Brandon Blanks' (hidden by teammates) match-winning goal is celebrated by the Tide. (Tide photo)
When Tacoma Tide FC began the 2010 PDL season with losses at Portland and Kitsap it looked like it might be a long year for the boys in yellow. Since then though the Tide have not lost a match, winning five and drawing one.
The latest win came Wednesday night at Curtis High School in Unversity Place where Tacome edged Washington Crossfire 1:0.
Tacoma's winner was scored by Brandon Blanks, and the Tide got stellar goalkeeping from young Spencer Richey to hold on for the victory.
Spencer Richey was Man of the Match for Tacoma Tide FC as he shut out the highest-level team from his old Crossfire club Wednesday night. (Tide photo)
“I requested (to start) this one,” said Richey.
And when Tacoma needed the former U.S. National Team U-17 netminder the most, he delivered, ensuring a 1:0 victory with a crucial save in the 91st minute.
“The ball was played in, guy had a point-blank shot from like four yards out, five yards out maybe and [Richey] makes a great save and puts it around the post,” said Tide FC head coach Gerry Gray. “What can you say? The kid was brilliant tonight.”
“When I saw the ball pop out I just tried to gain as much ground as I could and stay big and luckily he hit it off me,” said Richey.
Tacoma's goal by Blanks came early on. Taking a ball flicked on in the box in the fifth minute by Brayton Knapp, Blanks capitalized on a little separation, burying a low line drive in the back left of Washington’s goal.
Tacoma's Cam Vickers, far right, works around a pile-up of players last night at Curtsi High School. (Tide photo)
“We pulled one out of our hat today. I thought that the [Crossfire] did an excellent job…they created a lot of chances,” said Coach Gray of his team.
Those chances for Washington (2-5-0) came as a result of an often porous Tacoma (5-2-1) defense.
During a one-on-one situation in the 35th minute Washington forward Ryan Luke sent a shot from near the left corner of the goal box sailing over the crossbar, but it wasn’t his only opportunity to equalize.
Washington had two more tries in the box in regulation, both coming in the 56th minute, but Tacoma’s goalkeeper Richey left Crossfire on the doorstep, as the man of the match laid out to make a sprawling deflection of a Cameron Lemming header.
“They came up against a brick wall in Spencer Richey,” said Gray.
Next: Tacoma (4th in the NW division) move their record to (W-D-L) 5-1-2 on the season with 16 points. Crossfire fall to 2-0-5 and remain on six points. Washington and Tacoma share the same foe for their next league match. On Friday June 18 Crossfire will host the second-place
Victoria Highlanders at 7:00 PM at Interbay Stadium. Victoria will stay in the Puget Sound region and face Tacoma on Sunday June 20 at 3:00 PM at Curtis High School in Unversity Place.
Tacoma Tide FC contributed to this match report.
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