BURNABY, BC – Whitecaps FC 2 fell to a 4-2 defeat against Western Conference leaders St. Louis CITY 2 on Wednesday night at Swangard Stadium.
In the third minute of the match, CITY 2 midfielder Brendan McSorley sprinted forward into the danger area, and flashed a ball across goal to wide-open striker Emil Jääskeläinen. The 24-year-old came close to scoring the opener, putting the ball a foot over WFC2 goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer’s crossbar.
On the eve of the half-hour mark, St. Louis were awarded a penalty kick. Forward Mykhi Joyner slotted home into the right corner for the 1-0 lead.
WFC2 came close when Canadian forward Antoine Coupland expertly dribbled past two defenders, and then pulled off a stutter-step move to draw CITY 2 goalkeeper Colin Welsh off his line. Coupland tried an audacious effort with his left foot, but the ball swerved wide of the far post.
As the match went into first-half stoppage time, Boehmer slid to punch away a Joyner attempt from the middle of the danger area. The goalkeeper’s solid stop led to glory at the other end, as Coupland threaded a ball into the middle of the CITY 2 box. Centre back Mark O’Neill went skyward and nodded home his fifth of the season for the equalizer.
That draw lasted less than a minute, as St. Louis immediately responded for their second goal. Joyner laid off the ball for centre back Cameron Cilley, who saw his left-footed strike beat Boehmer.
The away side tacked on an insurance marker after play restarted for the second half, with midfielder Brendan McSorley unleashing a a strike from distance to make it 3-1.
In the 81st minute, the young ’Caps brought life back into Swangard. Substitute Rayan Elloumi pounced on a loose ball the box following a set piece and pulled off a stunning acrobatic finish to cut the away side's lead to 3-2.
Five minutes later, Jääskeläinen was at it again, as he found his brace to seal the three points for St. Louis.
Next up, WFC2 heads to California for two matches. First on the docket, the young ’Caps face The Town FC this Saturday, August 9, with kickoff set for 5 p.m. PT at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.
At the end of August, WFC2 returns home to Swangard for a Cascadia rivalry match against Portland Timbers 2 on Sunday, August 31. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT. Tickets are available at www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Mathieu Soura
Scoring Summary
29’ – STL – Mykhi Joyner (penalty kick)
45’+2 – VAN – Mark O’Neill (Antoine Coupland)
45’+3 – STL – Cameron Cilley (Mykhi Joyner)
47’ – STL – Brendan McSorley
80’ – VAN – Rayan Elloumi (Mark O’Neill)
86’ – STL – Emil Jääskeläinen
Cautions
10’ – STL – Colin Welsh
12’ – STL – Tyson Pearce
22’ – STL – Mykhi Joyner
45’+1 – STL – Wan Kuzain
48’ – STL – Caden Glover
71’ – STL – Gabriel Mikina
Statistics
Possession: VAN 41% – STL 59%
Shots: VAN 16 – STL 16
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 – STL 7
Saves: VAN 3 – STL 4
Fouls: VAN 10 – STL 16
Offsides: VAN 1 – STL 1
Corners: VAN 3 – STL 7
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
32.Isaac Boehmer; 53.Mark O’Neill ©, 48.Adrían Pelayo, 54.Daniel Russo (66.Sahil Deo 76’); 27.Giuseppe Bovalina (75.Rayan Elloumi 70’), 68.Yuma Tsuji (64.Mateo Clark 89’), 44.Jackson Castro, 63.Johnny Selemani; 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 42.Nelson Pierre (55.Cyprian Kachwele 70’), 43.Antoine Coupland (71.Carson Rassak 89’)
Substitutes not used
80.Isaac Francoeur
St. Louis CITY 2
34.Colin Welsh; 33.Tyson Pearce (79.Emiliano Chavez 90’+3), 50.Gabriel Mikina, 43.Cameron Cilley, 28.Miguel Perez; 75.Wan Kuzain (68.Alexander Jundt 90’+3), 49.Seth Antwi; 80.Brendan McSorley, 46.Caden Glover (83.Lorenzo Cornelius 78’), 59.Mykhi Joyner (98.Matteo Kidd 69’); 16.Emil Jääskeläinen
Substitutes not used
52.Lucas McPartlin, 53.Stone Marion, 97.Lucas Demitra
