Vancouver Whitecaps Prospects Men recorded their biggest win of the Pacific Coast Soccer League season by far, as they overpowered the visiting Okanagan Challenge 7-1 at Simon Fraser University on Saturday afternoon.
Forward Gavin Barrett led the assault with four goals, as Bart Choufour's side look to finish their PCSL Premier Division season a high.
It looked like it might be a rough afternoon for the home side, as the Challenge had the better of the early play and opened the scoring after just 16 minutes, as Brandon Ferridge headed in off an Okanagan free kick.
A comedy of errors, however, soon saw the lead quickly reversed, as the Prospects scored twice in a matter of seconds.
On minute 19, the Okanagan goalkeeper came out of his area to clear a through ball, and ended up booting it right into the legs of one of his own defenders. The ball ricocheted back toward the Okanagan goal, sailing over the crossbar when it could have gone anywhere.
Vancouver then punished the error from the ensuing corner, as Barrett headed in to make it 1-1.
A minute later, there was more punishing to be done, as the Okanagan keeper again came out and misplayed the ball at the left edge of the box. Milad Mehrabi took possession and rolled it into the empty net to make it 2-1 to the Whitecaps.
Late in the half, on minute 44, Whitecaps goalkeeper Coady Nett made a huge save by acrobatically tipping over a hard rising shot from Sam McNie.
It proved to be an important stop, as moments later, Vancouver made it 3-1 in stoppage time on a quick counter-attack, with Barrett running on to the ball in space on the right and hammering it past the Challenge keeper.
Vancouver continued to pour it on to start the second half, and on minute 49, Riley Newport got away a hard shot on a loose ball at the top of the area. The shot took a deflection and went in for 4-1.
On minute 55, it was 5-1 with Barrett earning a hat- trick, as he won a battle for the ball before firing home.
Four minutes later, Vancouver forward Max Maund broke in on goal and added a sixth, as the Prospects had turned the contest into a rout.
Barrett closed out the scoring in minute 84, heading in his fourth of the day following a Whitecaps corner kick.
Nett then made a couple of great saves to deny the Okanagan's Morgan Mars in the closing minutes, as Vancouver were well-deserved 7-1 winners on the day.
The win sees the Prospects' record improve to 3-11-3, putting them level on points with the 3-12-3 Challenge, but with a game in hand. The Whitecaps will finish ahead of the Challenge, should they win or draw when they host league-leading Victoria United on Sunday, otherwise the Challenge will finish ahead of them on goal difference.
Whitecaps Prospects Men - starting line-up v Okanagan Challenge
Coady Nett; Flo Liu, Ben Leggett, Ben Hemphill, Ashley Ankiewicz; Milad Mehrabi, Lawrence Buchan, Thomas Mallette, Riley Newport; Gavin Barrett, Max Maund
