Spokane, WA — Spokane Velocity FC rode two second-half goals to a 3-1 win over AV Alta FC in its first match at home since March 21.
Velocity FC head coach Leigh Veidman spoke on what went well for Spokane against AV.
“I think we had more energy than they did. We have the ability to rotate with quality depth,” said Veidman. “Credit to my team and my boys, they had to step up and get the job done, and they did.”
AV Alta FC struck early, with midfielder Oswaldo Lay connecting on a goal inside the box to give his side a 1-0 lead. Lay was set up nicely off of a crosser outside the penalty area, getting behind Spokane’s backline and scoring his first goal of the season.
Velocity FC came knocking moments later, with midfielder Andrew Booth taking an initial shot outside the box that deflected right to midfielder Rocky Wells, who rebounded it and attempted a shot inside the box that was saved by AV goalkeeper Denzil Smith.
Wells, who made his first League One start of his career on Tuesday, reflected on the match.
“It was fun being out there and being at home. The most important thing was getting that win, and we did, which was amazing,” said Wells.
Opportunity found Spokane again in the 44th minute when forward Shavon John-Brown led a fastbreak opportunity towards goal, crossing it to midfielder Nil Vinyals, who had a point blank shot deflected by AV’s backline.
Velocity FC finally found the net in the 45th minute when Booth whacked in a goal inside the box off a corner kick to equalize the match at 1-1 before halftime. Vinyals sent in the set piece, with defender Gagi Margvelashvili making header contact before Booth rebounded the miss and put it in to score his first goal in League One play.
Spokane found its first lead in the 56th minute, with John-Brown firing a goal inside the box off a perfect pass in transition from midfielder Jack Denton to give Velocity FC a 2-1 lead. The goal was Shavon’s first of the season.
Denton reflected on the match and how Spokane dug in despite going down one goal early against AV.
“I thought it was a really good sign that we were able to concede a goal and not let it affect us. We just stuck to the principles, got on the ball a little bit, and built confidence,” said Denton.
Velocity FC was aggressive searching for its third goal, just missing the mark on multiple occasions. Vinyals lost his footing on a shot in the penalty area in the 70th minute, with forward Neco Brett airmailing a shot just outside the box in the 85th minute.
Vinyals redeemed himself in the 90th minute, scoring a goal of his own in transition to give Spokane a commanding 3-1 lead to end the match. Velocity FC has now scored three goals in its last League One wins, with the last coming against New York Cosmos on March 21st.
Coach Veidman, whose team is now tied for first in the USL League One standings with 10 points along with FC Naples and One Knoxville SC, gave his final thoughts on Tuesday’s match.
“They continue to pressure at the right moments. On the ball, they have to show a bit more character and clean things up in that final third,” said Veidman.
Following Velocity FC’s home dub, the team will play host to Richmond Kickers on Saturday, April 11 at ONE Spokane Stadium. The match is set to kickoff at 6:00 PM PT and tickets to this match can be purchased at Velocity FC Tickets – USL Spokane.
