July 10, 2010 (by Devon Heinen)
TUMWATER, Wash. – Capitalizing on two golden opportunities in the second half and denying one late in the match for the visiting Abbotsford Mariners, the Tacoma Tide FC turned a match which saw the team struggle to find offensive consistency into a 2:0 advantage and its second win in consecutive nights.
The win keeps Tacoma in a tie not only for second place in the USL Premier Development League Western Conference’s Northwest Division with Western Washington rival Kitsap, who also won tonight, but also for the division’s final playoff spot.
Tacoma’s first drew Abbotsford blood in the 58th minute, when midfielder Casey McCool picked up a loose ball in the Mariners’ goal box and sent a shot on goal knifing through traffic where a diving Andrew Kowan in goal got a hand on it, but couldn’t corral it as the ball slipped by the keeper and an Abbotsford defender across the goal line and into the net.
The Tide FC inked its second score 28 minutes later in the 86th, when forward Rory Agu, taking a pass from a teammate, continued to move his team up field, finding fellow forward Spencer Schomaker for a point-blank header.
“It was a great through-ball to Rory,” said Schomaker. “Caught that outside back, pinched in a little bit. [Agu] got the ball. It was a great cross and all I had to do was get my body in front of the guy and just put it in.”
“[Schomaker] did the most [of what] he could do and he put us in a position where we could walk away with a two-nil win,” said Tacoma’s head coach, Gerry Gray.
The two goals came despite Tacoma failing to maintain possession long enough for its offense to firmly establish itself throughout much of the game.
“Today was a bit sporadic, you know? We couldn’t really keep control of the ball for very long,” said Schomaker. “It was like five, six passes and then we give it away.”
Up late, a defensive miscue by Tacoma opened the door for one last possible Abbotsford push just prior to the match’s final minutes in stoppage time.
“I think we’re fortunate,” said Coach Gray. Could’ve been a little bit scarier.”
That scare came in the 89th minute, when a foul called in the Tide FC’s box gave the Mariners’ Adam Plantinga a penalty kick; however, Abbotsford (2-10-1) was left on the doorstep as goalkeeper Jordan Jennings ensured the clean sheet for Tacoma (9-3-2), stonewalling the shot.
“He comes up to it and just shows me – just staring at the other side and so it just [was] totally giving it away,” said Jennings.
“Whenever some other guy stares at one side like that, it’s just a giveaway that he’s going to go to the other side.”
NOTES:
Tacoma’s starting lineup: 1 (GK) Jordan Jennings, 12 (D) Tony Armitage, 25 (D) Elliot Morton, 26 (D) Brandon Henry, 8 (D) Steve Pirotte, 13 (M) Vlad Voin, 22 (M) Casey McCool, 9 (M) Xan Nixon, 4 (M) Cam Vickers, 14 (M) Brandon Blanks, 24 (F) Chris Sanders
Abbotsford’s starting lineup: 0 (GK) Andrew Kowan, 16 (D) Cody Strelau, 3 (D) Mo Aziz, 21 (D) James Farenhorst, 12 (D) Colton O’Neill, 20 (M) Nick Haywood, 7 (M) Sasa Plavsic, 8 (M) Mike Riehl, 14 (M) Matt Rosenlund, 4 (F) Spencer MacKinnon, 9 (F) Stuart Rowlands
In the 39th minute, Abbotsford’s Mo Aziz was ejected after earning a red card…Tacoma’s Brandon Blanks picked up a yellow card…Tacoma’s 2010 regular-season home finale at Curtis High School Stadium is July 24 against the Kitsap Pumas. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available at www.tacomatidesports.com and at the stadium on the night of the game.
