Ballard FC cruise by Oly Town FC 3-0 to earn a spot in the USL 2 Western Conference Finals.
The Ballard boys looked particularly poised on Sunday, turning in their second consecutive clean sheet in the playoffs and moving the ball fluidly across the field. This brand of soccer should come as no surprise to the fans however as it has been on display the entire season at Interbay.
The match itself started with Ballard FC on the front foot but Oly Town’s defense kept them at bay for the first 20 minutes, and then they had a decent chance of their own as they forced Lars Helleren to dive to his and keep it scoreless in the 24th minute. The home side however would find their opener in the next five minutes.
Ballard FC Captain Lesia Thetsane lead from the front today by scoring in the 29th minute. After winning a ball played over the top, Peter Kingston found the onrushing Thetsane who smashed a low-driven shot into the bottom right corner for 1-0.
Oly Town’s defense held tight for the rest of the half to keep themselves within striking distance going into the break.
With the match still in the balance, Oly Town came out strong at the start of the second half. The Artesians attempted to apply pressure on Helleren’s goal but to no avail. Similarly to Friday, Ballard was compact and organized from back to front, leaving little room for Oly to carve out chances.
Ballard midfielder and Mano of the Match Danny Robles was everywhere on Sunday. Robles helped to regain control of the match in the second half, constantly breaking that first line of pressure to transition from defense to attack.
After a decent spell of Oly Town pressure, Ballard FC delivered a crushing blow.
In the 72nd minute, Khai Brisco earned a penalty, beating his man to the ball and getting chopped down in the box.
Shutting down Oly’s comeback chances, Stas Korzeniowski dispatched the penalty and doubled Ballard’s lead. It is beginning to feel like a Korzeniowski goal is inevitable whenever he plays.
Ride the new momentum, The Bridges struck again while the iron was hot.
In the 81st minute, Declan McGlynn tucked away Ballard’s third and final after being set up beautifully by Kojo Dadzie and Charlie Gaffney, all three of which were second-half substitutes. Coach O’Neill got his changes right on Sunday.
Two 3-0 victories in a row at Interbay Stadium means that Ballard FC is officially headed to Flint, Michigan to compete in the Western Conference Finals against Ventura County Fusion on Friday, July 28th at 3:00 PM ET (12:00 AM PT). If Ballard wins on Friday, then they will play either the Flint City Bucks or Des Moines Menace in the National Semifinal on Sunday.
There will be a watch party at the Reuben’s Brews Taproom for Friday’s match. Enjoy food from Reuben’s Eats and a drink while watching Ballard FC compete for a conference title.
Photos courtesy of Marissa Lordahl
