Shadow’s Second-Half Surge Leads To 3-0 Triumph Spokane Downs Willamette Valley To Extend Perfect League Record

The Spokane Shadow squandered chance after chance but once they figured this scoring thing out, they made it look easy.

The Shadow dominated a scoreless first half before a second-half outburst lifted them to a 3-0 victory over the Willamette Valley Firebirds in an USISL Western Premier Division soccer game at Spokane Falls Community College Saturday night.

Chad Brown converted a nice pass from Kieran Barton to start the scoring and then Barton and Tim Seely secured the win with a pair of high, hard rockets.

“I was due for one,” Barton said. “I’ve missed some chances, but it’s easier to forgive yourself if the team is still winning.”

A crowd of 1,188 hardy fans saw the Shadow up their league record to 3-0 and overall mark to 4-1 in their regular-season home opener.

“It’s been going like this all year,” Shadow coach Einar Thorarinsson said. “We have opportunities but we haven’t been finishing them. When you get this many chances, you’re bound to get one. In soccer, they say it takes 10 opportunities to score one goal. I think that’s about right. We had about 30 chances.”

A few big saves by Firebirds keeper Mac Broemson and quite a few near-misses by the Shadow kept the game scoreless in the first half.

Spokane defensemen Stuart Saunders, Stuart Rose and Harlan Slind allowed Willamette Valley very few chances, and when the Firebirds found an opening, keeper John Nagel came up with big saves.

Finally, 10 minutes into the second half, after Jake Smith replaced Broemson in goal, Barton slipped into open space on the right side to accept a pass. Barton then sent the ball back inside to Brown, who was about 10 yards in front of the goal. Brown used his left foot and pulled a shot back to his right, slipping the ball just inside the post.

“It’s always nice to get the first one,” said Barton, a Mount Si High School graduate from Snoqualmie who became an All-American at Whitworth. “We worked hard. We pressure the ball on defense so it’s hard to get through, and then our attack is so quick it takes teams by surprise. Our team speed is incredible.”

Barton found open space in the middle, dribbled the ball about 5 yards inside the 35-yard line and then unloaded a right foot rocket into the top right corner, making it 2-0 in the 74th minute.

If possible, Seeley’s goal, on a direct kick from about 19 yards in the 85th minute, was even harder, also hitting the top right corner.

“I think we’re as good as the other teams,” Thorarinsson said now that he has seen most of the league rivals. “We had a head start on them. Now that we’re the front-runner, they’ll be gunning at us, so we have to respond to that.”

Spokane plays a non-league game at Everett against the Bigfoot on Friday and a league game against the host Puget Sound Hammers next Sunday.

The Shadow have back-to-back home games on Friday and Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.

Shadow 3, Firebirds 0

First half - none. Second half - 1, Spokane, Brown (Barton) 55:00. 2, Spokane, Barton (unassisted), 74:00. 3, Spokane, Seely (unassisted), 85:00.

Shots on goal - WV 8, Spokane 9. Saves - Mac Broemson and Jake Smith (WV) 5; John Nagel (S) 4. Att. - 1,188.

, DataTimes