Spokane rides three first-half goals to win against Central Valley
Spokane Velocity FC went on a first-half scoring spree and held on for a 3-2 win over Central Valley Fuego on Saturday evening in a USL League One match at ONE Spokane Stadium.
The Velocity tallied all of their goals during a 23-minute stretch, then eased off in the second half, but protected their lead well enough to earn a victory against the bottom team in the USL1 table.
Andre Lewis opened the scoring in the 20th minute for Spokane (7-4-4). Fellow Velocity midfielder Azriel Gonzalez added a goal in the 28th after Central Valley had evened the score. Spokane defender Ish Jome tacked on a goal in the 43rd minute, capitalizing on a Fuego backfield mishap to put the Velocity comfortably in front.
Spokane stayed tight on defense for most of the second half and limited scoring chances for Central Valley (3-10-2), but the Fuego made things interesting in the 82nd minute. Kevin Garcia won possession off a save and netted a rebound goal to close the gap to one.
The Fuego nearly scored the equalizer in extra time. Garcia got a clear shot in the box, but Velocity goalkeeper Brooks Thompson made a diving save to end the game.
“We weathered the storm a little bit, but we defended the box incredibly well,” Spokane coach Leigh Veidman said.
The Velocity recorded 10 shots, but six were on goal. The Fuego controlled possession and had 26 shot attempts and 16 corner kicks, but only five shots were on target. The Velocity defense clamped down in the box .
In the 20th minute, the Fuego defense got too loose and gave Spokane forward Luis Gil a lane. Gil had a shot blocked in the box, but the ball popped right back to Lewis, who trickled home a goal.
Central Valley’s Zahir Vazquez answered with a short-range goal 5 minutes later after the ball bounced out of a scrum in the box.
Lewis had a quick response, dribbling into open space down the middle of the field, then drawing two defenders and firing a pinpoint assist to Gonzalez, who hit a strike on the run from about 20 yards out.
“As far as counterattacking, the first half was pretty open,” Jome said. “In those moments, offensively, you’re just trying to capitalize on your chances, which we did for the most part.”
Jome scored his first goal of the season – across all competition – in the 43rd minute when Central Valley’s back line committed an error. A pass to the Fuego keeper was off target, and Jome was right there for an easy goal to make the score 3-1.
The Velocity won their second game in four days. They knocked off Union Omaha, the top team in USL1, on Wednesday. Heading into a difficult portion of its schedule, Spokane is well-positioned in the USL1 postseason race, sitting at sixth in the standings with seven games to go.
“Of course, we’re ecstatic about it,” Veidman said. “It’s a huge week. We came into the game exhausted, but you saw the work and effort the guys put in tonight.”
The Velocity next host South Georgia Tormenta FC at 6 p.m. Saturday.