Ballard FC came out looking strong against United PDX in Oregon this Sunday, keen to bounce back from a last-minute defeat to Oly Town FC last Friday. The press was working early, leading to a Jeremy Opong chance that was just narrowly wide.
In the 14th minute, would be the similarly thin margins that would lead to an early exit for Ballard FC’s captain Lesia Thetsane. United PDX was able to sneak behind Ballard’s backline and Thetsane brought his man down, resulting in a straight red. There was some debate as to whether or not the foul occurred inside the box, but ultimately the penalty was given. After much deliberation, United PDX’s Giovanni Calixtro dispatched the penalty in the 16th minute. Ballard FC were now down a man and down a goal very early on.
Despite being down a man, Ballard FC dominated possession and created the majority of the opportunities in the rest of the first half. Their good stretch of play would eventually be rewarded in the 40th minute.
Ballard FC’s Kojo Dadzie won his side a penalty kick by forcing a handball from United PDX center-back Boyd Curry. Following his penalty conversion on Friday, Peter Kingston stepped up once again, sending the keeper the wrong way and tying the match at 1-1.
In the second half, United PDX came out strong and started taking advantage of their extra man. Lars Helleren was forced into a couple of diving stops to keep the match level, and Coach Farrell moved Joe Dale to right back to provide extra defensive cover for the rest of the match.
It looked like Ballard FC were going to have to hold on for the point while down a man until things became interesting in the 85th minute. United PDX’s Jacob Babalai received a red card for an awful challenge, leveling the playing field once more at 10 apiece. With the two teams having even numbers, the last five minutes were dominant for Ballard FC with United PDX just holding on for the draw.
Overall, a shift in tactics and a stalwart performance from Leo Burney who stepped up at the heart of Ballard’s defense was enough to keep United PDX at bay and earn a hard-fought point for Ballard FC away from home. Ballard FC remains eight points clear of Oly Town FC at the top of the division standings and will return to action next Friday, June 30th against CFC Atletico at Interbay Stadium. CFC have a game in hand on Oly Town and will look to move into 2nd place on Friday. Last season, CFC beat Ballard FC in both matches and Ballard FC will be looking for revenge. With four consecutive home sell-outs, be sure to grab your tickets now!
