By Brandon Timko/whitecapsfc.com
Vancouver Whitecaps Prospects Men played out a 1-1 draw against Surrey United in their second meeting of the season at Cloverdale Athletic Park on Tuesday evening.
Ashley Ankiewicz’s second goal in as many matches put Bart Choufour’s side into the lead, but a second-half strike from Andrew Proctor gave Surrey a share of the spoils in this latest Pacific Coast Soccer League match-up.
The first real chance of the match came on 21 minutes when a Kule Kambere cross was met by Rob Tice, but his shot rolled wide of the target. United pressed again five minutes later when Proctor made a strong run into the Whitecaps box, but he was unable to put his low shot past Prospects goalkeeper Evan Lowther.
Although Surrey had the momentum, it was the Whitecaps who opened the scoring on 35 minutes. A Riley Newport shot deflected into the path of Ankiewicz, who promptly buried a low shot past the outstretched arms of Surrey goalkeeper Oliver Thomas for a 1-0 lead.
The tables turned in the second half, however, as it was the Whitecaps who would concede an equalizer, despite having the majority of possession. On 63 minutes, Lowther came out to challenge for a ball, but Proctor was able to reach it first and strike a one-time shot into the back of the net to level the match at 1-1.
The young 'Caps looked to respond five minutes later when a beautiful through ball by Jerome Lou found the foot of Gavin Barrett, but he fired a close-range strike well over the United crossbar.
Barrett would receive another golden opportunity ten minutes later when Rhys Volkenant's cross into the Surrey box was headed into his path by Ankiewicz, but he again was unable to get his shot on target.
Surrey looked to steal the win on 82 minutes when Proctor poked a shot on goal after another strong run into the Whitecaps box, but a kick save by Lowther kept the match on level terms.
The Whitecaps had one last chance on 89 minutes when Barrett flicked a through ball to Ankiewicz, but the goalscorer fired a shot high and over the crossbar, as the match ended in a 1-1 stalemate.
Choufour was pleased with the way his team came out in the second half after a slow start. "We addressed a few things at halftime," he told whitecapsfc.com. "I think the boys came out very well in the second half. They played with a lot of confidence."
The Prospects Men return home for their next PCSL Premier Division match. On Tuesday, May 26, they host Vancouver Thunderbirds at Simon Fraser University's Terry Fox Field. Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. PDT.
Whitecaps Prospects Men
Evan Lowther; Rhys Volkenant, Paul Bahia, Erik Hacker, Jerome Lou, Carlos Del Aguila (Curtis Helm 69’), Riley Newport, Harry Lakhan, Cameron Parkes (Kyle Knees 45’), Gavin Barrett, Ashley Ankiewicz
Surrey United
Oliver Thomas; Gurpreet Borrung (Graham Spunh 52’), Rob Wilson, Rob Tice (Michael Evans 45’), Kule Kambere (Matt Roselund 61’), Andrew Proctor, Robbie Cairns, Steve Franzo (Justin Ledge 82’), Vinnie Stewart, Nathan Quan (Reece Branion 85’), Sukh Garcha
