June 16, 2010 (by Devon Heinen)

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. – When Tacoma goalkeeper Spencer Richey saw his former team on the schedule, he was quick to make a statement.

 

“I requested this one,” said Richey.

 

And when Tacoma needed the former U.S. National Team U-17 netminder the most, he delivered, ensuring a 1:0 victory against the Washington Crossfire in the 91st minute.

 

“The ball was played in, guy had a point-blank shot from like four yards out, five yards out maybe and [Richey] makes a great save and puts it around the post,” said Tide FC head coach Gerry Gray. “What can you say? The kid was brilliant tonight.”

 

“When I saw the ball pop out I just tried to gain as much ground as I could and stay big and luckily he hit it off me,” said Richey.

 

Getting Tacoma out in front was forward Brandon Blanks. Taking a ball flicked on in the box in the fight minute by Brayton Knapp, Blanks capitalized on a little separation, burying a low line drive in the back left of Washington’s goal.

 

                

 

“We pulled one out of our hat today. I thought that the [Crossfire] did an excellent job…they created a lot of chances,” said Gray of his team.

 

Those chances for Washington (2-5-0) came as a result of an often porous Tacoma (5-2-1) defense.

 

During a one-on-one situation in the 35th minute Washington forward Ryan Luke sent a shot from near the left corner of the goal box sailing over the crossbar, but it wasn’t his only opportunity to equalize.

 

Coming just six minutes later, Luke had a close-range shot redirected just wide of the right post after it bounced off numerous bodies in the box.

 

Washington had two more tries in the box in regulation, both coming in the 56th minute, but Tacoma’s goalkeeper Richey left the Crossfire on the doorstep, as the man of the match laid out to make a sprawling deflection of a Cameron Lemming header.

 

“They came up against a brick wall in Spencer Richey,” said Gray, the keeper’s head coach.

 

NOTES:

Tacoma’s starting lineup: 18 (GK) Spencer Richey, 25 (D) Elliot Morton, 8 (D) Steve Pirotte, 15 (D) Brayton Knapp, 11 (M) Daniel Gray, 22 (M) Case McCool, 23 (F) Mark Conrad, 20 (F) Spencer Shomaker, 14 (F) Brandon Blanks, 9 (F) Xan Nixon, 4 (F) Cam Vickers

Washington’s starting lineup: 24 (GK) Chris Blais, 8 (D) Jamie Finch, 9 (D) Nick James, 22 (D) Chris Brundage, 12 (D) Jeff Quijano, 7 (M) Alex Klein, 13 (M) Cameron Lemming, 6 (M) Brandon Zimmerman, 14 (M) Kevin Forest, 10 (F) Gibson Bardsley, 17 (F) Ryan Luke

 

In the 15th minute, Washington’s Brandon Zimmerman received a yellow card…The Tide FC’s Cam Vickers picked up a yellow card in the 25th minute...Tacoma forward Raphael Cox got a yellow card in the 82nd minute…Tacoma’s next home match at Curtis High School Stadium is June 20 against the Victoria Highlanders. The game starts at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are available at www.tacomatidesports.com and at the stadium on the afternoon of the game.