Velocity return to USL1 final with wild penalty shootout win over Portland Hearts of Pine
In their first season last year, the Spokane Velocity made it to the USL League One title match but lost to Union Omaha. They went into this season with unfinished business and are now one step from winning it all.
On Sunday, third-seeded Spokane beat seventh-seeded Portland Hearts of Pine 2-2 (6-5) in a semifinal shootout at ONE Spokane Stadium.
The first half started out slow with nearly even possession. Midfielder Luis Gil had three shot attempts that barely missed the goal, but in the 45th minute, his fourth attempt went in. A long throw-in from the right corner of the field found Gil in front of the goal where he volleyed it into the back of the net. Celebration ensued as the half wound down and Spokane led 1-0.
In the 53rd minute, Portland scored inside the 18-yard box off an attempt from Spokane to clear it, leveling the score. The rest of the half was evenly matched and filled with passion and opportunity. The end of regulation showed Spokane just barely in control of the game with 51% possession. Portland received twelve fouls and three yellow cards while Spokane received nine fouls and two yellow cards. Spokane had four shots on goal – two more than Portland – but couldn’t find an edge before the end of regulation. And their six corner kicks and several crosses from out wide were typically met by Portland’s skilled keeper.
Despite several close goals that could’ve changed the trajectory of the game, this semifinal match continued into overtime. Just two minutes into extra time, Portland scored in the top left corner of the goal to take a 2-1 lead. With their season on the line, Spokane’s crowd got louder and louder, and the Velocity played harder and harder. It wasn’t until stoppage time that Nil Vinyals’ shot rolled past the keeper into the lower left corner of the goal, tying the score once again.
Just a few minutes later, the whistle blew and the shootout began. Spokane goalie Carlos Merancio was the hero again, coming up with two crucial saves.
The Spokane Velocity (15-7-9) will go on the road next week to face One Knoxville SC, which beat FC Naples 1-0 in their semifinal match.
• Sun 1, Zephyr 0: Vivianne Bessette scored in the 19th minute as Tampa Bay (1-3-5) beat Spokane (3-4-5) at ONE Spokane Stadium.