Ballard FC put on a show at home, Beating Snohomish United 4-0 en route to Fourth Straight Northwest Division Championship

Ballard FC saved some of their best soccer for the last game of the regular season, scoring four beautiful goals against the Northwest Division’s best competition in Snohomish United. The win sees Ballard leapfrog Snohomish in the standings, securing back-to-back-to-back-to-back Northwest Division championships.

Emmett Layman, Luke Hammond, Anton Hjalmarsson and Joschi Schelb all tallied second-half goals, and Ballard held their third straight shutout.

The Bridges will face Utah United Friday night in the Western Conference Quarterfinals at Interbay.

Going into the match, Snohomish had the longest unbeaten streak in the division, 13 games going back to week one, and had beaten Ballard in the reverse fixture.

The first 10 minutes of the game saw both teams confidently move the ball. After an initial period of pressure from the visitors, Ballard began to find their footing with a series of incisive runs into the Snohomish back line. Shots from Anton Hjalmarsson and Juan Alvarez were blocked, as Ballard failed to put a shot on net through the first 45.

Snohomish’s only shot on goal came in the 10th minute, as Nico Wiskel directed an effort straight to the waiting arms of Noah Newman.

Emmett Layman stood out in the first half, consistently testing the Snohomish defense with powerful runs forward and picking up a few hard fouls for his efforts.

Edgar Leon came close to opening the scoring in the 25th minute for Snohomish, with a curling shot skimming past the far post from the top of the box.

The final chance of the first half would also fall for United, and it was Angel Martinez who prevented it from hitting the twine, throwing himself in front of a close-range Leon shot to preserve the tie going into the locker rooms

As the half progressed, Ballard saw more of the ball, but Snohomish had the only shot on net, and outshot Ballard 7-5.

Ballard went into the second 45 knowing they needed a goal, with a draw not being enough to win the division. They got that goal less than 5 minutes into the period, and it was one of the most beautiful moves of the season thus far.

In the 48th minute, Ballard goalkeeper Noah Newman claimed a corner kick and immediately looked downfield, side-footing an inch-perfect pass to the run of Zach Ramsey. The ball hit Ramsey in full stride, and Ballard’s number 11 took it the length of the field before whipping a cross for Emmett Layman, who finished off a superb counter-attacking team goal.

From that moment on, it was Ballard’s game. The hosts played neatly off each other, cutting through a very talented Snohomish squad like a hot knife through butter.

Another lovely bit of team soccer would lead to the second goal in the 58th minute. Luke Hammond picked off a clearance and laid off for Anton Hjalmarsson, who played a lovely one-two with Joschi Schelb, and Schelb put in Hammond, who slotted home the finish one-on-one.

The third goal would come from individual persistence from Anton Hjalmarsson. In the 71st minute Hjalmarsson received the ball eight yards from net, looked to connect with Juan Alvarez, but found a blocked pass fall right back to him before slamming it through traffic and into the goal.

Ballard made their fourth and final goal look all too simple, as Michael Divano found himself isolated on the wing, and calmly centered a pass to the onrushing Joschi Schelb, who made it 4-0 and capped off another stunning performance from the Ballard Boys.

Luke Hammond was given player of the match honors for his wonderfully taken goal and contributions to the shutout.

Match Facts

Ballard finish the 2026 regular season with a perfect 7-0-0 home record, scoring an incredible 28 goals and only conceding three
Ballard entered the postseason riding their longest winning streak (8), and shutout streak (3) of 2026.
Over their 315 minutes of play, Ballard have scored 18 unanswered goals, averaging a goal every 17 minutes.
Ballard finish the regular season with 42 goals, 2nd most in the Western Conference and 6th most in USL-2
Joschi Schelb has now scored in three straight home games, and has six goal contributions in his last three home games.
Anton Hjalmarsson continues his excellent campaign with his team-leading 7th goal
Emmett Layman collects his 4th goal of the season, all of which have come in the second half of the campaign.
A few days after his first Ballard goal, Michael Divano picked up his first assist.
Zach Ramsey now has an assist in three straight games
Despite #1 goalkeeper Stockton Short missing time with an injury, Trevor Wilson and Noah Newman have combined to keep three straight clean sheets.

Scoring Recap:

48’ (BFC): Emmett Layman (4), assisted by Zach Ramsey (5)

58’ (BFC): Luke Hammond (2), assisted by Joschi Schelb (4)

71’ (BFC): Anton Hjalmarsson (7), Unassisted

88’ (BFC): Joschi Schelb (5), assisted by Micheal Divano (1)

Starting 11:
Tanner Dutra, Beto Apolinar, Anton Hjalmarsson, Joschi Schelb, Zach Ramsey, Luke Hammond, Emmett Layman, Angel Martinez, Juan Alvarez, Etienne Veillard, Noah Newman

Subs Used:

Cameron Cruz, Cianole Nguepissi, Sean Sent, Michael Divano, Joe Highfield

Written by Adam Race