The Tacoma Defiance earned a shutout — a 0-0 draw with San Jose Earthquakes II on Saturday, a week after they conceded four goals in Houston. This turnaround is especially notable given defensove solidity has been a struggle for this club in the past, finishing with only one shutout last year that was coincidentally against the same squad. To cap it off, Max Anchor made two saves and all four shooters converted in the shootout to secure the bonus point.
In the first half, Defiance had a tough time getting on the ball early but limited San Jose possession from turning into anything dangerous. The defensive structure was much more organized and the players were competing hard for second balls and in challenges. This was reflected in Schmetzer’s favorite stat, duels won, where they finished the half at 53%.
As the half progressed, there was stronger attacking play as well, with the team getting off 6 of their 7 shots in the last 15 minutes. Codey Phoenix was a consistent outlet, as he was pushing high and wide in possession in the same way the Sounders first team pushes the right back high. Unfortunately, he had to be subbed out in the first minute of extra time with a left foot injury after a sliding tackle.
The second half opened much the same as the first half, with San Jose having the ball and Defiance defending well. Again Defiance grew into the game and were able to make some nice progressive plays, particularly Yu Tsukanome dropping back to receive and turn on the ball. However, nothing was able to turn into goal scoring chances as both teams only put 3 shots on goal all half.
Once the whistle blew, the game went to penalty kicks to decide the extra point and the team was clinical. Anchor saved his first two attempts while all four takers for Defiance scored, including two academy players who subbed in the second half, Brayden Smith and Leo Flores Gonzalez.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 45’+1 Drew Brown ⇆ Codey Phoenix
- 72’ Brayden Smith ⇆ Danny Robles
- 84’ Charlie Gaffney ⇆ Mark O’Neill
- 84’ Leo Flores Gonzalez ⇆ Edson Carli
Goals
- 1st PK Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Yu Tsukanome
- 2nd PK Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Xavi Gnaulati
- 3rd PK Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Brayden Smith
- 4th PK Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Leo Flores Gonzalez
Stats
Key performers
Max Anchor
The first team’s third-string keeper got the start in goal tonight and helped the team earn the first shutout of the year. During the run of play he didn’t have much to do, but when he was called upon he delivered. In the second half he had a couple crosses within a 10-minute span that he handled well, punching one away while catching the second. Then in the 86th minute, San Jose got their only good look with a cross to the back post that Anchor did well to get big and save the shot on corner of the six. His most memorable moments will be stonewalling the first two penalty attempts he saw, setting the team up for a comfortable penalty win.
Gallatin Sandnes
One of the most promising academy prospects made his first appearance for Defiance this year and was excellent in the center back pairing. In possession, he was consistently looking to break lines with his passing, especially on long diagonals to the left back where he found Phoenix in the 10th and 36th minute. He also blew up the stat sheet defensively with 10 defensive contributions, nine clearances, two recoveries and an interception. This was a well rounded display that showed why the 17 year old is so highly regarded.
Jasper Winslow
The other half of the center back pairing was not to be outdone, putting in an eerily similar performance to Sandnes. Winslow was progressing the ball in all manners of ways from the back line. He looked for similar passes out wide, also finding Phoenix in the 20th minute to kickstart the attack. However, he also showed a comfort on the ball by breaking lines on the dribble. One such carry in the 32nd minute created the best chance of the game where Winslow broke the first line of confrontation then was able to put a perfect through ball to Yu Tsukanome for a 1v1 breakaway. Defensively, he ended with 12 contributions, eight clearances, three recovers, an interception and a blocked shot. Winslow and Sandnes had close to identical games and proved to be a strong pairing.
