SURREY, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC MLS Academy shrugged off an early deficit to claim a 1-1 draw against Unity FC and remain at the top of the League1 BC table.
On a soggy pitch at Cloverdale Athletic Park, Whitecaps FC head coach Ewan Fisher was pleased that his players showed “character and heart.”
At the stroke of the quarter hour, Unity FC’s Joel Badger struck first with a well-placed 10-yard volley past Whitecaps FC goalkeeper Matheus De Souza to put the home side up 1-0.
The rest of the first half was a series of hard knocks, as both sides settled into a cagey defensive affair. The knocks continued as time ticked on, with Unity FC booked twice in 90 seconds.
Meanwhile, Whitecaps FC subbed on speedsters David Ajagbe and Amir Ghasemi to push for an equalizer. Fisher’s inspired move to “offer some variation” up front paid off.
Three minutes after sprinting onto the pitch, Ghasemi broke free to smash home the equalizer past Unity FC ’keeper David Hicks to restore the deadlock.
Ghasemi reflected that so far, 2024 has been a “great season.” However, he mentioned that the mission was far from complete – the ’Caps still have to prove their mettle and finish the season strong, looking to clinch a postseason berth and run it back for another League1 BC championship.
In the final minutes, Ajagbe fended off a defender deep in the danger area. He came a touch away from putting the ’Caps ahead off a long cross, but the ball skipped over his right boot.
Next up for the 'Caps is a home match against Harbourside FC on Saturday, July 6 at Thunderbird Stadium. Kickoff for the men's match will be at 3:30 p.m. PT.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Denzil Sharma
Scoring Summary
15’ – UNI – Joel Badger
63’ – VAN – Amir Ghasemi (Cristiano Da Silva)
Cautions
44’ – VAN – Aidan Fong
49’ – UNI – Kosta Adzic
51’ – UNI – Joel Badger
56’ – VAN – Mario Lefevre
90’ + 3 – UNI – Jace Wiebe
Whitecaps FC MLS Academy
99.Matheus De Souza; 87.Sahai Williams © (78.Colby Renton 81’), 94.Edwin Espinal (79.Matteo Samori 68’), 72.Nikos Clarke-Tocszak; 74.Aidan Fong (55.Isaac Charbonneau 80’), 68.Cristiano Da Silva, 65.Mario Lefevre; 85.Sydney Wathuta, 95.Markus Rukavina (98.David Ajagbe HT), 34.Riley Ferraro (23.Amir Ghasemi 60’) 84.Amoni Thomas
Substitutes not used
80.Alex Milosevic, 88.Angelo Zhu
