Spokane Velocity beat Forward Madison on penalties to advance to USL League One championship

From staff reports

MADISON, Wis. – Spokane Velocity FC added another unforgettable chapter to its magical inaugural season.

A week after becoming the first club in USL League One history to win a postseason match in its first season, Velocity topped that accomplishment with a wild victory that will cement this team in Spokane sports history as a legendary group of overachievers.

After a scoreless 120 minutes of play, the seventh-seeded Velocity converted on all of their penalty kicks to stun No. 3 seed Forward Madison FC 0-0 (5-4 PKs) in the semifinal round of the USL1 playoffs on Saturday night at Breese Stevens Field .

The Velocity (9-9-6) will become the first expansion club to play in the USL1 final in its inaugural season when they meet top-seeded Union Omaha next weekend. Omaha will host Spokane on Nov. 17 at noon and be broadcast on CBS Sports.

Spokane’s Josh Dolling and Anuar Pelaez, and Madison’s Devin Boyce and Garrett McLaughlin all struck true on their attempts to begin the penalty shootout.

Velocity goalkeeper Brooks Thompson then broke up the draw with a diving save on an attempt from Madison’s Cherif Dieye. Spokane’s Azriel Gonzalez and Andre Lewis converted on their tries, but so did Madison’s Jimmie Villalobos and Christian Chaney.

That set up a winning opportunity for Velocity midfielder Collin Fernandez, who fired a goal into the top-left corner, then sprinted back to midfield to join his teammates as they hugged and danced in the pouring rain.

Spokane sneaked into the postseason, failing to record a win over its last seven matches of the regular season. But the Velocity opened the playoffs with a major upset, a 3-0 win at No. 2 seed Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC last weekend in the quarterfinals.

Spokane came into the postseason with nothing to lose, playing free of pressure, and now, the Velocity have a chance to win it all and set themselves apart as one of the best stories in USL1 history.

It’s already the best underdog story in USL1 history. Spokane ended Northern Colorado’s five-match winning streak last weekend in Windsor, Colorado. On Saturday, the Velocity dealt Madison (10-4-9) its first home loss of the year. The hosts were 8-0 at Breese Stevens Field.

The Velocity struggled to find their chances in the first half as Madison owned possession, but Spokane’s back line stayed tight. The second half featured plenty of momentum shifts, but neither team could get a great look until the 88th minute, when Thompson made a leaping grab to prevent an open goal.

Each club had four decent chances during the extra 30 minutes of time, but the shots were all a hair off.

Madison had possession for 56% of the match and recorded 16 shots, two on target. The Velocity finished with 13 shots, but their only shot of target came in the 120th minute.

Still, Thompson (two saves, six recoveries) and Spokane’s defense did enough to deny Madison’s attack, setting up a tense PK shootout and another historic night for the Velocity.