VANCOUVER, B.C. – Midfielder Fatawu Safiu scored in the first half to give T2 the lead, but Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 rallied and scored two goals in the second half to secure a 2-1 win over Portland on Friday night in front of 1,128 fans at UBC Thunderbird Stadium.
Playing their 10th road match of the year, T2 (6-9-2, 20pts) started the match with energy and took a 1-0 lead on a well-struck, 30-yard effort by midfielder Fatawu Safiu in the 35th minute. Defender Matt Rose cut in from the left wing and played a square ball to Fatawu who created space and blasted a shot into the top corner of the goal from distance.
“Our start to the match was fantastic. We were aggressive, we attacked, it was a group effort defending and we were rewarded with a very good goal,” said T2 head coach Jay Vidovich. Portland outshot Vancouver 10-3 in the first half and looked the sharper side. “We gave up an early goal in the second half and it unfortunately changed the game.”
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (6-8-4, 22pts) rallied quickly and tied the match 1-1 in the 47th minute as midfielder Andre Lewis assisted a goal by Tyler Rosenlund, who put a curling shot inside the far post beyond the reach of T2 goalkeeper Justin Luthy.
Vancouver took a 2-1 lead in the 63rd minute as forward Billy Schuler sent a pass to midfielder Victor Blasco, who finished from close range with his right foot.
T2 pushed forward looking for an equalizer and forced a great save from Whitecaps FC 2 goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi in the 70th minute as he was able to prevent Fatawu from scoring his second goal of the match on a 1-on-1 breakaway.
Following Friday’s match, T2 return home to square off against Whitecaps FC 2 again on Sunday, July 19, at Merlo Field in Portland, Ore.; kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (Pacific).
T2 (6-9-2, 20pts) at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 (6-8-4, 22pts)
July 10, 2015 – UBC Thunderbird Stadium (Vancouver, B.C.)
Goals by Half 1 2 F
Whitecaps FC 2 0 2 2
T2 1 0 1
Scoring Summary
POR: Fatawu (Rose), 35
VAN: Rosenlund (Lewis), 47
VAN: Blasco (Schuler), 63
Misconduct Summary
POR: Richards (Caution), 17
VAN: Rosenlund (Caution), 40
VAN: Bustos (Caution), 48
VAN: Schuler (Caution), 61
VAN: Sandhu (Caution), 88
Lineups & Stats
POR: GK Luthy, D Richards, D Clarke, D Delbridge, D Rose, M Casiple (Biglieri, 75), M Payne, M Gavin ©, M Bodily (Tshuma, 61), M Fatawu, F Belmar
Substitutes Not Used: GK Withrow, D Evans, D Farfan, M Lowe
TOTAL SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 3
VAN: GK Tornaghi, D Sampson, D Nitti, D Rodriguez, D Serban, M Lewis (Sandhu, 78), M Bustos (Pridham, 85), M McKendry, M Rosenlund, M Blasco (Levis, 73) (Blagojevic, 78), F Schuler
Substitutes Not Used: GK Richey, D Seymore
TOTAL SHOTS: 14; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; OFFSIDES: 5; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3
Referee: Juan Marquez
Assistant Referees: Chris Wattam, Stefan Tanaka-Freundt
4th Official: Michelle Pye
Attendance: 1,128
Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial
