Tacoma Defiance made their way north to Swangard Stadium to play Vancouver Whitecaps II on Sunday and came away with the 2-0 victory.
The first half was evenly matched, with both teams performing solidly defensively, limiting any real dangerous chances. A notable change in the starting lineup was Saku Kitafuji getting his first start playing as the 10 underneath Yu Tsukanome. However, his opportunity was cut short when in the 42nd minute he pulled up with a right hamstring injury while dribbling into the box. Mark Bronnik came on as a sub, playing striker and pushing Yu back to the 10.
The second half saw Defiance come out firing, with an increased intensity and push to be dangerous towards goal. The team got its breakthrough on a corner kick, where after playing short, a cross to the back post was headed back across the 18 by Mark O’Neill to Stuart Hawkins, whose side volley found the bottom corner. Tacoma’s second goal was a combination play on the right side that put Charlie Gaffney through; he dribbled to the corner of the box before pulling his cross back to Mark Bronnik, who slotted to the same bottom corner.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutes
- 44’ Mark Bronnik ⇆ Saku Kitafuji
- 46‘ Rafael Jauregui ⇆ Sebastian Gomez
- 61‘ Cody Baker ⇆ Ryan Sailor
- 84' Yu Tsukanome ⇆ Omar Hassan
Goals
- 58’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Stuart Hawkins (Mark O'Neill)
- 83’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Mark Bronnik (Charlie Gaffney)
Stats
Key performers
Stuart Hawkins
The first team centerback had an outstanding performance, where he looked back to his pre-injury form. The highlight will be his goal, but he was comfortable in all aspects of the game. Offensively, he was aggressive in advancing the ball, finishing with a key pass and two progressive carries. Additionally, defensively he had a well-rounded game, stepping into passing lanes for interceptions and covering runners to block shots. His first few appearances after this latest injury have shown some rust, but this performance showed that should be behind him.
Rafael Jauregui
Jauregui was a halftime sub and was a major factor in the improved second half. He was a catalyst for the improved intensity, highlighted by him putting up a ridiculous 11 duels won out of 14 and three of five tackles won. There was versatility in his play as well, starting out as a winger but playing more in the half space after the team went to three in the back. The only blemish was his failure to put on target a glorious chance in the 75th minute. However, that shouldn’t take away from an otherwise excellent shift.
Mark Bronnik
One of the most promising players coming into the season, Bronnik has had a rough start to his Defiance career. This has resulted in a reduction in his minutes, but he got a decent run out due to the unfortunate injury to Kitafuji. He took this opportunity with a classy finish in the 83rd minute but was also getting into good spots in the 45+2 and 75th minute. He also brought an intensity that has sometimes lacked by getting into eight duels, though he only won three of them. Hopefully, this performance can be a reset for Bronnik and he can carry it forward for the remainder of the year.
