Shadow Settle For A 2-2 Tie Higgins Gets Both Goals For Spokane To Close In On Record

Nobody wanted a tie in this one.

There was supposed to be drama Saturday night when the Spokane Shadow hosted the Yakima Reds in a Premier Development League Northwest Division soccer match.

A U.S. Open Cup berth was on the line.

A Shadow win would have secured a spot in the tournament as the top team in Group 1 for the second straight year. And if the Reds had scored three goals and won, they would have earned a bonus point and tied San Gabriel for first place.

The game at Albi Stadium ended 2-2, and the new rule this season for ties is to play two 10-minute sudden-death overtimes but no shootout.

It was the second night in a row that Yakima had blown a 2-0 lead. The Reds lost 3-2 to the Seattle Sounders Select on Friday.

“It was really frustrating,” said Yakima forward Jacob Sagare, a 1998 graduate of Yakima’s West Valley High School who now plays for the University of Washington. He had both of his team’s goals Saturday, including a header off a Greg Foise pass at 52 minutes.

“We were ahead like that and you want to stay ahead,” Sagare said.

Shadow veteran Zane Higgins scored twice for Spokane (0-0-2 NW Division) to bring him within two goals of becoming the organization’s all-time leading scorer. Higgins now has 29 goals and Dave Berto holds the record with 30.

Garth Cummings had both assists to Higgins, who scored at 66 minutes from close range and booted the tying goal 2 minutes later.

But the Shadow had many other chances. They outshot the Reds 18-10. Cummings missed wide right, off the right post and over the crossbar.

“We kind of played like the team that played last night and they were the ones who played last night,” said Spokane coach Stuart Saunders. “We didn’t seem to have the spark and fire we needed. We had enough to get back in it but not enough to do the job.”

The teams combined for eight yellow cards, six by Yakima (1-1-1 NW Division).

Shadow defender Bret Houck said the ending was a letdown.

“We started off slow,” he said. “We had a couple opportunities at the beginning but didn’t capitalize. They got a couple goals and it’s hard to come back. But we played hard. It just didn’t go our way. We’re going to rebound. With two ties in league, we have our work cut out for us to make a statement.”

Spokane, which won four of five against Yakima in 1999, plays at Willamette Valley on Friday and at Yakima on Saturday.

Notes

Attendance was 1,531 … Another new rule this season is that the goalie must get rid of the ball within 6 seconds of picking it up. … Two players from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., are expected to join the Shadow for their next home match, June 3 vs. the Abbotsford 86er’s. They are Matt Zeiset and Ryan Tracey. Saunders hopes they will make an immediate impact. … Yakima midfielder Zach Kingsley played for the Shadow last year. He’s a Mead graduate and plays at UW.