Spokane sparks for three second-half goals in 4-1 rout of Texoma FC

The Spokane Velocity ignited for three second-half goals after scoring one before halftime to rout expansion club Texoma FC 4-1 at ONE Spokane Stadium on Sunday.

The Velocity (2-1-2), who have now scored eight goals in their last three matches, were led by Shavon John-Brown. John-Brown found himself in the middle of three of Spokane’s goals, scoring one, assisting another and acting as a catalyst for a third.

Spokane began the match in dominant fashion, earning its first goal in the 13th minute after controlling possession with 63% in the first 10 minutes.

Defender Derek Waldeck, who led the team in chances created entering the game with seven, shot the ball from the top left corner of the penalty area off an assist from Andre Lewis, and Spokane pulled ahead 1-0.

Velocity struggled to net the rest of their shots on frame, with six of their nine first-half attempts being off-target.

After giving up a goal, Texoma (0-4-0) increased their offensive pressure as they pushed Spokane’s defense back, completing 87 passes in the Velocity’s half in the first 45 minutes.

Still, the Velocity handled Texoma’s offense and only allowed five shot attempts, including a close-range header by striker Brandon McManus that missed to the left side of the goal, and denied Texoma’s efforts to level the game with 10 first-half clearances.

“Once we got the goal, we took our foot off the gas, and we didn’t dominate on the ball like we started,” Spokane head coach Leigh Veidman said. “We felt their disorganization at the back, and we were trying to jump and press at bad times … thankfully we got to the half without conceding.”

In the 55th minute, John-Brown scored an insurance goal to give Spokane a brief 2-0 cushion. Striker Anuar Pelaez fired a shot from just outside the goalie box on the left. John-Brown, on the opposite side, seized the rebound, and blasted it into the bottom right corner of the net.

“Coach sent me a text and told me to just try to go more in the box,” John-Brown stated. “I did that, and it just happened to follow in my direction.”

Five minutes later, Spokane surrendered a goal before putting the game away in the 62nd and 75th minutes.

In the 55th, Texoma midfielder Phillip Sengler scored off an assist from Solomon Asante.

The Velocity immediately replied with a Pelaez goal that was assisted by Lucky Opara. John-Brown placed a perfect ground ball to Opara, who was on the right side of the penalty box. Opara found Pelaez in the center with a cross. Between multiple defenders, Pelaez quickly rifled the ball from a few feet out, past Texoma goalkeeper Mason McCready.

“We didn’t let them out, and we’re not the team that allows them to come out and throw punches. So, we allowed one but we got it under control and we got back control of the game,” Coach Veidman said.

Ish Jome subbed in for Pierre Reedy in the 72nd minute and instantly notched his first goal of the season, off a pass from John-Brown.

In talking about his goal, Jome said, “We made some good progress on that left side, and then Shave got the ball at the top of the box, and I just called for it on the right side… I just tried to cut it in and get it on target. It took a deflection, but thankfully it went in.”

The Velocity ended the game with four out of 15 shots on target, and 56% possession. They also recorded 35 touches in Texoma’s box, compared to Texoma’s 10 in Spokane’s.

Camron Miller, who leads Spokane in clearances entering the match with 29, led the way on the defensive end with seven clearances out of the Velocity’s 20 total.

“We’ve worked hard all week… it was good to get a goal and an assist, and a convincing win moving forward,” John-Brown said.

Spokane, now in third place, travels to face off against seventh-place AV Alta (2-2-0) Saturday at Lancaster Municipal Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.