TUKWILA, WA – It was an end-to-end affair between Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 and Tacoma Defiance in at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington but neither side could edge the other in 90 minutes, ending the match in a scoreless draw with Tacoma winning the extra point through penalties.
The game began with pace, as Tacoma drove at WFC2 in the opening stages.
A dangerous cross to the back post found Georgi Minoungou, who directed his header on goal but was denied by goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer. Minoungou forced Boehmer into action in quick succession as he drove into the box on the right, trying to slip it past the goalkeeper but Boehmer denied him once more.
Captain Jay Herdman, fresh off his MLS and first team debut on Saturday night against Seattle Sounders FC, had a chance for himself as he got on the end of an in-swinging cross in the 12th minute but his header from inside the box went just over the bar.
The young ‘Caps had yet another chance to open the scoring inside 20 minutes, through forward Johnny Selemani. Selemani, who became the youngest WFC2 debutant in MLS NEXT Pro history at 16 years, one month and five days, went one on one against Defiance goalkeeper Andrew Thomas and came close to scoring the opening goal of the match as his shot was stopped at close range.
Just past the half-hour mark, Tacoma nearly took the led. Dylan Teves drove down the right side and crossed a driven pass across goal for Raul Miglietti to tap in, but he couldn’t stretch enough and could only redirect it wide of the mark.
Selemani was at the heart of the action once again at the end of the half, as the ball dropped for him after a corner but he was unable to poke it past Thomas to get his team into the locker room with a lead.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Tacoma getting the early chances.
Osaze De Rosario, coming on as a sub at the break, nearly put Tacoma ahead with a leaping volley, but his effort was just shy of the post.
Cyprian Kachwele had a look at goal for the young 'Caps in the 64th minute, trying his luck from distance but his whipped effort too high of the net. Eliot Goldthorpe then struck the crossbar in the 70th minute with a free-kick attempt that left Thomas beat.
Tacoma midfielder Faysal Bettache volleyed an effort towards goal in ten minutes later, but Boehmer saw it all the way through.
WFC2 then went right back up the other side and had a great effort by substitute Myles Morgan swiped wide by Thomas, after it came towards his goal with conviction.
With just minutes left, De Rosario tried once again to volley home the winning goal to steal with win at the death, but saw his effort just creap wide. Both teams continued to have chances to find the winner but it would end goalless, sending the match to penalties.
Despite the young ‘Caps scoring first, Tacoma would win 4-2 in the shootout to grant them the extra point.
Whitecaps FC are back in action for their third match in this six-game road stead Sunday, April 28, facing off against Real Monarchs SLC at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah at 7 p.m. PT.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Servando Berna
Shootout
VAN - Scored - Eliot Goldthorp
TAC - Scored - Christopher Aquino
VAN - Scored - Buster Sjöberg
TAC - Scored - Faysal Bettache
VAN - Missed - Antoine Coupland
TAC - Scored - Kalaći Kossa-Rienzi
VAN - Missed - Malcolm Simmons
TAC - Scored - Travian Sousa
Statistics
Possession: TAC 61% - VAN 39%
Shots: TAC 18 - VAN 8
Shots on Goal: TAC 4 - VAN 3
Saves: TAC 3 - VAN 4
Fouls: TAC 14 - VAN 11
Offsides: TAC 3 - VAN 3
Corners: TAC 7 - VAN 2
Cautions
65’ – VAN – Jeevan Badwal
70’ – TAC – Frank Daroma
Tacoma Defiance
26.Andrew Thomas; 85.Kalaći Kossa-Rienzi, 39.Stuart Hawkins, 4.Nathan, 15.Jonathan Bell (31.Travian Sousa 61’); 77.Sota Kitahara, 34.Frank Daroma; 93.Georgi Minoungou (8.Faysal Bettache 66’), 37.Snyder Brunell (80.Christopher Aquino 75’), 99.Dylan Teves (36.Yu Tsukanome 45’); 81.Raul Miglietti (95.Osaze De Rosario 45’)
Substitutes not used
29.Jacob Castro, 32.Owen O’Malley, 35.Antino Lopez, 97.Burke Fahling
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer; 12.Belal Halbouni (56.Immanuel Mathe 61’), 53.Buster Sjöberg, 83.Finn Linder; 62.Luca Chen, 59.Jeevan Badwal, 13.Ralph Priso (48.Malcolm Simmons 45’), 41.Eliot Goldthorp; 92.Jay Herdman ©️ (44.Myles Morgan 75’), 55.Cyprian Kachwele, 61.Johnny Selemani (43.Antoine Coupland 45’)
Substitutes not used
50.Max Anchor, 46.Darko Ilić, 49.Malek Mehri, 54.Mihail Gherasimencov, 96.Matteo Clark
