Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC men suffered a second straight defeat on the road after a 2-1 loss versus Carolina RailHawks in USL First Division action on Friday evening.

A Marco Reda own-goal - officially credited to Gregory Richardson - gave the home side a halftime lead before Sallieu Bundu scored Carolina's winner midway through the second half, as the RailHawks registered their first home win over Vancouver in club history. Though substitute Charles Gbeke pulled a goal back for the visitors in the dying stages, it was not enough to turn the Whitecaps fortunes around at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made two changes to the side that started last Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Miami FC Blues. After scoring Vancouver's consolation goal in last weekend's loss in South Florida, youngster Dever Orgill replaced Gbeke to partner Marcus Haber in the visitors' attack. It was the Jamaican youth international's first-ever start for the men's team. In defence, Reda replaced Jeff Parke to partner Wesley Charles in the centre of the Whitecaps backline.

RailHawks head coach Martin Rennie, meanwhile, made two changes to the line-up that started last Saturday's 1-0 win at Southern Derby Cup rivals Charleston Battery. Caleb Patterson-Sewell replaced Eric Reed in the Carolina goal, while Richardson replaced the suspended Josh Gardner to play on the left-hand side of midfield.

Playing in their away strip of all blue, it was the Whitecaps that made the early running on the vast WakeMed Soccer Park pitch, with Vancouver enjoying plenty of possession during the opening stages of the contest.

On three minutes, Tyrell Burgess drilled a right-footed shot just wide of the target from the left-hand side before Reda headed captain Martin Nash's corner from the right at Patterson-Sewell nine minutes later.

Though they showed good endeavour to get forward, Carolina slowly worked their way back into the match. On 20 minutes, Bundu just missed making contact with Kupono Low's dangerous cross at the near post before Reda caused a bit of scare in the Whitecaps defence when he cleared another Low cross just wide of his own goal two minutes later.

Despite making his first start for Vancouver, Orgill struggled to have much impact in the first half, though he was able to test the arms of Patterson-Sewell with a decent run and shot on 27 minutes before Lyle Martin forced some fine defending by the RailHawks, as the right-sided winger was dispossessed of the ball after making an incisive run into the Carolina box eight minutes later.

There was plenty of space for both clubs to exploit during the opening 45 minutes, and it was the RailHawks that came very close to taking the lead when Daniel Paladini hit the post with a low drive on 37 minutes after he made a forward run down the left-hand side before cutting into the 'Caps box to tee up his shot. Two minutes later at the other end, Haber rolled a shot wide of goal after Reda did well to win possession of the ball with a sliding tackle in the Carolina half.

It was an open affair in the dying stages, and the RailHawks were first to make the breakthrough on 44 minutes. John Cunliffe played a pass out left to the skillful Richardson on the edge of the Vancouver box. The winger then side-stepped Whitecaps defender Wes Knight with ease before heading to the byline and hitting a low shot that struck the sliding legs of Reda and deflected through the legs of Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly for a 1-0 Carolina lead at halftime.

It was a disappointing way to go into the break for the Blue and White, and in need of finding a way back into the match, Thordarson made three changes to his side for the start of the second half. Gbeke replaced Orgill in attack, while Vicente Arze replaced Burgess on the left-hand side of midfield. In central midfield, youngster Ethan Gage took the place of Nash, who was suffering from illness.

On 47 minutes, Gage's central midfield partner Gordon Chin tested Patterson-Sewell with a low shot that was well saved by the RailHawks goalkeeper, while Brian Plotkin struck a shot wide at the other end four minutes later.

Vancouver's urgency to find an equalizer saw fit-again Marlon James replace Haber on 57 minutes, as Thordarson opted for the size of Gbeke and James in his attack for the remainder of the match. A minute later, Gbeke was unlucky not to find the back of Carolina's goal after his far-post header from Takashi Hirano's free kick flew just wide of the target.

