 1-0 lead inside the 2nd minute of the match.
Despite the early advantage from Houston, the young ‘Caps responded with some momentum as they pushed forward on the offensive.
After winning the ball in midfield, a counter attack was organized by wingback Ali Ahmed. His quick through pass sprung forward Easton Ongaro in the area, as his one timed strike levelled the game in the 26th minute.
As the first half progressed, David Marcelo Palomino’s direct free kick attempt curled its way into the top left corner of the netting in the 35th minute, regaining the away side's advantage.
With the second half beginning, the Blue & White saw a feisty and physical affair early on, but Pípé Fernandez-Salvador’s footwork inside the area led to an opportunity for midfielder Vasco Fry, who followed in with a long distance shot from outside the box, curling over the top of the crossbar in the 66th minute.
WFC2 would find the equalizer in the dying stages of the match, as Elage Bah’s long cross from the right flank of the field connected to Emiliano Brienza. The substitute’s one timed strike then found the back of the net in stoppage time.
As the final regulation whistle blew, Brienza would end up scoring the winning penalty in the shootout to give his team the crucial extra point.
WFC2 are back on the road for an upcoming Western Conference tilt against Real Monarchs next Friday, August 5 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PT. You can catch all the action live on mlsnextpro.com
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: David Schmidt-Schweda
Scoring Summary
2’ – HOU – Papa Ndoye
26’ – VAN – Easton Ongaro (Ali Ahmed)
35’ – HOU – David Marcelo Palomino
90’+4’ – VAN – Emiliano Brienza (Elage Bah)
Shootout
VAN – Scored – Pípé Fernandez-Salvador
HOU – Scored – Diego Gonzalez
VAN – Scored – Finn Linder
HOU – Scored – Paulo Lima
VAN – Scored – Joe Hanson
HOU – Scored – Daniel Esteban
VAN – Scored – Ali Ahmed
HOU – Missed – Joseph Farouz
VAN – Scored – Emiliano Brienza
Statistics
Possession: VAN 43.6% – HOU 56.4%
Shots: VAN 11 – HOU 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 – HOU 4
Saves: VAN 1 – HOU 4
Fouls: VAN 17 – HOU 9
Offsides: VAN 5 – HOU 1
Corners: VAN 6 – HOU 3
Cautions
42’ – VAN – Nick Salihamidžić
42’ – HOU – Isaiah LeFlore
45’+2’ – HOU – Jathan Juarez
56’ – HOU – Paulo Lima
86’ – VAN – Elage Bah
90’+1’ – VAN – Matteo Campagna
90’+6’ – HOU – Xavier Valdez
Ejection
90’+6’ – VAN – Giovanni Aguilar
Whitecaps FC 2
50.Max Anchor; 53.Simone Masi (61.Matteo Campagna HT), 64.Cristian Campagna, 83.Finn Linder; 41.Nick Salihamidžić (57.Elage Bah 44’), 92.Jay Herdman (47.Pípé Fernandez-Salvador HT), 52.Vasco Fry, 66.Giovanni Aguilar (49.Emiliano Brienza 70’), 51.Ali Ahmed; 43.Easton Ongaro (76.Joe Hanson 79’), 29.Simon Becher ©
Substitutes not used
90.Cohen Park, 44.Chris Lee, 54.Mihail Gherasimencov, 58.Eric White
Houston Dynamo 2
1.Xavier Valdez; 18.Diego Gonzalez, 4.Jon Talen Maples ©, 45.Micael dos Santos Silva, 13.Jathan Juarez; 25.D’Alessandro Herrera (17.Joyner Castillo 79’), 6.Paulo Lima, 10.David Marcelo Palomino (12.Daniel Esteban 67’); 7.Papa Ndoye (19.Sterling Penniston-John 87’), 21.Jacob Evans (27.Joseph Farouz 78’), 50.Isaiah LeFlore
Substitutes not used
31.Andrew Pannenberg, 33.Erick Monge
