MADISON, WI — Spokane Velocity FC handed Madison its first home loss in league play on Saturday, with the monstrous win heavily improving Spokane’s chance at a top four position in league standings and a potential home playoff match.
Spokane’s head coach Leigh Veidman reflected on Saturday’s match against the Flamingos.
“Really proud of the players and staff,” said Veidman. “Coming to Madison and getting a win is an extremely tough task this year, and getting a clean sheet is a huge boost for the group.”
Velocity FC had to withstand an early offensive push by Madison, who had seven shot attempts in the first 20 minutes and several runs inside the box. Madison midfielder Ryan Carmichael led the effort with three shots, including a free kick in the 13th minute outside the box that sailed over Sean Lewis’s net.
Spokane’s first chance came in the 33rd minute when defender Derek Waldeck sent a strike inside the box wide right of the net. Waldeck’s attempt was set up by a header pass from Velocity FC’s captain, Luis Gil.
Two minutes later, Jack Denton recorded Spokane’s first shot on target, sending a shot outside the box straight down the middle of the net into the hands of Madison goalkeeper JT Harms. Despite Denton’s attempt proving unsuccessful, it provided Velocity FC momentum heading into halftime.
The second half began with a near score in the 49th minute by Velocity FC, as defender Camron Miller had a header attempt inside the six-yard box that sailed high over the goal’s crossbar. Waldeck sent in a free kick outside the penalty area that reached Miller.
Lewis had a clutch save in the 68th minute on an open shot by Carmichael, who slipped behind Spokane’s backline and fired an attempt from the left side of the box, which required a sliding effort by Lewis to deflect it.
Denton had the moment of the match in the 73th minute, scoring the match’s opening goal to give Spokane a 1-0 lead. The play began with a beautiful curling pass into the box by Lucky Opara, with Denton finding it and firing a shot into the top of the net.
Denton spoke on his goal and the overall performance by Spokane offensively.
“I think it was a really good team performance today, we showed a lot of character and togetherness to weather the storm they threw at us which we knew would be the case as they are a good team,” said Denton.
“Our mindset was just to stay together, stay patient and stay ready as we knew a chance would fall our way eventually and fortunately it was a great pass by Lucky to find me in space and thankfully I was able to put it away and get three big points on the road,” Denton continued.
Velocity FC held off the Flamingos from scoring an equalizer in the final 17 minutes, earning their first clean sheet since July 22nd when they shutout Charlotte Independence at home 3-0.
Spokane forward Medgy Alexandre spoke of the importance of Saturday’s win as the playoff race heats up.
“Huge team win today, I’m super proud of my teammates,” said Alexandre. “Our goal is to continue stacking wins going into the playoffs.”
The win brought Spokane’s point total to 43 through 25 matches. With at least two matches in hand over the top six sides in the standings, Velocity FC has a major chance to continue making ground in the table.
Coach Veidman spoke on the importance of Saturday’s road win as the regular season comes to a close.
“We’ve had some challenges on the road in starting games slowly, this shows when the group has the right focus and mentality, they can get it done,” said Veidman.
Next up, Velocity FC will head south for a road match against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Wednesday, September 30th. Kickoff is slated for 4 PM PT with streaming available on ESPN+.
The Lads return home to face off against Portland Heart of Pines on October 3rd, with kickoff set for 6:00 PM PT. Don’t miss out on the chance to support the Lads as they continue their fight for a top four spot in League One standings. Get your tickets today at Velocity FC Single Match Tickets – USL Spokane!
