By:Aaron Campbell (Twitter:@AaCamp81)
Match Report Courtesy of Whitecaps FC 2
Current USL Western Conference Standings
Whitecaps FC 2 (6W-0L-2D) continued to showcase the improving ability of their young talents with a 3-1 win over rivals Timbers 2 (3W-6L-1D) at Providence Park on Friday night.
Captain Kyle Greig opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season, good for second in the USL, followed by finishes from former Timbers 2 winger Fatawu Safiu and 21-year-old Residency graduate Jordan Haynes.
It was the fourth road win of the season for head coach Alan Koch’s growing young team. WFC2 had three road wins in all of their inaugural 2015 season.
The ‘Caps got off to a quick start with a goal in the opening minute. After a long ball to Safiu was cleared to the top of the box, Greig pounced on the loose ball and ripped a shot that deflected off a defender and into the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead.
On 19 minutes it was 2-0 for WFC2 on a terrific free kick. Safiu stepped up to take it and burned his former team with a curling shot into the near side.
The Timbers pulled one back in the 27th minute. Kharlton Belmar worked hard to win the ball on the left side of the box, and then fed an open Nico Brett to cut the lead to 2-1.
Portland were dangerous again in the 35th minute. Brett fired a long shot on target, but goalkeeper Spencer Richey extended to make the save out of danger.
Richey again came up huge for WFC2 in the 67th, waiting to see if a free kick would be deflect, and when it wasn’t he reacted quickly to keep it out of the net.
The ‘Caps put the match away in the 74th minute when Will Seymore played a ball through, left by Greig and into the path of Haynes. The Residency grad then poked the ball high over the keeper and into the back of the net for a 3-1 advantage.
A strong performance from the backline kept the Timbers from threatening again as WFC2 remained the lone unbeaten team in the USL and maintained their spot atop the Western Conference.
The ‘Caps are back in USL action on Wednesday, May 25 when they travel to take on Saint Louis FC for the first time in their rescheduled match. WFC2 then return home to Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday, May 29 for the Kids and ‘Caps Children’s Festival against Real Monarchs SLC. Tickets can be purchased or redeemed at whitecapsfc2.com.
Attendance: 2,231
Scoring Summary
1’ – VAN – Kyle Greig
19’ – VAN – Fatawu Safiu
27’ – POR – Neco Brett (Kharlton Belmar)
74’ – VAN – Jordan Haynes (Will Seymore)
Stats
Shots: POR 17 – VAN 13
Saves: POR 3 – VAN 5
Corners: POR 9 – VAN 3
Fouls: POR 10 – VAN 9
Cautions
67’ – VAN – Kyle Greig
Ejections
None
Timbers 2
43.Kendall McIntosh, 20.Taylor Peay, 18.Amobi Okugo (89.Terrell Lowe 62’), 50.Michael Gallagher, 95.Marco Farfan (28.Andy Thoma 69’); 77.Andre Lewis, 27.Nick Besler (97.Alexis Meva 84’), 46.Villyan Bijev; 25.Neco Brett, 19.Ben Polk (96.Blake Bodily 69’), 30.Kharlton Belmar
Unused Substitutes
29.Justin Luthy, 32.Trevor Morley, 55.Brent Richards
Whitecaps FC 2
39.Spencer Richey; 63.Kadin Chung, 51.Sem de Wit, 41.Jackson Farmer, 46.Brett Levis; 65.Matthew Baldisimo, 58.Will Seymore; 56.Daniel Haber (50.Sahil Sandhu 77’), 64.Thomas Gardner (45.Guliano Frano 62’), 49.Fatawu Safiu (42.Jordan Haynes 73’); 47.Kyle Greig (61.Terran Campbell 87’)
Unused Substitutes
40.Sean Melvin; 54.Elliot Green
