Ballard FC came away from Interbay with a 3-0 playoff victory over New Mexico United U23s in the USL 2 Western Conference Quarterfinals. After Friday’s match, Ballard are now set for a fourth meeting with Oly Town FC this season in the Conference Semifinals at 2:00 PM on Sunday, July 23rd.
Ballard came out strong from the first whistle, displaying clear playoff intensity and creating a lot of early chances. And in the 16th minute, they’d finish one of those chances with Stas Korzeniowski opening the scoring with a tidy finish in the bottom corner after being set up by Khai Brisco down the right flank. 1-0.
After the goal, the home side searched for a second as they continued to pepper the goal of New Mexico’s Anthony Munoz. However, the second goal was not to be, and towards the end of the half the tide started to shift.
The New Mexico United U23s did not roll over. Despite being down early against a dominant Ballard FC side, they found a way to play themselves into some well-worked possession in the last 15 minutes of the first half.
Much to their dismay, there was nothing getting past Ballard’s back line Friday night. Ballard FC center-back Leo Burney was immense, tidying up everything from lofted crosses to threaded-through balls. His man-of-the-match performance along with the rest of the backline was enough to prevent an equalizer and keep a clean sheet.
Coming out of the break, Ballard was able to catch their opponents sleeping. Finding himself in a pocket of space, Peter Kingston measured an inch-perfect pass into Danny Robles who took it in stride and picked out a stellar finish for 2-0 in the 47th minute.
After scoring their second goal, Ballard FC began to slow down play and keep everything in front of them. Match management is a huge factor come playoff time, and Lars Helleren led the side brilliantly with it. And right before the final whistle, Ballard FC found a third to finish the match as strongly as they started it.
In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, some tired legs benefited second-half substitute Jibril Rodet, who ran the length of the field and broke away from his defenders to tee up Stas Korzeniowski for his brace. This would cap the scoring at 3-0, and send New Mexico United U23s back home.
Ballard FC will now set their sights on Sunday and Oly Town FC for the USL 2 Western Conference Semi-Finals. Kickoff is at 2:00 pm. Gates open at 12:30.
With every USL2 match at Interbay selling out this season, make sure to grab your tickets now and support Ballard FC by packing Interbay Stadium for some playoff soccer!
Photos courtesy of Blake Dahlin
