The Tacoma Defiance are still looking for their first win of the season, but are no longer looking to end their goalless streak.
The first half against Vancouver Whitecaps 2 was much the same of what we have seen from Defiance games this year, strong defensively with little danger going forward. There was some lineup changes with Mark O'Neill coming into the central midfield and Drew Brown getting an appearance. Even with these changes the defensive structure was sound, which was notable with Whitecaps first teamer Rayan Elloumi playing up top.
The worst news of the first half was an apparent concussion injury to Codey Phoenix. After going in for a slide tackle on Elloumi in the box, he appeared to get a knee to the head and after a lengthy evaluation was subbed off. Mitchell Emert, an academy defender, was intended to sub in, but due to a number mismatch between the pre-game roster and his kit, he was ineligible. Eventually Charlie Gaffney came into the game, but not until Tacoma had played down a man for four minutes while the situation was sorted out.
The second half began with substitute Leo Flores Gonzalez ending Tacoma’s 412 minute goal drought. Yu Tsukanome sent a cross-field switch to Charlie Gaffney, who put in a cross behind the back line that Flores Gonzalez was able to put a sliding one-touch finish into the far post. This offensive outburst seemed too much for the YouTube stream, which subsequently froze until the 54th minute.
Whitecaps 2 equalized in the 68th minute off a corner, where Trevor White beat Drew Brown to the top of the six for an open header that Max Anchor got a hand on but couldn't keep out. The home team got a late winner off a counterattack, where a centered ball to the top of the box fell to Carson Rassak. He got his second assist of the night by playing a little ball to Daniel Ittycheria, who slotted it past Anchor around the penalty spot.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 38’ Charlie Gaffney ⇆ Codey Phoenix
- 45’ Leo Flores Gonzalez ⇆ Mark Bronnik
- 74’ Saku Kitafuji ⇆ Yu Tsukanome
- 80‘ Kelvin Luis Brito ⇆ Sebastian Gomez
- 85’ Mitchell Emert ⇆ Rafael Jauregui
- 85’ Danny Robles ⇆ Edson Carli
Goals
- 49’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Leo Flores Gonzalez (Charlie Gaffney)
- 68’ Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - ⚽Trevor White (Carson Rassak)
- 97’ Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - ⚽Daniel Ittycheria (Carson Rassak)
Stats
Key performers
Leo Flores Gonzalez
The 17-year-old academy striker came in as a second half sub and made his 45 minutes count. He displayed strong movement on his goal, making a hard run in front of his defender towards the penalty spot and putting home an excellent one time finish. His presence up top seemed to help the attack be more dangerous as a whole, illustrated by nine of their 13 shots coming in the second half. This performance builds off a strong showing in the previous game and should earn him more minutes.
Max Anchor
The defense was not quite as strong as they have been in previous games, but Anchor rose to the occasion. He finished with seven saves, five of which were on shots from inside the box. Saves in the 7th, 74th and 83rd minute should go on his highlight reel. He showed some inconsistency in pre-season with the first team but has really come into his own with Defiance. Without his play in this game, this would have been a lopsided scoreline instead of only a one-goal loss.
Gallatin Sandnes
While the defense was rotated and didn't have the consistency displayed early in the season, Sandnes was still a standout. On the defensive end, he had seven clearances and a blocked shot, as well as winning all three of his duels. As we have come to see, he is also strong offensively with his passing, where he finished with two key passes. While only 17, he has been a promising prospect for awhile, but now he looks to have taken another step to be the leader on this backline. It would be surprising if he doesn't sign a contract with the organization this year.
