TUKWILA, WA – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 came through with the goods on Thursday night, as they earned an emphatic 3-1 road win over Cascadia rivals Tacoma Defiance at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.
First team goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer was called into action six minutes in, as he denied Tacoma's Sebastian Gomez from close range following a set piece.
WFC2's first chance of the match came in the 11th minute, as Nelson Pierre got on the end of a brilliant over-the-top through ball from Mark O'Neill. The first team forward then set up Mateo Clark for the first time strike, but saw his effort drift wide of the Tacoma goal.
The two teams continued to battle it out during the first half, with Pierre rolling a shot from inside the box just wide of the far post, meaning the sides would go into the halftime interval all tied up at 0-0.
Right after the break, the young 'Caps came out flying, as Antoine Coupland unleashed a left-footed strike from distance that beat Tacoma goalkeeper Jacob Castro but rattled off the post.
Fast forward to the 61st minute, Charles Dodzi came closest to breaking the deadlock as he directed a cross from Jackson Khoury wide of the 'Caps goal after getting in behind the backline.
Shortly after, substitute Rayan Elloumi played a delightful back heel into the path of Cyprian Kachwele, who then found Nikola Djordjevic on the right wing. The fullback cut inside and forced Castro into a fine save with a right-footed curler.
In the 77th minute, Tacoma opened the scoring as Yu Tsukanome converted a penalty kick with a strong finish past Boehmer.
It only took two minutes for the young 'Caps to even the score, as Kachwele got on the end of a flicked header by Pierre inside the box. The Tanzanian international then cut inside and ripped a left-footed half volley into the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1.
WFC2 struck lightning twice in quick succession as O'Neill took a quick throw in the Tacoma half towards Elloumi. The product of St. Albert, Alberta completed a smooth turn inside the box and saw his tipped effort come off the far post but Pierre cleaned up the rebound to give the young 'Caps the 2-1 lead. It was Pierre's 13th goal of the season in MLS NEXT Pro action.
As if that wasn't enough, WFC2 added a third in stoppage time. Castro, who had gone upfield to support Tacoma's last ditch efforts at an equalizer, sprinted back towards goal as Ryder Sewell settled the ball down for Pierre on the break. With Castro way out of his goal, Pierre unselfishly sprung Elloumi in on goal and he finished calmly to make it 18 goal contributions in 18 MLS NEXT Pro appearances this season (11 goals, seven assists).
The young 'Caps would see out the victory, claiming a memorable 3-1 win over their Cascadia rivals. Next up, they'll face The Town FC on Saturday, September 13 in a doubleheader at BC Place, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. PT, followed by the first team's cross-conference clash against Philadelphia Union at 6:30 p.m. PT. Tickets to both matches are available at www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Robert Vincze
Scoring Summary
77’ – TAC – Yu Tsukanome (penalty kick)
79’ – VAN – Cyprian Kachwele (Nelson Pierre, Daniel Russo)
82’ – VAN – Nelson Pierre
90’+7 – VAN – Rayan Elloumi (Nelson Pierre, Ryder Sewell)
Statistics
Possession: TAC 62% - VAN 38%
Shots: TAC 24 - VAN 10
Shots on Goal: TAC 8 - VAN 4
Saves: TAC 1 - VAN 7
Fouls: TAC 18 - VAN 13
Offsides: TAC 1 - VAN 8
Corners: TAC 5 - VAN 1
Cautions
35’ – VAN – Nelson Pierre
70' – TAC – Leo Burney
76’ – VAN – Mark O'Neill
90'+7 – VAN – Rayan Elloumi
Tacoma Defiance
29.Jacob Castro; 33.Cody Baker, 4.Leo Burney, 35.Antino López, 3.Travian Sousa; 34.Danny Robles (74.Edson Carli 57'), 45.Peter Kingston; 90.Sebastian Gomez, 36.Yu Tsukanome, 42.Rafferty Pedder (48.Jackson Khoury 57'); 40.Charles Dodzi (59.Leonardo Flores Gonzalez 89')
Substitutes not used
56.Noah Newman, 31.Birame Diaw, 38.Kaito Yamada, 44.Charlie Gaffney, 47.Demian Alvarez
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 232.Isaac Boehmer ©; 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 48.Adrían Pelayo, 53.Mark O'Neill, 46.Deylen Vellios (54.Daniel Russo 59'); 71.Carson Rassak, 44.Jackson Castro; 55.Cyprian Kachwele (73.Ryder Sewell 90'+3), 43.Antoine Coupland (75.Rayan Elloumi 59'); 42.Nelson Pierre, 64.Mateo Clark
Substitutes not used
80.Isaac Francoeur, 74.Charlie Rogers, 89.Tyler Brown
