BURNABY, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 forward Daniel Ittycheria’s strike in the 97th minute clinched a 2-1 comeback victory for the young 'Caps over Cascadia rivals Tacoma Defiance on Sunday at Swangard Stadium.
The young ’Caps started with authority. In the seventh minute, a looping cross from Micaah Garnette dipped for a powerful Rayan Elloumi header. Former Whitecaps FC first team goalkeeper and academy product Max Anchor propelled himself off the goal line to deliver a sublime save for Tacoma that kept the match scoreless.
WFC2 kept probing off the wings, especially Garnette. The 22-year-old countlessly sprinted in off the left touch line for one-on-one battles in an effort to find the opener for the home side.
However, both clubs’s defensive corps went in lockdown mode going into the halftime interval.
Four minutes after play resumed, the visitors struck first. Defender Charlie Gaffney found open space down the right wing and cracked a cross deep into the box to an oncoming Leonardo Flores Gonzalez. The forward slipped past a defender and stuck out his boot to deflect home a 15-yard strike for his first professional goal.
Bruised but not broken, WFC2 kept their heads high. Off a Carson Rassak corner kick, his effort struck gold at the far post. Defender Trevor Wright leapt up to nod in the equalizer for his first of the season. The American had been captain at the University of Denver for the past two seasons.
In a series of seconds, WFC2 substitute Tyler Brown had three chances to win the match. The academy product smashed a low effort that Anchor parried back into the middle of the box. He then got on the end of his own rebound and sent another effort on goal, which Anchor acrobatically denied. The ball skipped to the left side of goal but Brown blasted his third attempt over the crossbar, narrowly finding the go-ahead goal as the Swangard crowd stood on their feet to applaud the youngster's determination.
On the ensuing play, Anchor’s long kick sent Tacoma substitute Saku Kitafuji in on a two-on-two. He darted wide to crack a curler from distance just off the left post.
It was then Isaac Boehmer's turn to come up clutch for the 'Caps. The first goalkeeper got up in stunning fashion to parry away a Daniel Robles volley.
The goalkeeper’s brilliance led to Ittycheria’s last-gasp drive. After a scramble at the top of the Tacoma box, Rassak was able to poke the ball into the path of Ittycheria, who calmly tucked in his second goal of the season and claimed the full three points for Vancouver with his low effort towards the bottom corner.
Next up, the young ’Caps head south of the border to face Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday, April 19, with kickoff set for 5 p.m. PT. Cheer on the boys by watching the match for free on OneFootball and MLSNEXTPro.com.
After that clash, Whitecaps FC 2 return home to Swangard to take on Colorado Rapids 2 on Sunday, April 26. Kickoff is scheduled at 4 p.m. PT.
For every home match this season, WFC2 tickets are only $10 each. Tickets can be purchased through Universe. Also, season ticket members can receive free admission. Access the complimentary WFC2 tickets by using your account number as the access key at checkout. Youth who are 18 and under get in free.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Niko Jecanski
Scoring Summary
49’ – TAC – Leonardo Flores Gonzalez (Charlie Gaffney, Yu Tsukanome)
68’ – VAN – Trevor Wright (Carson Rassak)
90’+6 – VAN – Daniel Ittycheria (Carson Rassak)
Cautions
12’ – TAC – Jasper Winslow
39’ – TAC – Mark Bronnik
45’ – VAN – Cristiano Bruletti
80’ – VAN – Tyler Brown
81’ – TAC – Mark O’Neill
83’ – TAC – Edson Carli
88’ – VAN – Immanuel Mathe
Statistics
Possession: VAN 58% – TAC 42%
Shots: VAN 18 – TAC 14
Shots on Goal: VAN 12 – TAC 2
Saves: VAN 1 – TAC 10
Fouls: VAN 16 – TAC 15
Offsides: VAN 4 – TAC 2
Corners: VAN 6 – TAC 5
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer ©; 41.Nikola Djordjevic (53.Immanuel Mathe 64’), 43.Trevor Wright, 54.Prince Amponsah, 48.Micaah Garnette; 46.Cristiano Bruletti (47.Marko Popović 64’), 61.Carson Rassak; 66.Sahil Deo (51.Kevin Podgorni 79’), 97.Liam Mackenzie, 44.Daniel Ittycheria; 19.Rayan Elloumi (64.Tyler Brown 64’)
Substitutes not used
60.Sam Rogers, 58.Jesse Peace
Tacoma Defiance
50.Max Anchor; 58.Jasper Winslow, 53.Gallatin Sandnes, 80.Drew Brown, 48.Codey Phoenix (84.Charlie Gaffney 38’); 40.Mark O’Neill, 30.Edson Carli (34.Daniel Robles 85’); 90.Sebastian Gomez (40.Kelvin-Luis Brito 80’), 36.Yu Tsukanome (97.Saku Kitafuji 74’), 42.Rafael Jauregui (52.Mitchell Emert 88’); 81.Mark Bronnik (79.Leonardo Flores Gonzalez HT)
Substitutes not used
41.Mohammed Shour, 43.Omar Hassan, 47.Demian Alvarez, 52.Mitchell Emert
