Tacoma Defiance also traveled to the LA area to play Ventura County, and attempted to take advantage with first teamers Tino Lopez, Ryan Sailor, and new signing Caden Clark in the starting lineup. The additional talent was supposed to help secure crucial points as they make a playoff push, but it didn't go to plan. A second half collapse and resulting 3-0 loss sets up a do-or-die season finale at Starfire, against bitter rivals Portland.
The first half was a decent showing for Defiance, creating 6 shots with some great chances from Mark Bronnik. The attack operated differently with Clark as one of the dual 10s, as he was coming back and switching sides in an effort to get on the ball. While the team's best chances came in that first half, this wrinkle in a system that has been fairly consistent seemed to throw off some of the team movements.
The second half is where things fell apart, with the team giving up 3 goals and losing any ability to create danger in the attack. The first two Ventura County goals were a product of a disorganized backline. The opener was a chipped ball over the top to an attacker that Sailor didn't mark and the second was again a missed mark on either Sailor or Sandnes on a cross to the penalty spot. The third goal in the 80th minute was a classic counterattack as the Defiance were pushing numbers forward in an attempt to get back into the game.
On the bright side, the Defiance still control their own destiny when it comes to playoff qualification. A win next weekend at home would see them into the postseason, regardless of any other results.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutions
- 45' Edson Carli ⇆ Caden Clark
- 61' Jasper Winslow ⇆ Ryan Sailor
- 67' Codey Phoenix ⇆ Drew Brown
- 67' Matthew Bell ⇆ Rafael Jauregui
- 83' Omar Hassan ⇆ Charlie Gaffney
Goals
- 56' Ventura County - ⚽Julian Placias (Vicente Garcia)
- 61' Ventura County - ⚽Daniel Ittycheria (Riley Dalgado)
- 80' Ventura County - ⚽Eric Preston (Luis Müller)
Stats
Key performers
Charlie Gaffney
In the first half, it was down the right side that the danger was coming for Defiance and much of that was again due to Gaffney. He created two chances on the night, both from beating his defender by cutting inside on the dribble. On the first he found Bronnik on the left side of the penalty box, which led to a shot just wide of the post, and the second was Gaffney taking his own left-footed shot that was blocked for a corner. As also is customary for Gaffney, he was very active defensively, finishing with 3 defensive contributions, 1 clearance, 2 interceptions and 2 recoveries.
Max Anchor
Usually a goalkeeper won't get a shoutout after conceding 3 goals, but Anchor really wasn't at fault for any of the goals and made some key saves to avoid the scoreline looking worse. He finished with 4 saves, 3 of those from inside the box. One of the best on the evening was in the 55th minute, when Lopez was beat in a 1v1 near the corner of the 6 yard box and Anchor made a point-blank save.
Rafael Jauregui
The attack was not operating at its normal effectiveness, but Jauregui did setup the best chance of the night. Recognizing the fluidity with which Clark was positioning himself, Jauregui did well to float into the areas that were vacated. That is how he ended up receiving a through ball on the right side from Clark, playing a beautiful cross to Bronnik, whose header was saved by a diving keeper. He also was extremely active again defending from the front, finishing with 3 defensive contributions, 1 tackle, 2 clearances, 4 recoveries and winning 3 of 6 duels.
