Hite delights Shadow with pair of goals

SALEM, Ore. – Brett Hite moved up while his Spokane Shadow moved closer.

Hite scored goals at 20 and 50 minutes Friday night to lift the Shadow to a 3-1 win over the Cascade Surge in Premier Development League Northwest Division play.

Hite, with 18 career goals, moved up to No. 4 all-time in Shadow history. His 50 overall points place him at fifth all-time for Spokane.

Spokane (7-4-0, 21 points) closed within one point of the first-place Surge (7-1-1). Cascade defeated Spokane 4-3 on May 14 and 5-2 on June 11.

“This is a very big win for us because it’s on the road,” said Shadow coach Kieran Barton. “We let a few games against these guys slip away from us at home.”

Forward Ian Leibbrandt gave the Surge a 1-0 lead at 2 minutes. Shadow goalkeeper Dade Smith stopped a penalty kick in the 11th minute to avoid further damage.

Skye Henderson’s second assist of the year allowed Hite to tie the match.

After Hite’s go-ahead goal, Henderson provided insurance by heading in Scott Campbell’s corner kick at 72 minutes.

Spokane will host an exhibition match against Real Salt Lake of the MLS on Wednesday night at Albi Stadium.

The Shadow will take a break from divisional play until July 9-10, back-to-back matches at Abbotsford, British Columbia.