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| Wenatchee players celebrate winning goal against Yakima |
This week, the big story is the massive test ahead for fourth-place Wenatchee FC. Not only are the Capitals embarking on the first two-game road trip of the season for any team, they have the unlucky task of having to face the unbeaten league-leading sides South Sound Shock (3-0-1) and Vancouver Victory (4-0-0).
WEEK 4 RECAP
Friday, May 15
South Sound 2 :: 0 Olympic Force
A good early goal and a long-range strike with nine minutes remaining paired with a shutout performance in goal from Chris Kintz as the Shock posted just the second shutout overall of the young EPLWA season. The win moved South Sound to the top of the table momentarily.
Scoring Summary - SS: Tyler John (Max Harvey) 16, Daniel Gray 81
Goalkeepers - SS: Chris Kintz; OLY: Spencer Miele
Location - Gordon Field (Bremerton); Attendance: 101
Vancouver Victory 2 :: 0 Spokane Shadow
The Victory were looking for their first win against Spokane and used first half goal from Borce Antanasov to grab control of the game 10 minutes before the break. Both teams searched for the key goal in the second half and the Victory found it via a throw-in from James Williamson that found its way through the box to Alex Nimo at the far post in the 78th. The result pushed Vancouver to 4-0-0 and back atop the league table. Read Full INWsn Report [+]
Scoring Summary - VAN: Borce Antanasov 35, Alex Nimo (James Williamson) 78
Goalkeepers - VAN: Jordan Farr; SPO: Jeff Srock
Location - Spokane Falls CC Stadium (Spokane); Attendance: 217
Bellingham United 2 :: 4 Seattle Stars
The woes continue for Bellingham, which is struggling mightily after being a contender much of last season. The Hammers built a two goal lead to keep the trend of road teams doing well. Tyler Bjork scored in the 17th on a ball from Nate Reitz and then nodded in a cross from Sean Conner in the 27th. It all began to unravel, though, three minutes before intermission. Cornelius Ieremie cut into the deficit with a strike and then Manuel Maldonado negated the advantage entirely with a minute left in the period. A penalty 10 minutes into the second half put the hosts in front via Anderson Dias and they secured the win in the 89th courtesy of Ali Seyedali. The victory propelled Seattle to third in the table, a viewpoint the Stars were far from most of the year
Scoring Summary - BEL: Tyler Bjork (Nate Reitz) 17, Bjork (Sean Conner) 37; SEA: Cornelius Ieremie 42, Manuel Maldonado 44, Anderson Dias (penalty) 55, Ali Seyedali 89
Goalkeepers - BEL: Riley Liddle; SEA: Scott Barnum
Location - Starfire Sports Complex (Tukwila); Attendance: 93
Yakima United 0 :: 1 Wenatchee FC
Last year, the Capitals won the season series on aggregate 7-1, but it was Yakima that edged them out in the table by a point. The central Washington rivalry is definitely a little closer this year based on the first meeting. In a match that saw seven cautions, Wenatchee kept their unbeaten status against Yakima intact, scoring 13 minutes in and keeping United off the board thanks to the efforts of goalkeeper Mauricio Sanchez. Jonathan Rodriguez collected the ball near the goal and beat the keeper to net the winner for Wenatchee.
Scoring Summary - WEN: Jonathan Rodriguez 13
Goalkeepers - YAK: Antonio Gonzalez; WEN: Mauricio Sanchez
Location - Mike Hollis Field - WVC (Wenatchee); Attendance: 229
INWsn's THREE STARS IN EPLWA
Tyler Bjork (Bellingham United) :: Scored twice to give the Hammers the lead for just the second time this season, but just like his previous go-ahead goal a week ago, the opposition rallied to the victory.
Chris Kintz (South Sound) :: After leading the league in shutouts a year ago, he posted his first clean of the season in a 2-0 road victory to complete the Shock's season opening road series 3-0-1.
Mauricio Sanchez (Wenatchee FC) :: A natural first-half hat-trick gave the Capitals a commanding hold on the game as they cruised to a 4-1 win on the road against the Olympic Force.
COMING UP IN WEEK 5
Saturday, May 23
Olympic Force @ Seattle Stars - 3:30
It's the first meeting between the two sides, but a year ago the Stars split the season series against the peninsula side WestSound, falling 2-1 on the road and winning 4-1 at home.
Wenatchee FC @ South Sound FC - 7:00
The Capitals take to the road for the first two-game trip by any team this season in EPLWA. Last year Wenatchee was one of the few teams that got the better of the Shock. In the first meeting they fell 2-1 away from home, but near the end of the campaign they posted a surprising 3-1 win over visiting South Sound in a result that proved costly for the Shock in the title race.
Sunday, May 24
Bellingham United @ Yakima United - 1:00
Yakima has the chance to register the first season sweep of the series as they finish things off with the Hammers just a month into the season. After a crazy split last year, the Hoppers posted another big win over Bellingham with a 4-0 victory on the road in the second week of the season.
Wenatchee FC @ Vancouver Victory - 2:00
The Capitals wrap up their two-game trip against the league leaders, whom they split with a year ago in which both teams posted 3-1 victories at home.
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