The Defiance persevered and pulled out a critical 2-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes II to keep them above the playoff line as they finished the night in 7th place. This was a well earned win, as even though the Defiance couldn’t break through until the 83rd minute, they were dangerous throughout the evening.
The first half didn’t result in any goals, but provided a glimpse into what we would see on the night as both teams were able to create chances. Some of these ended up being half chances or were stifled by good defending. For the Defiance, it was Charlie Gaffney who was the consistent outlet and primary chance creator.
The second half is where the fireworks came out. The Defiance conceded a penalty in the 64th minute when Quakes II pulled a cutback to the top of the box and the attacker made a nice spin move that drew a foul from Jasper Winslow. The ensuing penalty was slotted in the side netting past Max Anchor even though he guessed correctly.
The Defiance comeback started in the 83rd minute after Xavi Gnaluati received a cross field switch near the left touchline. He carried the ball inside on the dribble, beating two defenders before drawing contact to earn a penalty. Mark Bronnik stepped up to take the kick and put it down the middle after the keeper had already made his move to the corner. The comeback was complete in the 90th minute when Charlie Gaffney floated a corner to the back post, where Mark O’Neill rose and headed it down past the keeper.
Overview
Lineup
Substitutions
- 46’ Matthew Bell ⇆ Edson Carli
- 90’ Danny Robles ⇆ Xavi Gnaulati
Goals
- 64’ Earthquakes II - ⚽Edwyn Mendoza
- 83’ Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Mark Bronnik
- 90' Tacoma Defiance - ⚽Mark O'Neill (Charlie Gaffney)
Stats
Key performers
Charlie Gaffney
Gaffney is continuing a banner year with another excellent performance at right wingback. He created the most chances for Defiance with 6, and had the assist on the game winner from a corner kick. This puts his offensive output on the season to 2 goals and 7 assists in almost 1,800 minutes played , or 0.51 goal contributions per 90. As is always the case with Charlie, he was active on both sides of the ball with 3 clearances, 1 interception and 4 recoveries. The three primary attackers have been getting a lot of the plaudits for the Tacoma’s mid-season turnaround, but Gaffney’s play has been just as important.
Mark Bronnik
Bronnik is showing he just can’t be contained at the MLS Next Pro level as he was again consistently goal dangerous. He finished with 11 touches in the opposition box as well as the most shots for Defiance with 6. Tonight there was some additional fire to his game, where he was getting into it with the Quakes. However, he also brought that competitiveness to effective play, getting involved in 9 duels and winning 7. Bronnik has been a mainstay on the key performers list in these game recaps and he is likely to stay here with this consistent play.
Mark O'Neill
After playing a few games in the back 3, O’Neill was again moved up to the double pivot and had an excellent game with the biggest moment of the match. His calling card is his physicality in the center of the pitch, which he brought again tonight with 1 block, 5 clearances and 2 recoveries. His on-ball work was also strong where he was highly utilized in possession, completing 42 of 51 pass attempts. He stretched the field as well, connecting on 8 of 10 long ball attempts. The moment of the match and maybe the season was his danger on set pieces, where he won the game with an excellent header at the back post off a corner. O’Neill is a leader on this team and pushed the victory tonight.
