THOUSAND OAKS, CA – It was an end-to-end affair on Thursday evening, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 earned a vital three points after defeating Ventura County FC 2-1 on the road at William Rolland Stadium in Thousand Oaks, California.
Ventura County attempted to get ahead early, firing some shots off set-pieces but were unable to get them on target.
After withstanding the initial Ventura County pressure, WFC2 went on to steal the lead in the 18th minute. Rayan Elloumi was sent in behind, danced past his mark and VCFC goalkeeper Owen Pratt, before tucking it into an empty net to make it 1-0.
Ventury County nearly got an instant equalizer after Dylan Vanney fired a shot inside the box but it was well saved by first team goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer.
Nikola Djordjevic nearly doubled the young 'Caps lead in the 24th minute, blasting a shot from distance that beat Pratt, but was unable to cross the line as it smashed against the near post.
Antoine Coupland then had a good chance less than 10 minutes later, getting on the end of a cross with a header near the penalty spot but directing it into the hands of Pratt.
Boehmer then made a massive save to keep WFC2’s lead intact, coming across his goal to deny Jose Luis Magana Jr.’s header from short range.
Just before half-time, Djordjevic was once again denied by the woodwork after cutting inside from the left and getting past two VCFC players, firing twice with the first hitting a teammate and the second crashing against the crossbar.
However, the young ‘Caps would not be denied their second. Right on half-time, Elloumi got his and Whitecaps FC 2’s second. From the left, Coupland drilled a low cross right across the mouth of goal to Elloumi who was able to meet it with a deft back heel, rolling it across the line and into the back of the net.
Ventura Country began the second half with a chance to halve the deficit, but Sean Karani rocketed a shot from inside the box over the crossbar.
Shortly after, Elloumi almost got his hattrick after dribbling in the box, but he was unable to get past Pratt on this occasion.
Ventura County did end up getting one back in the 63rd minute, as Nicklaus Sullivan fired a shot from just outside the box into the bottom corner.
With just a slim lead going into the last 25 minutes, WFC2 had to make some big defensive plays, including a clearance off the line after a VCFC corner kick.
Elloumi almost sealed the result in added time at the end of the game, getting sent in behind on the right side of the pitch but Pratt did well to use his leg to deflect Elloumi’s ensuing shot wide.
That would prove to be the last effort from either side, as Whitecaps FC 2 held on for a massive 2-1 victory to climb the table into fifth place in MLS NEXT Pro's Western Conference.
Whitecaps FC 2 are back in action on the road as they face Colorado Rapids II on Sunday, July 14 before battling Houston Dynamo II in Texas on Thursday, July 17th. Both matches kickoff at 5 p.m. PT. The young ‘Caps then come back home to Swangard Stadium to face Sporting Kansas City II on Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Mark Verso
Scoring Summary
18’ – VAN – Rayan Elloumi
45’ – VAN – Rayan Elloumi (Antoine Coupland)
63’ – VCFC – Nicklaus Sullivan
Statistics
Possession: VCFC 63% - VAN 37%
Shots: VCFC 15 - VAN 13
Shots on Goal: VCFC 3 - VAN 4
Saves: VCFC 2 - VAN 2
Fouls: VCFC 17 - VAN 13
Offsides: VCFC 1 - VAN 0
Corners: VCFC 6 - VAN 3
Cautions
47’ – VCFC – Riley Dalgado
88’ – VCFC – Chris Rindov
90’ – VAN – Yuma Tsuji
Ventura County FC
91.Owen Pratt; 26.Harbor Miller, 64.Jose Luis Magana Jr, 63.Chris Rindov, 50.Riley Dalgado (97.Garcia Vicente 64’); 49.Dylan Vanney, 47.Jeorgio Kocevski (60.Levon Saribekyan 87’), 65.Thomas Musto; 55.Jason Bucknor (66.Mateo Tsakiris 86’), 61.Sean Karani, 83.Nicklaus Sullivan
Substitutes not used
81.James Rhodes, 68.Max Middleby, 73.Enrique Martinez, 87.Gabriel Arnold
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer ©; 48.Adrián Pelayo, 53.Mark O'Neill, 46.Deylen Vellios; 66.Sahil Deo (55.Cyprian Kachwele 78’), 68.Yuma Tsuji, 71.Carson Rassak (44.Jackson Castro 65’), 54.Daniel Russo; 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 75.Rayan Elloumi, 43.Antoine Coupland (63.Johnny Selemani 90’+1)
Substitutes not used
70.Trystan Read, 64.Mateo Clark, 93.Antoine Nehme
