By Henry Krueger, Gonzaga University ’25
Spokane Velocity FC goalkeeper Brooks Thompson held up under heavy pressure and Ahmed Longmire scored the second-half equalizer with a header to help the club secure a 1-1 draw against One Knoxville SC Friday night at the University of Tennessee’s Regal Stadium.
The match came down to final seconds of stoppage time, when Knoxville’s Callum Johnson sent a corner kick to Jordan Skelton, who attempted a close-range header that was caught by Thompson just before the final whistle.
“Really proud of the players and staff,” said Velocity head coach Leigh Veidman. “Knoxville is such a difficult team to break down so it was always going to be a tight contest. The guys stuck with it, kept fighting and showed incredible character and togetherness to get a positive result on the road at a very difficult place to play.”
Both teams received one point for the draw, but Knoxville moves up to third on the table while Spokane remains in seventh place.
While it marked the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, there was still some familiarity for Velocity’s Derek Waldeck, who tallied six assists in 31 matches for Knoxville last season.
“Any time you get to play against a former club, there’s a little bit of added excitement leading into the game, but once the whistle blows the focus is solely on finding a way to get a result,” Waldeck said. “We were resilient tonight after going down a goal and the response in the second half was excellent.”
The first half saw Knoxville as the aggressor, building up repeated attacks that Thompson and Velocity’s back line had to fend off.
The breakthrough for Knoxville came in the 28th minute when Kempes Tekiela followed up a series of blocked shots by burying a goal from close range to give his club a 1-0 lead.
Aside from Tekiela’s goal, Thompson was instrumental in limiting Knoxville’s scoring efficiency in the first half. The 22-year-old handled constant attacks from the home club, which created two big chances and had five shots on target through 45 minutes of play.
“Thought it was a tough first half and we got frustrated, but we hung in there,” Thompson said.
Spokane had a few close opportunities late in the first half, but neither a long-range shot by Andre Lewis nor a header from Luis Gil found its way past Knoxville goalkeeper Sean Lewis.
Velocity continued hunting for quality shots early in the second half, but their pace during build-ups was seemingly stifled by Knoxville’s back line who packed the box with defenders in Spokane’s attacking third.
During one of many long possessions from Velocity, a prime opportunity arose in the 59th minute when Knoxville’s Stávros Zarokóstas fouled Andre Lewis providing a set piece for Spokane from just outside of the box.
Waldeck lofted the kick over the top of the defense, where a streaking Longmire was able to finish a header from close range to tie the match at 1-1.
“After we earned the free kick, us bigger guys head into the box to hopefully get something on it to create a shot and possibly a goal,” Longmire said. “I had a feeling we would get something because we were beating them to our spots each time … Derek then raised his hand triggering us to go and he put the ball in a lovely spot right over the defender and Marcelo’s head into the path I was running and I had the easy part of just making sure to get a piece of the ball and redirect it towards goal.”
Despite numerous chances, neither club was able to break the tie before the end of the match. Knoxville outshot Spokane 16-13, though both squads had the same number of big chances with two apiece.
Velocity continues their two-match road trip against the Richmond Kickers on Thursday in the final match of Jägermeister Cup group play. Spokane will need a waterfall of goals to earn the fourth spot in the knockout round after being eliminated from contention to win the West Group.
Veidman’s club returns to ONE Spokane Stadium for three straight league matches, facing Union Omaha in a nationally televised match (CBS Sports Network) on Sept. 4, Central Valley Fuego FC on Sept. 7, and South Georgia Tormenta FC on Sept. 14.
The first match of the homestand against Union Omaha on Wednesday, Sept. 4 is a “Blue-Out” at ONE Spokane Stadium sponsored by Idaho Central Credit Union, encouraging fans to wear their new impact blue jerseys and with a rally towel for every fan.