Ballard FC held on to beat the Flint City Bucks on Sunday 1-0 in the USL 2 National Semifinal. With this victory, Ballard will now face Lionsbridge FC in the National Final on Saturday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. PT hosted at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, WA.
The Flint City Bucks came out strong in this one, applying the early pressure and dictating the pace of the game in the first five minutes.
But it would be the visitors who struck first as Ballard FC would finish the opening ten minutes with a goal against the run of play. In the 9th minute, Taketo Onodera smashed in a lovely strike from just outside the box to give Ballard an early lead. Onodera has done it all for Ballard this season, playing as a central midfielder, holding midfielder, and right back. And now when his side needed it most, Onodera got his first goal and Ballard’s biggest goal of the season.
The home side and crowd were stunned by Onodera’s wonder strike. But, the Bucks would start applying pressure on the Ballard backline again just nine minutes later.
In the 18th minute, Leo Burney made a huge defensive clearance off of a headed-through ball by a Flint attacker to keep Flint City at bay.
A few more dangerous chances came and went for Flint as they maintained the majority of possession but never looked too dangerous as Lars Helleren and the backline in front of him held strong.
In the 28th minute, there was a huge chance on the counter for Ballard. Peter Kingston was able to create space on the left flank and hook in a perfect cross onto the head of Charlie Gaffney. The glancing header effort was on its way to the bottom corner if not for a great save from Flint City goalkeeper Dominic Nascimben.
Despite Flint dominating possession in the first half, they had yet to register a shot on goal. Ethan O’Neill’s tactical game plan worked quite well, allowing Flint to have the ball in non-threatening areas and then having his side attack on the counter. Flint would eventually put a shot on frame in first-half stoppage time but Helleren’s kick save kept them out and sent Ballard into halftime with a one-goal lead.
The second half told a similar tale. Flint had more of the ball, but Ballard remained stubborn and organized defensively.
Ballard FC looked comfortable off the ball and holding onto their lead. However, they also almost grabbed a second goal on multiple occasions with quick counters from Kingston and co.
Cards flew out of the referee’s pocket as the game neared its nail-biting conclusion. The most notable was a second yellow for Ballard defender Khai Brisco, as his man fell on the break and tangled his legs with Brisco. The red card means Brisco will be suspended for the final, undoubtedly a huge miss, but Ballard has rotated well all year.
With over five minutes of stoppage time due to all the bookings, Flint City knew their season was on the line and through the kitchen sink at Ballard. Helleren, your Ballard FC Man of the Match, was immense all match and continued to be so at the end. Helleren bossed his penalty box with supreme confidence and ensured his side would reach the finish with a victory.
In a match filled with adversity, Ballard FC held on to a 1-0 win to bring the USL 2 National Championship back to the Pacific Northwest!
Ticket info and more will be available at 9:00 AM Tuesday, August 1st. Stay tuned for more details about this Saturday’s match at Starfire Stadium.
Photos courtesy of Blake Dahlin
