Swangard Stadium provided the backdrop Wednesday evening, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency (7W-5L-3D) recorded an important 2-0 victory over the visiting North Sound SeaWolves (4W-7L-4D) in United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) action.
Whitecaps FC’s last home fixture of the regular season proved to be an exciting one. A vocal crowd of supporters came out to show their support, as the squad began their final push for the last playoff spot in the PDL's Western Conference, Northwest Division, currently held by British Columbia rivals Victoria Highlanders FC.
Head coach Richard Grootscholten’s young line-up, bolstered by the additions of Major League Soccer roster players Philippe Davies, Alexandre Morfaw, and Long Tan, came into the match knowing what was at stake and showed a sense of determination that has been characteristic of the Residency squad all season. North Sound, already eliminated from playoff contention, came into the midweek match-up intent on spoiling Whitecaps FC’s season.
Both teams used the early stages of the match to get a feeling of the game, with the ‘Caps working to maintain possession and establish strong ball movement throughout the pitch. The first good scoring chance came on 16 minutes when Residency defender Declan Rodriguez lobbed a ball in from 20 yards out that SeaWolves goalkeeper Claudio Lazar managed to just deflect over the crossbar. It was Rodriguez again on the half-hour mark with a volley off a deflection of the leg of Tan that just missed the target.
Tan had a glorious chance three minutes later when he snuck behind the North Sound backline, but lost the handle on his strike, as it missed high and the match remained scoreless. The SeaWolves nearly changed the circumstances in the final minutes of the half when hard-charging midfielder Drew Williams rang the visitors only shot of the match off the crossbar.
Perhaps sensing the desperate nature of their situation, the Blue and White came storming out of the gate in the second half, with Davies narrowly missing the net on 48 minutes and Tan making a spirited rush that was thwarted by SeaWolves defender Zachary Hammond a minute later.
The pressing ‘Caps attack paid off on 57 minutes when midfielder Bryce Alderson was taken down in the North Sound box and a penalty was awarded, as SeaWolves defender Raymond Lind was shown his second yellow card of the game and was subsequently ejected from the match. Morfaw stepped up and buried the spot kick to the bottom right-hand corner to give Whitecaps FC a 1-0 lead heading into the final 30 minutes.
Halftime substitute Caleb Clarke kept up the ‘Caps attack and was presented a glorious opportunity on 63 minutes, but just could not keep possession long enough to have a good strike on net. Just three minutes later, Tan made a beautifully timed run on a thoughtful ball from Davies and fired a shot wide of goal. The same was the case for second-half substitute Ben McKendry, who missed just wide after running onto a ball from Davies on 72 minutes.
With a man advantage, the sustained pressure paid off on 80 minutes when Davies made a run of his own and managed to lob the ball over Lazar and into the net for the insurance marker. The ‘Caps enjoyed several more chances down the stretch, proving to be too much for the visitors with their unrelenting attacking play. So effective was the gameplan that the SeaWolves were denied a single shot on target in the second half, as the young 'Caps claimed victory in Burnaby, BC.
After the match, Grootscholten said that he was pleased with his team’s effort, but recognized that his squad would have to improve moving forward, as they fight for that final PDL playoff spot. "We played much better in the second half. If we played like that in the first half, who knows what the score would have been," he told whitecapsfc.com. "The players have to know that every second counts. We need goals and we got them today."
He was also quick to recognize the boisterous crowd, thanking them "for being so supportive, both at home and on the road. Our fans have been fantastic all season and we appreciate their support."
Whitecaps FC conclude their 2011 PDL regular season schedule this Sunday when they travel to Redmond, Washington, to face Washington Crossfire. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT at Redmond High School.
Scoring Summary:
57’ – VAN – Alexandre Morfaw (penalty)
80’ – VAN – Philippe Davies (Alexandre Morfaw)
Match Stats:
Shots: North Sound 1 – Vancouver 15
Saves: North Sound 7 – Vancouver 0
Fouls: North Sound 9 – Vancouver 13
Offsides: North Sound 2– Vancouver 3
Corners: North Sound 0– Vancouver 5
Cautions:
42’ – NOR – Raymond Lind
56’ – NOR – Raymond Lind
Ejections:
56’ – NOR – Raymond Lind
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
1. Callum Irving; 2.Declan Rodriguez (25.Alex Rowley 74’), 3.La'Vere Corbin-Ong, 4.Daniel Stanese, 5.Derrick Bassi (19.Jason van Blerk 58’); 8.Bryce Alderson (18.Ben McKendry 70’), 10.Ben Fisk, 15.Philippe Davies, 17.Alexandre Morfaw; 16.Long Tan (12.Tim Hickson 84’), 22.Yassin Essa (9.Caleb Clarke 45’)
Subs not used: 30.Sean Melvin, 20.Adam Polakiewicz
North Sound SeaWolves
1.Claudio Lazar; 18.Jorge Brambila, 8.Zachary Hammond, 2.Kainoa Owens, 12.Raymond Lind; 7.David Hill, 20.Mohamed Mohamud, 5.Drew Williams, 13.John Crenshaw; 15.Todd Wallenius, 14.Liviu Bird (11.Joseph Galbraith 58’)
Subs not used: 11.Joseph Galbraith, 4.Brandon Gonzalez, 22.Christopher Morris, 16.Jordan Correa
