Ballard FC Advance to Final Round of Open Cup Qualifying, Defeat Sharktopus FC 5-1

After defeating Sharktopus FC 5-1 Saturday afternoon, Ballard FC have advanced to the fourth and final round of U.S. Open Cup Qualifying.

Saturday’s match was Ballard FC’s first-ever Open Cup qualifier and the first match in club history to take place in the fall. Due to the match being in the fall, Ballard FC could not field any current NCAA players as they are currently in their respective college season. This means the Open Cup Qualifying Roster is made up of mainly Ballard FC alumni as well as ex-pros, including four former Seattle Sounders: Lamar Neagle, Kelyn Rowe, Jordan McCrary, and Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

Despite the overcast weather, Saturday’s match kicked off under dry conditions much to the delight of the Ballard faithful in attendance. The match got off to a roaring start with a goal after just six minutes.

Cale Spence sped down the left flank and passed to Neagle who then flicked it on towards Nii Engmann who unleashed a rocket which cannoned in off the bottom of the crossbar for the opener.

Neagle and Engmann were only getting started. Only eight minutes later the two connected again as Neagle’s cross found Engmann at the back post who pounced and double the lead before 15 minutes had passed.

Despite Ballard’s quick start, Sharktopus stayed calm and responded well. In the 17th minute, Evan Craig ran on to a through ball and was clipped by goalkeeper Lars Helleren, causing the referee to point to the spot and award a penalty kick for the visitors. Gabriel Kellum stepped up to take the penalty and calmly dispatched it to cut the lead in half in the 19th minute.

The rest of the half was quite cagey with the visitors determined to make it into the locker room only trailing by a goal. So despite the home side’s best efforts, the half would end with a 2-1 scoreline.

The second half was a different story as Ballard FC began to truly assert their dominance.

Eight minutes into the half, Spence went on a slaloming run through midfield before unleashing a rope from 25 yards out and into the corner of the goal to reestablish the two goal lead.

From there, it only got worse for the visiting Sharktopus FC. Spence went on another long run a few minutes later and was brought down by a defender just inside the box. The referee pointed to the spot and awarded a penalty again, this time for Ballard FC.

Up stepped Ballard FC co-founder and former Seattle Sounder, Lamar Neagle, who calmly dispatched the penalty to score his first goal for the club in the 59th minute.

As the match began to wind down, it was time for new Head Coach Mutanda Kwesele to make his first substitutions. In the 70th minute, McCrary was replaced by Evan Aune, the former Seattle Pacific University defender who was part of Ballard FC’s inaugural squad in 2022.

A minute later, the fifth and final goal was scored. Omar Yehya raced past the Sharktopus defense and sent in an inch perfect cross to Neagle who calmly flicked it up and over the goalkeeper to grab his brace.

After two goals and two assists, Neagle was subbed off in the 75th minute and received quite the ovation from the home crowd.

That was not the only substitution to get a roar from the crowd. With ten minutes left, Engmann was replaced by former Sounder and three-time U.S. Open Cup winner, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

Hurtado and Aune marshalled the backline for the final 10 minutes to see out the 5-1 victory for Ballard FC as the hosts now advance to the fourth and final round of qualifying.

That match will take place on Saturday, November 22nd at 5pm against Valley 559 FC and will be hosted at Interbay Stadium. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.