VANCOUVER, BC – It was an action-packed morning at BC Place, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 claimed an exciting 5-3 victory over Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday.
Both teams began the match cautiously, testing each other out in the opening stages.
After the game settled, Whitecaps FC 2 put pressure on Real Monarchs with set-pieces. A dangerous corner inside 25 minutes gave Buster Sjöberg the opportunity to open the scoring, but his header crashed against the crossbar and out.
It was through open play, however, where the young 'Caps struck first. Jay Herdman charged down the right side and played in Eliot Goldthorpe, whose driven shot from range slid past Monarchs goalkeeper Marzuq Puckerin to give WFC2 the 1-0 lead.
Real Monarchs kept pushing despite falling behind, and came close to equalizing through Ilijah Paul right before half-time. Paul got on the end of a great driven cross but was denied by Max Anchor, keeping the lead for his team.
Whitecaps FC 2 went straight from that chance and got their opportunity to double the lead via a penalty kick, as Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau was brought down in the Monarchs box. Lowell Wright then stepped up and dispatched his effort into the top-left corner to make it 2-0 going into half time.
Following the break, Monarchs came out fighting to get back into the game. But WFC2 held firm and found their third thanks to a fast break in the 55th minute. Mihail Gherasimencov sent Wright in behind and slotted his effort home to make it 3-0.
Real Monarchs didn’t take long to respond after the goal to claw one back. Matthew Bell drove through the middle and slotted in Damien Barker John through on goal. Barker John then rolled it past Anchor to make it 3-1.
Barker John made it a quickfire double just a few minutes later, winning a scramble in the box to poke it past Anchor from close-range, bringing it back to 3-2.
Anchor denied a full Monarch comeback by making some important saves immediately after conceding the two. Those saves gave the young 'Caps the chance to earn some breathing room and score a fourth through Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau in the 68th minute. Chateau got chipped in behind by Finn Linder right into the goalkeepers area and smashed his effort past Puckerin to make it 4-2.
Monarchs, however, were not down and out in this game, as they closed the deficit once again in the 73rd minute through Matthew Bell.
Whitecaps FC 2 would keep going in closing stages, as substitute Cyprian Kachwele got in on the action to make it a high-five for the young 'Caps. A clever one-two with Gherasimencov sent Kachwele through on the left into the box, and his shot was strong enough to deflect off Puckerin and bundle in to make it 5-3.
After six goals in a thrilling second half, the referee would call full-time to grant the young 'Caps their first win of the season. Whitecaps FC 2 will be back at BC Place next Saturday, March 30 against Portland Timbers 2 at 2 p.m. PT in another double-header matchday. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Alain Ruch
Scoring Summary
28’ – VAN – Eliot Goldthorp (Jay Herdman)
45’+2 – VAN – Lowell Wright (penalty kick)
55’ – VAN – Lowell Wright (Mihail Gherasimencov)
58’ – SLC – Damien Barker John (Matthew Bell)
64’ – SLC – Damien Barker John (Noel Caliskan)
68’ – VAN – Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (Finn Linder, Mihail Gherasimencov)
73’ – SLC – Matthew Bell
86’ – VAN - Cyprian Kachwele (Mihail Gherasimencov)
Statistics
Possession: VAN 37% - SLC 63%
Shots: VAN 12 - SLC 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 - SLC 6
Saves: VAN 3 - SLC 1
Fouls: VAN 14 - SLC 15
Offsides: VAN 4 - SLC 1
Corners: VAN 6 - SLC 5
Cautions
36’ – SLC – Matthew Bell
54’ – SLC – Zack Farnsworth
62’ – VAN – Eliot Goldthorpe
90’+1 – VAN – Lowell Wright
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
50.Max Anchor; 56.Emmanuel Mathe, 53.Buster Sjöberg, 83.Finn Linder; 41.Eliot Goldthorp (46.Darko Ilić 83’), 48.Malcolm Simmons (96.Mateo Clark 90’+2), 59.Jeevan Badwal (55.Cyprian Kachwele 77’), 54.Mihail Gherasimencov; 92.Jay Herdman ©, 52.Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (97.Liam Mackenzie 77’), 42.Lowell Wright (49.Malek Mehri 90’+2)
Substitutes not used
80.Trystan Reed, 51.Dembo Saidykhan, 57.Sahai Williams, 62.Luca Chen, 97.Liam Mackenzie
Real Monarchs
54.Marzuq Puckerin; 42.Keller Storlie, 51.Omar Alba Burrowes, 32.Zack Farnsworth, 33.Derrick Silva; 47.Damien Barker John (40.Omar Marquez 77’), 34.Luca Moisa (88.Izahi Amparo 69’), 92.Noel Caliskan (81.Griffon Dillon 83’), 12.Matthew Bell; 77.Owen Anderson (38.Jude Wellings 69’), 23.Ilijah Paul (45.Benjamin Redzic 69’)
Substitutes not used
57.Fernando Delgado, 44.Kurowskybob Pierre, 45.Benjamin Redzic, 82.Cayne Madhlongove,
