Ballard FC and Capital FC Atletico battled to a 2-2 draw last night at Memorial Stadium. Ballard FC took the lead in the first half with a goal from Christian Engmann and added another in the second half from Elliot Spatz. Despite the home side having the majority of possession and chances, CFC Atletico capitalized on a defensive error and a late free kick to end the match in a tie.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Right from the kickoff, Ballard FC dictated the game. In the 2nd minute, Spatz came close to putting us ahead with a flicked header from a corner, narrowly missing the target. Minutes later Charlie Holmes cut inside and set up Rafi Otero, whose shot from the top of the box went just wide.
Ballard FC continued their pressure on the CFC backline looking to get the opening goal. In the 14th minute, Otero executed a beautiful long switch to Holmes, whose low shot to the near post was saved for a corner. Otero delivered the ensuing corner to the back post, where Engmann’s shot was saved again by the CFC keeper.
Our persistent energy continued to create a number of good opportunities. In the 25th minute, Rhys Gourdie crossed to Spatz, whose headed effort went wide. Engmann’s long throw shortly after saw Spatz’s shot cleared off the line.
The breakthrough finally came in the 27th minute. Gourdie sent a ball to the far post and the center halves linked up as Leo Burney headed a deep cross back across the face of goal where Engmann came flying onto meet it, powerfully heading the ball into the back of the net.
Ballard FC maintained control as we continued and looked to add to our lead before the break. Spatz continued to be lively up top, narrowly missing crosses in the 34th and 36th minute, keeping the pressure on CFC Atletico. The dominance in possession and chances was clear. CFC Atletico struggled to create opportunities, with limited touches in the Ballard box for the entirety of the first half.
In the 43rd minute, the CFC keeper came out and punched away a dangerous ball, which Rafi Otero collected on the edge of the box and attempted an impressive curling effort with the outside of his boot which went over the keeper but was barely headed off the line by a recovering CFC defender. The resulting corner taken by Otero was met at the back post by Engmann whose header was just tipped over the bar by the CFC goalkeeper, concluding the first half Ballard FC 1 – 0 CFC Atletico.
Early in the second half, Cameron Cruz’s whipped corner was headed on goal by Spatz, the effort was initially blocked but the rebound fell back to him. Spatz reacted quickly, burying it into the net and launching celebrations as players joined in to throw Dick’s burgers into the crowd.
Ballard FC’s control over the game continued to tighten until an errant pass at the back in the 60th minute gave CFC Atletico their first chance in on goal. CFC Atletico forward Francisco Magana swept up the misplaced pass and set it off to Umechi Akuazaoku whose close range shot found the back of the net. With the score at 2-1, CFC Atletico found themselves back in the game.
Ballard FC responded with a series of substitutions who brought new energy onto the pitch as we looked to regain control. One of the subs, Peter Kingston, had an immediate impact as he carved out a through ball to Cruz in the 68th minute whose shot at the near-post rifled off the post.
In the 80th minute, a dangerous free kick by Cruz went untouched across the goal and out. As we looked for a goal to put the game to bed, CFC Atletico still posed little threat. However, a free kick in the middle of the field in the 85th minute offered them a final chance to level the score. They sent numbers into the box and the freekick arrived at the back post where a header took a deflection past Buck, bringing the score to an unexpected 2-2.
Ballard FC pushed hard for a late winner, with Engmann’s long throw in the 88th minute headed back across by Kingston and was narrowly missed by Cruz. Our final chance of the match was a free kick from a similar position as the one CFC Atletico capitalized on. All of our numbers swarmed the box and Buck sent the freekick to the far post where Brummett leaped to head the ball back across to Cruz whose shot was blocked, ultimately ending the match in a 2-2 draw.
FULL-TIME: Ballard FC 2 – 2 Capital FC Atletico
HOW WE LINED UP
STARTING XI: BUCK, KETCHAM, ENGMANN, BURNEY, GOURDIE, YRIONDO, CRUZ, OTERO, DALE, HOLMES, SPATZ
SUBS: HAMMOND, BRUMMETT, KINGSTON, SENT, BRISCO, DADZIE
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Elliot Spatz was awarded Player of the Match for his lively performance up top, causing a handful for the CFC defense and getting our second goal of the night.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We now look ahead to our next match against Lane United which will take place on Saturday, July 6th at Memorial Stadium, with kick off at 3PM.
Tickets for that match are available here!
