Last night, Ballard FC faced the Tacoma Stars in a highly anticipated top of the table clash between the two undefeated teams in the USL2 Northwest Division. After a 2-2 draw of their first encounter, both sides were eager to win the rematch.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Straight from kick off, it was an attack minded approach from Ballard FC. The home side had two corners in the opening minutes that forced the Tacoma Stars keeper into action early, setting the precedent for the fast paced match. However, Tacoma’s danger on the counter was evident as they when quickly from back to front in transition and missed narrowly wide in the sixth minute. With decent chances for both sides in the first ten minutes, it looked like an early goal was coming.
The early pressure paid off when a defensive mix-up by Tacoma in the 12th minute led to an own goal by #21, Edward Na. A through ball from Austin Brummett to Richie Aman was barely cut out by Na, but his intercepting deflection ultimately found its way into the goal. After the opening goal, the tempo only increased as Tacoma fought to try and get back level and Ballard looked to increase our lead.
Ballard continued on the front foot, creating multiple chances. Brummett was a constant threat, with a narrow miss in the 18th minute and another forcing a crucial save in the 22nd minute. The aggressive nature of the match kept building as early yellow cards were shown to Ballard FC defender Leo Burney and Tacoma Stars forward Charlie Kosakoff.
Ballard’s persistence was rewarded again in the 34th minute when Juan Alvarez intercepted a misplaced pass off a goal kick by Tacoma, slotting home to make it 2-0.
Tacoma managed to pull one back just before halftime with a well-placed shot from right outside the 18 yard box by Richard Lapointe-Gueruara in the 44th minute, ending the half at 2-1.
To start the second half, Ballard pushed hard for a third goal but to no avail. Then a little after the hour mark both teams had begun emptying their bench, and that is when the momentum shifted. The next ten minutes would be all Tacoma.
Tacoma found an equalizer in the 70th minute. An errant pass in Ballard’s defense was intercepted by Stars forward Charlie Kosakoff, who broke away and placed a powerful shot into the top corner, leveling the match at 2-2. This goal brought new life to Tacoma Stars, and just two minutes later, Charlie Kosakoff struck again, assisted by Johnny Ramirez, to give the Stars the 3-2 lead.
Ballard FC gathered themselves quickly and responded to the lead change. In the 77th minute, Cameron Cruz burst down the sideline and drove a low ball across the box, which was met at the back post by Charlie Gaffney, who cushioned it into an open net, tying the match at 3-3. The match became increasingly frantic, with both teams pushing forward in search of a winning goal.
In the 81st minute, Demian Alvarez cut the ball across the box to Cruz, whose shot was expertly blocked by Tacoma’s defense, keeping the score tied as the match approached its final moments. Ballard continued to press, and in the 85th minute, Kingston switched play to Cruz, who brought the ball down and unleashed a strong shot that was saved by the Stars’ keeper.
The closing minutes were filled with drama. In the 87th minute, Demian Alvarez received a yellow card, followed by another yellow card to Tacoma’s forward Titus Washington in the 88th minute. With six minutes of added time, both teams knew that one final chance could decide the outcome.
The decisive moment came in the 95th minute when a long ball found Tacoma Star’s forward Kosakoff, flicked it on for Washington whose shot was blocked by a sliding challenge by Christian Engmann. However the ball hit Engmann’s arm, leading to a penalty for Tacoma. Despite Lanphier guessing the right direction, Tacoma’s Charlie Kosakoff completed his hat-trick with a powerful shot into the upper corner, giving Tacoma a late 4-3 lead in the dying moments of the match.
FULLTIME: Ballard FC 3 – 4 Tacoma Stars
HOW WE LINED UP:
STARTING XI: Lanphier, Hammond, Engmann, Burney, Alvarez, Kingston, Alvarez, Sent, Aman, Brummett, Dale
SUBS: Burko, Gaffney, Yriondo, Mendez, Cruz, Brisco
WHATS NEXT?
Ballard FC now looks ahead to a series of crucial away matches. The team will first face Lane United on Friday, June 14th at 7:00 PM at Civic Park. This is followed by another away match against Capital on Sunday, June 16th at 4:00 PM at John Chambers Field. The away stretch concludes with a match against United PDX on June 21st at 7:00 PM at Lincoln.
Ballard FC will then return to Memorial Stadium for their next home match against OLY Town on June 23rd at 5:00 PM. Fans will be eager to see the team bounce back and continue their strong performance in the league.
Tickets for our next home game available here!
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