After a tough stretch that saw Whitecaps FC2 go winless for four straight games, culminating in a poor 2-0 defeat at home against Los Angeles last week, WFC2 bounced back with one of their best attacking performances of the year in a 3-2 win at home against Cascadian rival Portland Timbers 2. Pacific Northwest native Spencer Richey got the start in goal for Vancouver and produced a game changing performance which was enough to get WFC2 back in winning form.
“We were actually very, very critical of the players this week,” said head coach Alan Koch. “We weren’t happy, we broke all the games down, we asked them to step up to the plate and they responded in a very positive way.”
The 'Caps were eager from the opening kickoff and were unlucky to not be leading after the half hour mark as plenty of possession led to glorious chances for Ben McKendry and Brett Levis, both of whom were denied by Portland keeper Jake Gleeson in one-on-one situations. Despite the heavy pressure, Vancouver nearly fell behind in the 38th minute when Fatawu Safiu’s long range effort was tipped over the bar brilliantly by WFC2’s Spencer Richey in what would become a recurring trend as the game progressed.
Two minutes after the break, the home side was finally on the board. Brett Levis’s low cross was flicked on goal by Caleb Clarke before McKendry was able to pounce on the rebound for his second goal of the year. The lead was nearly short lived if not for the brilliance of Richey once more. Safiu again found himself in space but Richey got down to the strikers low strike at full stretch with his left hand to keep WFC2 in front. The save proved crucial as less than five minutes later, Vancouver doubled their lead when Clarke cut the ball back to Marco Bustos who side-footed home from close range.
Portland cut the lead in the 71st minute through Blair Gavin only to see the lead restored by Vancouver’s Ethan Sampson 10 minutes later. The Timbers 2 would eventually bring the game close again in the 89th minute but that’s as close as they would come. Richey denied Safiu for a third time, this time off a free kick for a proverbial hat trick of sorts for the goalkeeper.
“Amazing performance by Spencer,” said Koch following the match. “I’d say two world class saves; one in the first half, one in the second half. Those are the differences as a keeper if you want to win a game for your team, that’s what you have to do and Spencer did it today.”
For Richey, it was just another day at the office for the 22 year old Seattle native.
“It’s the life of a goalkeeper, you have to come up when needed” Richey told reporters. “I had to come up with a few timely saves today and luckily we were able to put three up on the board.”
Whitecaps 2 will look to carry the momentum from Sunday’s win forward as the take to the road for a matchup with the Orange County Blues FC before returning home for a three game home stand.