On a breezy, Sunday afternoon in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency (2W-1L-1D) travelled into the Fraser Valley for a re-match of their May 13 contest versus Abbotsford Mariners (0W-2L-1D). The young 'Caps defeated their BC rivals 1-0 in the fourth match of their United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) season.
Residency midfielder Ben Fisk scored the only goal of the match at Bateman Park, while captain Derrick Bassi led by example at the back, as a small crowd of Whitecaps FC supporters were on hand to lend their support. The victory extended Residency team's unbeaten streak to three matches, with Vancouver sitting third in the PDL's Western Conference, Northwest Division standings.
Residency head coach Richard Grootscholten was pleased with his team's effort. "I think we played absolutely well," he told whitecapsfc.com. "We didn’t give any chances away and we talked and trained a lot this week about being in those situations. We absolutely did better than before. I also want to thank the fantastic Whitecaps FC fans for their support today."
The Residency squad opened the match in strong fashion, controlling the pace of play throughout the majority of the first half. Alexandre Morfaw, Philippe Davies, and Fisk allowed the 'Caps to keep plenty of possession early on, while sending numerous balls out wide to the flanks in a bid to expose the Mariners' defence.
The 'Caps got their first opportunity on 21 minutes when Davies fired a free kick over the Abbotsford wall and towards the near post that sent a sprawling Mariners goalkeeper Lucas Menz into action. Four minutes later, striker Michael Nanchoff received the ball deep in Abbotsford’s box and struck a low cross through the Abbotsford six-yard box, but had no luck in finding anyone with his pass.
Residency forward Caleb Clarke was also busy all afternoon. On the half-hour mark, Clarke was sent in behind the Mariners' defence, only to have a last second offside flag be raised before his strike. Clarke, however, continued to be aggressive, as one minute later, he found a seam in the Abbotsford backline and fired a shot that forced a diving save from Menz.
The young 'Caps built off their offensive potential and opened the scoring on 39 minutes. Nanchoff found Fisk in the Mariners box, who scored a left-footed, low strike into the far corner of the Abbotsford net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The goal, however, energized the Mariners. From an ensuing corner, Bassi was struck in the face with an elbow from an Abbotsford opponent, which prompted a short confrontation between both sets of players before the whistle blew for halftime, with the Residency team holding a one-goal lead.
After the break, the Mariners came out with more intensity, led by defender James Farenhorst. He attempted to lead Abbotsford from the back, beating Residency players with quick moves and excellent pace countless times. Mariners striker Danfi Parker responded to Farenhorst's energy, as the speedy striker snuck in behind the ‘Caps backline, but fired a shot directly at Residency goalkeeper Sean Melvin on 72 minutes.
Abbotsford's best opportunity to level the match came when substituted midfielder Juan Pablo Mora Perea took a brilliant pass and fired a lethal shot that struck the crossbar after Melvin got his fingertips to the ball on 79 minutes. The miss was costly for the home side, as the Residency team held on for another victory over their provincial foes.
Whitecaps FC Residency will now focus on a four-match PDL home stand, starting with Friday's clash versus Tacoma Tide at 7 p.m. PT. Two days later, the young 'Caps will host BC rivals Victoria Highlanders FC on Sunday at 4 p.m. PT. Both PDL matches will take place on Bell Pitch at Empire Field. Abbotsford, meanwhile, will also play their next four PDL matches at home. Next weekend, they host North Sound SeaWolves FC on Saturday before finishing their back-to-back weekend against Tacoma on Sunday.
Scoring Summary:
39' - VAN - Ben Fisk (Michael Nanchoff)
Match Stats:
Shots: Abbotsford 3 – Vancouver 4
Saves: Abbotsford 3 – Vancouver 2
Fouls: Abbotsford 16 – Vancouver 13
Offsides: Abbotsford 3 – Vancouver 2
Corners: Abbotsford 3 – Vancouver 4
Cautions:
30' – ABB - Mohammed Aziz
34' – VAN - Philippe Davies
55' – ABB - Chase Wickham
82' – VAN - Spencer DeBoice
Abbotsford Mariners
1.Lucas Menz; 3.Colton O’Neill, 6.Brent Wantke, 15.James Farenhorst, 17.Kyle Knees (2.Cody Strelau 76'), 9.Chase Wickham (11.Mark McQuade 66'), 19.Mynor Campos Jr. (Juan Pablo Mora Perea 45'), 5.Mohammad Aziz, 17.Ethan Claiborne-Collins (Adam Plantinga 45'), 8.Sasa Plavsic (Adrian Kekec 45'), 10.Danfi Parker
Subs not used: Mark Village, 18.Daniel Lowen, 23.Adrian Kekec
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
30.Sean Melvin; 5.Derrick Bassi, 13.Bilal Duckett (12.Tim Hickson 69'), 2.Declan Rodriguez, 3.La'Vere Corbin-Ong; 15.Philippe Davies, 16.Alexandre Morfaw (18.Ben McKendry 66'), 24.Carlos Marquez (25.Alex Rowley 85'), 10.Ben Fisk (23.Nelson Castillo 83'); 17.Michael Nanchoff (11.Spencer DeBoice 66’), 9.Caleb Clarke
Subs not used: 1.Callum Irving
