Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency recorded the fourth win of their inaugural USL Premier Development League season after 2-0 home victory over Spokane Spiders on Friday night.

In what was the first of three PDL Western Conference Northwest Division games this weekend at Simon Fraser University's Terry Fox Field, Thomas Niendorf's side recovered from last Saturday's away defeat to Tacoma Tide, as first-half goals by Philippe Davies and Kyle Porter sealed the win over their Washington State visitors.

Whitecaps Residency were the far better side in the first half, as Niendorf's youngsters created numerous goalscoring chances, but struggled to have a finishing product to their play in several instances.

The game's winning goal came on 26 minutes, as Davies beat Spiders goalkeeper Scott Barnum with a fine shot from inside the Spokane box for 1-0.

The Residency team's front pair of Porter and Randy Edwini-Bonsu caused Spokane problems, as the duo had success getting in behind the Spiders back-line.

Porter's efforts paid off in a second Whitecaps goal on 40 minutes. The Mississauga, Ontario, native beat several Spokane players before slotting the ball past Barnum for a 2-0 lead at the halftime break.

Where the first half performance was impressive from the home side, Whitecaps Residency were not as strong with their play after the restart.

With Barnum putting in a superb performance in goal for the visitors, the big and physical Spiders side slowly gained confidence in the second half, as they looked to find a way back into the game through set-piece opportunities.

With Spokane pushing forward more and more, the Whitecaps were finding space and chances to wrap up the game with a third goal. Gagandeep Dosanjh was unlucky to slip a shot wide of the target in the dying stages, while Barnum denied Vancouver substitute Marcus Johnstone a goal from the penalty spot on 88 minutes.


In the end, the two-goal scoreline was enough to get the young Whitecaps back in the winning column, despite Residency assistant coach Steve Meadley admitting that the game was a tale of two halves. "We had a very good first half, where we created lots of chances and deserved a bigger lead than what we had," he told whitecapsfc.com. "The one and two-touch passing play was very good, and we didn't give that much away at the back. In the second half, however, we started to get caught in possession and we weren't as crisp with the ball. It meant that we weren't able to dominate as we did in the first half. The amount of chances that we missed is a key issue of us. We have to learn to take our chances in games because other teams will take theirs, and that will leave us in trouble down the line."

Whitecaps Residency now sit third in the PDL Western Conference Northwest Division standings, with a second meeting against local rivals Abbotsford Mariners set for SFU's Terry Fox Field on Sunday afternoon. Spokane, meanwhile, will get to test their abilities against the Mariners when they visit Abbotsford's Bateman Park on Saturday evening.

Goal Summary:
26' - VAN - 1-0 - Philippe Davies (Alex Semenets)
40' - VAN - 2-0 - Kyle Porter (Philippe Davies)

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 26 – Spokane 11
Saves: Vancouver 4 – Spokane 11
Fouls: Vancouver 23 – Spokane 21
Offsides: Vancouver 7 – Spokane 2
Corners: Vancouver 6 – Spokane 2

Cautions:
Vancouver: none
Spokane: Scott Davidson 56', Justin Linafelter 83'

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
1.Karm Shergill; 3.Navid Mashinchi, 4.Adam Straith, 5.Anthony DiNicolo, 15.Antonio Rago (2.Greg Smith 67'); 6.Ethan Gage (10.Devin Gunenc 58'), 8.Philippe Davies, 14.Gagandeep Dosanjh, 17.Alex Semenets (18.Drew Russell 67'), 7.Kyle Porter, 9.Randy Edwini-Bonsu (16.Marcus Johnstone 67')

Subs not used: 13.William Hyde

Spokane Spiders
0.Barnum, Scott; 1.Justin Linafelter, 2.Dan Philp, 19.Tyler Falco, 26.Travis Jette; 9.Justin Grider, 13.Ben Funkhouser (20.Dain Dezellem 27') 21.Matt Friesen, 22.Adam Crossingham; 16.John Prugh, 25.Scott J. Davidson