SPOKANE, WA — Velocity FC rallied from an 0-2 deficit at halftime to earn a point on the road against Boise on Sunday.
Spokane’s Head Coach Leigh Veidman reflected on Sunday’s rollercoaster match.
“The fortunate side was that we were at home and had the fans behind us today, who helped us get back into the game,” said Veidman. “Coming back from two goals down against a team like Boise is not easy to do.”
Boise controlled the tempo in the first half, attempting 10 shots to Spokane’s two while getting four on target. In the 18th minute, Boise midfielder Tumi Moshobane nearly scored from the center of the box but had an attempt saved by Sean Lewis.
The visitors cashed in a penalty kick in the 29th minute after Velocity FC Lucky Opara tripped Nick Moon inside the box. Boise forward Jesus Barea converted the penalty to give his side an early 1-0 lead.
One of Spokane’s best chances of the first half came in the 41st minute when forward Anuar Peláez attempted a bicycle kick a couple of feet away from the six-yard box, missing it wide to the left.
Boise closed the first half strong, with Barea scoring in the 45th minute to give the visitors a 2-0 lead into the break. Barea placed an impressive strike from the left side of the box perfectly into the bottom right corner of the net to secure a brace.
Spokane defender Camron Miller spoke on the defensive adjustments they had to make at halftime.
“I don’t think we made too many adjustments. It was more so just getting more pressure on the ball,” said Miller. “I feel like we’ve had a problem with coming out a little slow in the first half and honestly once we fix that, we will be in good shape.”
Velocity FC stormed back moments into the second half, with Luis Gil scoring in the 48th minute in transition to cut Boise’s lead to 1-2. The goal was Gil’s fifth of the season, which is the second most on the team.
With momentum on Spokane’s side, the Lads scored again in the 50th minute to equalize the match at 2-2 thanks to Derek Waldeck, who received a perfect pass from Jack Denton into the center of the box and scored, sending ONE Spokane Stadium into a frenzy.
Waldeck spoke on what changed from the first to second half to mount a comeback.
“It really just came down to the mentality we came out with. We had a lot more aggression in the second half and put Boise under a lot of it,” said Waldeck.
Neither side was able to find another goal, ending the match in a 2-2 draw. Spokane will end 1-0-2 against their regional rivals this season, and with Boise set to move to USL Championship, future meetings between the sides will be fewer and further between.
Coach Veidman praised his side for digging deep to find a comeback against Boise.
“Full credit to the players who started the second half and started this comeback,” said Veidman.
The Lads will hit the road for a match against Forward Madison FC on September 26. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT and streaming is available on ESPN+. Their next home match will be on October 3rd against Portland Hearts of Pine. This will be a crucial match with playoff implications, so get your tickets now at Velocity FC Single Match Tickets – USL Spokane and support the Lads as they continue their third season in League One!
