PDL Game Report
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- The Vancouver Whitecaps FC U-23 clinched a place in the PDL Playoffs as they completed their regular season with a dramatic 2-1 victory against Lane United FC at the Willamalane Center. The victory was the Whitecaps U-23's eighth in a row, and came in the second minute of stoppage time as Jordian Farahani headed home a free kick to grab all three points.
Vancouver's Ali Musse opened the scoring in the 69th minute, but Lane United fought back to equalize with nine minutes to go through an outstanding free kick by Edgar Gomez. After a back-and-forth for the final 10 minutes, Vancouver hoisted in a long free kick that Farahani nodded home from six yards out. The game was over less than a minute after the ensuing kickoff as Lane suffered its third home defeat of the season.
United had started out strongly when Johnny Chronopolous -- starting at forward for the first time this season -- was played into the left channel by Baldo and dragged a shot wide after 15 seconds. Half-chances abounded for both teams in the first half, but clear-cut ones did not. The best for either team came when Vancouver’s leading scorer Cody Cook fanned on a low cross that had hit him in stride eight yards out. Baldo shot high from a good position on the left side of the penalty area a few minutes later, but the rest of the half passed without many standout incidents.
Vancouver flew out of the traps to start the second half. Lane United were up to the task of stopping them, but only barely in some cases. Wade Hamilton had to make several very good saves, including three from Brett Levis, who had also waged a personal assault on Hamilton’s net in the second half when the two teams met four days ago in Canada.
Daley Stevens had to slide to clear the ball off the goal line in the 50th minute, then Musse rounded Hamilton and almost scored four minutes later. United had a few decent chances on the counter, but Vancouver was beginning to squeeze the game and it wasn’t a surprise when they scored on an efficient move down the left. It ended with Levis playing a centering pass for Musse to sweep in from the center of the penalty area for a 1-0 lead.
Vancouver continued to press the Reds for a short spell, but United began to push back and was rewarded with a brilliant equalizer in the 81st minute. Baldo craftily won a foul 25 yards out, from which Gomez curled a flawless shot into the top-right corner that no goalkeeper could have stopped. United's Pierce Kiembi, on as a sub, had the best chance of the ensuing 10 minutes when he broke forward carved out a shot on his favored right foot from the top of the box, but his connection wasn’t strong enough to put it past Nolan Wirth in Vancouver’s goal.
But then, from what appeared to be a harmless free kick near the center circle, the Whitecaps snatched away victory. The ball was floated to the back post, where Musse met it with his head and guided it across the face of goal for Farahani to crash into the net from six yards.
The victory moved the Whitecaps U-23 back on top of the Northwest Division, two points clear of the Kitsap Pumas, who also claimed a playoff berth on Tuesday as the Sounders FC U-23 fell to the Washington Crossfire. The Pumas have two games remaining to try and regain first position and a bye to the semifinals of the Western Conference Championship, while the Victoria Highlanders can claim the division's third and final berth with one win from their final two games.