However, the Whitecaps hopes of coming back into the contest ended with a second Carolina goal that was scored in somewhat comical circumstances on 65 minutes. A fine centering ball from the right by Plotkin forced Nolly to rush out of his goal in an attempt to clear the danger from the edge of his own box. The 'Caps number one, however, struck his clearance against Bundu, with the ball going straight up into the air in the Vancouver box. As the ball dropped, Bundu beat Nolly to knock the ball into an empty net and give the RailHawks a 2-0 lead. It was Bundu's third goal of the season, and one that was gifted to the striker from a poor piece of Vancouver defending.

Feeling in command of the match, Carolina then went in search of a third goal in the latter stages. On 75 minutes, Bundu missed a glorious chance to score a second goal after Plotkin dummied substitute Luke Kreamalmeyer's low cross from the right to the Sierra Leone international, with the African's shot going just wide. Three minutes later, Nolly did well to stop Plotkin's fine run and shot before he was called on again to make an even better save from Paladini's low drive following Carolina's ensuing corner.

The match was seemingly heading towards a comfortable RailHawks win, but after Nolly pulled off more heroics to stop substitute Gavin Glinton on 88 minutes, the Whitecaps scored another late consolation goal in the 90th minute. Substitute Mason Trafford's cross from the left was struck home first time by Gbeke to make it 2-1 going into the three minutes of time added on.


Though they tried to venture forward in search of a dramatic equalizer, the final whistle from match referee Tony Russo confirmed the end of a disappointing two-match road trip for the Whitecaps, as both games in Miami and Carolina ended in defeat.

Thordarson was blunt in his assessment of Friday's events in North Carolina. "Tonight, we were never close to the level of where we want to play," he told whitecapsfc.com. "We had periods in the first half when we were okay, but overall, we didn't have the quality that we wanted in our play. Every time we went forward, we struggled to keep possession of the ball. Carolina are a good side, and they took advantage of two of our mistakes to score their goals and win the game. We need to focus on eliminating what I feel are individual mistakes because we have conceded many goals in this fashion during the season."

The 'Caps will look to bounce back by returning home and preparing for their final regular season meeting with the high-flying Puerto Rico Islanders at Swangard Stadium on Saturday, July 25. The RailHawks, meanwhile, will make their second trip of the season to Charleston, South Carolina, to face the Battery next Friday night.

Scoring Summary:
44’ – CAR – Gregory Richardson (John Cunliffe)
65’ – CAR - Sallieu Bundu
90’ – VAN – Charles Gbeke (Mason Trafford)

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 11 – Carolina 13
Saves: Vancouver 5 – Carolina 3
Fouls: Vancouver 9 – Carolina 8
Offsides: Vancouver 1 – Carolina 7
Corners: Vancouver 3 – Carolina 6

Cautions:
66’ – CAR - Sallieu Bundu
73’ – VAN – Marlon James

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 2.Marco Reda, 6.Wesley Charles, 8.Wes Knight (18.Mason Trafford 75’), 22.Takashi Hirano; 7.Martin Nash (20.Ethan Gage 46’), 24.Lyle Martin, 25.Tyrell Burgess (23.Vicente Arze 46’), 28.Gordon Chin; 14.Marcus Haber (9.Marlon James 57’), 11.Dever Orgill (98.Charles Gbeke 46’)

Subs not used: 99.Diego, 27.Jeff Parke

Carolina RailHawks
1.Caleb Patterson-Sewell; 3.Kupono  Low, 4.Jeremy Tolleson, 12.Caleb Norkus, 13.Mark Schulte; 10.Brian Plotkin, 11.Daniel Paladini, 25.Amir Lowery, 14.Gregory Richardson (7.Luke Kreamalmeyer 65’); 9.Sallieu Bundu (16.Gavin Glinton 83’), 28.John Cunliffe

Subs not used: 23.Eric Reed, 15.John Gilkerson, 18.Aaron King, 24.Brad Rusin, 33.Andriy Budnyy