Around The Northwest - USL League Two Week 4

AROUND THE NORTHWEST

Welcome to Around The Northwest, a  new weekly breakdown of the Northwest Division. Game recaps and team information on the Highlanders and their division rivals leading into the next week of the USL League Two campaign.

USL League Two Northwest Division Week 4 Matchups

Vancouver TSS Rovers FC (2-1-0) at Calgary Foothills FC (2-0-0) – Friday, May 24th 

The TSS Rovers FC traveled to Calgary to take on the 2018 USL League Two championship side, Foothills FC. It was the home side that struck first on a goal by Willy Akio in the 29th minute of the first half. The Foothills pushed for a second goal late in the half, but the score remained 1-0 for the Calgary side after 45 minutes of play.

It took just four minutes into the second half for the Foothills to add to their lead as Oluwatofarati Fakunle converted on his chance in the 49th minute for the 2-0 lead. The visiting side answered right back with a goal of their own just five minutes later; in the 54th minute, Matteo Polisi pulled the Rovers within one with his fourth goal of the season.

Dan Hayfield put the Foothills up 3-1 in the 78th minute as he made no mistake on his second goal of the season. The visiting team answered a minute later with a goal of their own from John Jospeh to make it a one goal lead. Calgary hung on for the 3-2 win in the first match of a weekend doubleheader between the teams.

Seattle Sounders FC U23 (0-1-0) at Portland Timbers U23 (0-2-0) – Friday, May 24th

Sounders U23 traveled to McCulloch Stadium to take on the host Timbers U23 in a Friday matchup. The road team started the scoring off early as O’Vonte Mullings scored in the 4th minute to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. The rest of the first half saw a potent Sounders’ attack strike on two more occasions before halftime. Arthur Herpreck, in the 25th minute, and RJ Stretch, in the 37th minute, gave the Seattle side a 3-0 lead at the half.

Timbers U23 mounted an offensive attack of their own but couldn’t solve the Seattle backline or Sounders’ ‘keeper Nicolas Campuzano, who recorded the clean sheet. Pablo DeCastro scored in the 53rd minute to put the game away. After 90 minutes of play, the visiting team walked away with a 4-0 win and three points.

Lane United FC (0-1-2) at Portland Timbers U23 (0-3-0) – Sunday, May 26th

Portland Timbers U23 hosted Eugene-based Lane United FC in a Sunday showdown. It was Sergio Diaz Rincon who capitalized on his scoring chance in the first half, registering his first goal of the season in the 25th minute. Looking to deadlock the score before halftime, the home team found the scoresheet in the 45th minute off the foot off Gerardo Lopez. The game remained tied at one after the first half.

The second half got underway with the home side pushing the pace of play and looking for the go-ahead marker. However, Lane United took advantage of the counterattack and Alejandro Segovia scored in his second straight game with a goal in the 64th minute. Charlie Spurr added an insurance goal in the 84th minute to put the visiting team ahead 3-1. The win was Lane United FC’s first victory of the season.

Vancouver TSS Rovers FC (2-2-0) at Calgary Foothills FC (3-0-0) – Sunday, May 26th 

TSS Rovers FC squared off against Foothills FC looking to split the weekend series.

Foothills FC used a balance of strong defensive positioning and a quick counterattack to create a number of scoring opportunities but were unable to convert on their chances. The Rovers and their keeper Luciano Trasolini were able to keep the home side off the board and stop the Foothills winning streak at three. Benjami Jackson recorded the clean sheet on the other side as the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Seattle Sounders FC U23 (1-1-1) at Victoria Highlanders FC (1-0-1) – Sunday, May 26th 

The Sounders, coming off their 4-0 win over Portland, visited Centennial Stadium for a Sunday matinee against the Highlanders. While the away team scored first thanks to a deflected Arthur Herpreck goal in the 27th minute, the Victoria side received a goal from their captain Joshua Walter just two minutes later in the 29th minute. Walter, taking a free-kick from 30 yards out, placed a perfectly curled left-footed shot into the top left corner of the goal to tie the game at one. This was the goal that would go on to win USL League Two Goal of the Week honours.

In the latter stages of the half, Connor Guilherme took advantage of an Elyad Shojaei cross before he dribbled past the defender and fired a shot inside the right post in the 45th minute. The home side held a 2-1 lead after 45 minutes.

Seattle made the most of their substitutions as they came out of halftime with more jump in their offensive attack. The Highlanders back line and goalkeeper Simon Norgrove shut the door the rest of the way. Norgrove, coming off a clean sheet against the Timbers, made a diving save in added time to keep his squad on top and create a USL League Two Save of the Week finalist at the same time. The Highlanders held on for a well-earned 2-1 win.

USL League Two Week Four Team of the Week


Heading Into Week 5

Calgary Foothills FC

Record: 3-0-1

Leading Scorer: William Akio (2), Dan Hayfield (2)

Shot Leader: Oluwatofarati Fakunle (7)

Weekend Schedule: @ Timbers U23, May 31st; @ Timbers U23, June 2nd

Lane United FC

Record: 1-1-2

Leading Scorer: Charlie Spurr (2), Alejandro Segovia (2)

Shot Leader: Alejandro Segovia (6)

Weekend Schedule: vs Sounders FC U23, May 31st; @ Highlanders FC, June 2nd

Portland Timbers U23

Record: 0-4-0

Leading Scorer: Gerardo Lopez (1)

Shot Leader: Timur Zhividze (4)

Weekend Schedule: vs Foothills FC, May 31st; vs Foothills FC, June 2nd

Seattle Sounders FC U23

Record: 1-2-1

Leading Scorer: Arthur Herpreck (3)

Shot Leader: Pablo DeCastro (8)

Weekend Schedule: @ Lane United FC, May 31st

Vancouver TSS Rovers FC

Record: 2-2-1

Leading Scorer: Matteo Polisi (4)

Shot Leader: Matteo Polisi (7)

Weekend Schedule: None

Victoria Highlanders FC

Record: 2-0-1

Leading Scorer: Connor Guilherme (1), Elya Shojaei (1), Victory Shumbusho (1), Joshua Walter (1), Sean Young (1)

Shot Leader: Victory Shumbusho (5)

Weekend Schedule: vs Lane United FC, June 2nd


The Highlanders are back in action this weekend as they host Lane United FC on Sunday, June 2nd for First Responders Day at the Park. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at Centennial Stadium. Show your First Responders ID to gain free admission into the match. For ticket information head to www.highlandersfc.ca/tickets