Ballard FC made their way across Lake Washington on Friday night to take on the
Eastside’s Midlakes United. At the end of the match, Ballard FC won the match by a
score of 2-1 and took home the three points back to Seattle.
Coming into this highly anticipated fixture, both sides had won their previous home
match. Ballard FC was coming off a resounding 5-1 victory over FC Olympia and
Midlakes United had beat the Tacoma Stars 3-0. For Ballard FC, it was about building
on their lead of the Northwest Division. Meanwhile, for Midlakes United, it was
continuing their climb of the standings as they fought to be above the playoff line.
Though their motives were different, it promised to be a great night of soccer at the
Bellevue College Soccer Complex.
Ballard FC imposed their will very early on in the match as midfielder Charlie Gaffney
capped off a beautiful team goal in the 6 th minute. The crisp and precise passing found
him open in front of a gaping goal that allowed him to simply tap the ball in.
For the next 10 minutes after the goal, Ballard FC were suffocating any attack that
Midlakes United could muster. In every sense of the word, they were dominating the
match at this stage. Such dominance did not carry on further in the first half, as
Midlakes United began to find their footing. The team started to combine better down
the middle and through the flanks. The match became physical and evenly matched for
the rest of the opening 45 minutes.
Ryan Hampton / Area Sports Network
Any relative momentum that Midlakes had carried from the first half was swept away in
the 48th minute when Ballard FC forward Richie Aman fired off a dangerous shot from
the left side of the box. The shot was deflected off a Midlakes United defender and the
ball found its way into the back corner of the goal, giving Ballard FC a much-needed
second tally. Aman, now with a goal and an assist on the first goal, was enjoying a very
solid match. Aman stated after the game, regarding what was working all match, “I think
just coming inside, trying to find my teammates… we played some really good football. I
thought that worked really well.”
This time, after the second goal, the domination by Ballard FC was sustained for most
of the second half. Midlakes United had a tough time getting out of their own half.
Ballard FC was dictating the flow of the game. Matters were smooth and controlled. The
team, however, could not find that decisive third goal.
Midlakes United would pull one back in the 79th minute as midfielder Bailey Leatherman
converted from the penalty spot. The goal would give life to Midlakes United as they
began to press intensely in the waning minutes of the second half. Ballard FC began giving the ball away due to said pressure but Midlakes United were not able to capitalize
and find the equalizer.
Ryan Hampton / Area Sports Network
Midlakes United manager Justi Baumgardt sees room for improvement as the team
heads back to training. “I think there were things that we could have done better. We
could have set our lines higher. We could have pressed more. I felt that we were
dropped off a little bit and allowed too much space for them.” In the closing 10 minutes,
Midlakes United were toe-to-toe with the best team in the division so, despite the result,
that could be a sign of encouragement for Coach Baumgardt as she prepares her team
for the homestretch of the season.
Another positive sign for Midlakes United was the outstanding leadership displayed by
forward Nii Engmann. When his team was down, one could hear his shouts of direction
and encouragement towards his teammates. “For me, whether I am on or off the field,
it’s really important to keep pushing the guys on. We have the talent, we have the
players, [and] we have the heart,” said Engmann. Having this self-less leadership is
something the team can be proud of.
Ballard FC, on the other hand, can hold their heads high knowing that they are in solid
form this late into the season. It is important though, that the team stays humble as they
begin to solidify their spot at the top of the division. Coach Mutanda Kwesele, who was
filling in for head coach James Riley for Ballard FC, realizes this necessity of being
humble, “We know that we are not infallible and that we can lose games. That’s the
beauty of this sport. Doesn’t matter who you play and there’s so many good players in
this division. So, it’s next game… We stay hungry within ourselves. We know that we
have to keep on just focusing on the next game [to] get to where we want to be this
year.”
Ballard FC will return to action on short notice as they head home to take on Capital FC
Atletico at Memorial Stadium on Sunday, June 30th. Midlakes United will be on the road
to take on the Tacoma Stars that same day.
Cover Photo: Ryan Hampton / Area Sports Network
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