Ballard FC Defeat Bigfoot FC 3-1 Ahead of Sunday’s Rematch

In their 2025 USL League Two Home Opener, Ballard FC got their first competitive win at Interbay Stadium since 2023. Friday’s match was a battle of undefeateds, and the hosts sent Bigfoot FC back to Maple Valley with their first loss in club history.

The match got off to a chippy start early with Bigfoot FC’s Derek Johnson receiving a yellow in the seventh minute after a crunching tackle on Khai Brisco. The chippiness continued on the ensuing free kick as Charlie Kosakoff also received yellow after elbowing a Bigfoot defender.

Four minutes later, came a moment of Ballard brilliance. Centerback Davis Mungomba sent a diagonal ball to Richie Aman who did well to keep the ball in play and chipped in a cross to the back post. The cross was met first time by Joe Dale who cushioned the ball with a looping volley that nestled into the bottom corner. The first home goal of 2025 was met with a thunderous roar from over 1,500 fans as Dale went to celebrate with the fans in the Beer Garden.

After the opener, the home side continued to push for a another goal. In the 17th minute Bigfoot goalkeeper, Parker Norris, failed to deal with a bouncing ball and Kosakoff stole the ball off him and played a ball across the six yard box. Bigfoot’s Landen Sexton just inched our Aman in the foot race and cleared the ball for a corner.

Brisco kept causing problems for the Bigfoot defense on the right flank. In the 22nd minute, he lured Johnson into another bad tackle and a second yellow card. However Bigfoot would not be down a man for long as Kosakoff would again see yellow on the ensuing free kick for a late challenge on Bigfoot’s Nick O’Brien.

With both teams down to 10 men, the match would only get wilder. In the 28th minute, Abeselom Zemenfes clipped a looping through ball into the path of Dale who scored his second goal of the night with a clinical “bar down” finish.

The hosts kept their foot on the gas pedal, and would score their third goal just ten minutes later. Luke Hammond found himself in space on the left flank and picked out Austin Brummett who headed home the cross. That marks Brummett’s third goal of the season, as the USL 2 Player to Watch is living up to expectations so far.

Brummett’s goal would not be the final goal of the half as Bigfoot would get one back right before the break. In the 43rd minute, O’Brien got a hold of a bouncing ball at the top of the box and lasered a volley to the bottom corner.

O’Brien’s goal was the last chance of the half as the hosts went into the break with a two goal advantage.

In comparison, the second half was a lot less eventful than the preceding 45 minutes. However, both keepers were forced into big saves.

In the 53rd minute, Dale nearly grabbed a hat trick after Aman sent him through on goal but the shot was saved by Norris. Then, just a minute later Charlie Lanphier was called into action, making a crucial foot save to deny a golden chance for the visitors.

The home side made a total of four substitutions to help see out the victory as Ray Mendez, Zach Ramsey, Omar Grey, and Cameron Cruz all entered the match in the last twenty minutes. The final whistle was met with an enthusiastic cheer from the crowd as Ballard FC secured the home opening victory.

Player of the match honors went to Dale as the captain’s two goals were the difference on Friday night.

The two teams will face off again in less than 24 hours as Ballard FC travels to Maple Valley for a 5pm kickoff on Sunday, May 25th.

FULLTIME: Ballard FC 3 – 1 Bigfoot FC

Starting XI: Lanphier, Hammond, C. Engmann, Mungomba, Brisco, Philibbosian, Zemenfes, Brummett, Aman, Dale, Kosakoff

Subs: Mendez, Ramsey, Grey, Cruz, Ketcham, Tollan, Apolinar, Spatz, Short

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Joe Dale was named player of the match for his two first-half goals

WHAT’S NEXT?

Ballard FC will look to carry this momentum into Sunday’s rematch against Bigfoot FC and then another road match in Bellevue against Midlakes United on Thursday, May 29th. The 14th ranked team in the most recent USL 2 Power rankings will finally return home on Friday, June 6th as they will host newcomers Portland Bangers FC.

Tickets for our next home match are available here!

HIGHLIGHTS

Relive last night’s action on our YouTube page.

GALLERY