Ballard FC’s final regular-season road match was Wednesday evening, and ended with a competitive 1–0 loss to the Portland Bangers at the University of Oregon’s Portland campus.
With a playoff berth already secured, several regular starters rested during the first half, giving valuable minutes to the squad players. In a match defined by creative attacking moments, strong individual performances, and an unusually animated sausage mascot patrolling the sidelines, Ballard was ultimately undone by a single first-half strike and a Portland defense that bent but never broke.
Despite the loss, Ballard looked threatening from the outset. In the 11th minute, Cameron Cruz slipped a pass left of the box to Zach Ramsey, who lofted a back-post ball to Joe Dale. His header narrowly missed, sailing just over the bar. Minutes later, Cruz tore up the right flank and sent a low cross to Dale at the top of the six, but a heavy first touch saw the shot go just wide left.
Portland found the lone goal of the night in the 33rd minute. After Ballard partially cleared a deep ball, the rebound fell to Loic Baures beyond the top of the 18. Though Dale rushed back to challenge, Baures kept possession, shifted centrally, and unleashed a hard left-footed strike that skipped past a diving Charlie Lanphier and into the net.
Trailing 1–0 at the break, Ballard ramped up pressure in the second half. Charlie Kosakoff was shown yellow in the 53rd after a 50/50 challenge with the keeper, Marcus Norris. Kosakoff nearly turned provider soon after, sending a well-timed ball from deep to a streaking Ramsey, who was taken down in the box just as he prepared to shoot.
Ramsey was a standout in the midfield and instrumental throughout the night. Through his vision and creation of opportunities, he orchestrated play and set up chances from the middle of the park. One of his most promising came in the 62nd, when he unleashed a driven shot that forced a full-stretch save from Norris.
A wave of Ballard substitutions followed in the 63rd minute, injecting fresh energy and pushing the pace. Omar Yehya, Christian Engmann, Rafi Otero, Khai Brisco, Richie Aman, and Arjun Venkat all came on, replacing Dale, Beto Apolinar, Sean Sent, Omar Grey, Cruz, and Luke Hammond respectively, each making an immediate impact.
In the 65th, a short corner played to Aman allowed him to beat a defender and find Abeselom Zemenfes near the penalty spot. His shot was struck well but flew just wide right. Minutes later, Nii Engmann checked in at striker, replacing Kosakoff to lead the line in the final push.
As the clock wound down with the scoreboard still showing Portland’s slim lead, the match grew increasingly tense. Aman slid a precise pass to Nii Engmann near the penalty spot, who quickly laid it off to Otero at the top of the 18. Otero’s low drive forced a sharp save from the keeper. Moments later, Brisco rifled a powerful shot toward the bottom-right corner, only for the Portland keeper to deny it with a punch-out dive.
In the final minutes, Ballard maintained heavy possession in the attacking third, eager to find the equalizer and quick to restart play despite stalling from the opposition. Nii Engmann had several late looks, but none found the back of the net.
Despite waves of late pressure and four minutes of stoppage time, Ballard couldn’t break through. The effort, though, sets a strong tone for what’s ahead.
MATCH DETAILS
FULLTIME: Ballard FC 0 – 1 Portland Bangers
Starting XI: Lanphier, Hammond, Ketcham, Zemenfes, Grey, Apolinar, Sent, Ramsey, Cruz, Dale, Kosakoff
Substitutes: Otero, Yehya, C. Engmann, Brisco, Aman, Venkat, N. Engmann, Dutra, Short
WHAT’S NEXT?
With the regular season nearing its close, Ballard FC will be focused on their regular season finale this Saturday, July 12th. Then, the club will host playoff matches at home on July 18th and 20th, a chance to capitalize on home-field advantage and the energy of the Ballard faithful.
Written by Emily Battistoni
