Bellevue, WA (May 27 by Sy Hoekstra)
Midlakes United 0, Portland Bangers 2
For Midlakes United, the high point of Friday night’s match against the sausage-themed Portland Bangers came in the 13th minute when there was still no score. Forward Francisco Magaña had possession just inside the box with defenders approaching on either side. Ill-advised Contact from both drew a whistle, and Magaña set up for a penalty kick. He located the ball perfectly on the right side, but Marcus Norris, the Portland keeper, guessed correctly and swiftly extinguished the hope of a 1-0 lead.
For much of the first half, Midlakes’ 4-4-2 formation had relatively flat energy, in contrast to the pre-season when the side’s early aggression resulted in dominant offensive performances. Portland’s efforts weren’t much better. but a mishandling by Midlakes defender Philip Kleemann in the 21st minute gave Lucas Fisher the chance to send a high chip over the head of keeper Levi Bieber for the first Portland goal.
Apart from that error though, Midlakes’ defensive unit was impressive. Bieber notched a few saves. And the back line showed good control, including a goal-line save by Kleemann. They started attacks well, even if the front six players didn’t take much advantage. Right fullback Josh Hardin’s performance was particularly notable, earning him Man of the Match accolades.
After the half, there was a marked shift in the tenner of Portland’s offense. With significantly more aggression, they created a number of chances early. And in the 48th minute, a corner kick from midfielder Oliver Jeppe found defender Mason Bradley for a power header and Portland’s second goal.
Midlakes responded with some play creation of its own, but it was too little, too late. Substitutions Jack-Ryan Jeremiah and Patrick Cayelli injected some much-needed life into the offense, and they each had multiple chances on goal. Seven of Midlakes’ ten shots came in the second half. But Portland’s defense remained stalwart, letting nothing through. Perhaps the closest call was a header in the 84th minute by substitute defender Angel Martinez off one of Midlakes’ nine corner kicks that just barely missed.
Tacoma Stars 2, Midlakes United 2
Midlakes fared better in their away game Sunday evening in Tacoma, though the beginning of the match was not promising. In the eighth minute, a deep-lying cross by the Stars’ Eyal Schechtman across the face of the goal found left wing Fellipe Souza who headed it in. Throughout the first half, Midlakes had to contend with Souza causing a lot of trouble on the left side, creating a number of dangerous plays. But there wouldn’t be any further scoring for the next 40 minutes or so.
In the second half, Midlakes shifted up a gear. Less than five minutes in, a couple names Midlakes fans should be getting used to by now combined for an equalizer. Midfielder Alex Bazia sent a low cross to forward Alex Notzka for a clean finish. Then, in the 60th minute, Bazia took advantage of Tacoma’s keeper failing to control a bouncing ball, and put the go-ahead shot in the back of the net. Midlakes had six shots on goal total, three on-target.
A key part of the second-half bounce-back was the midfield magic of Allen Escalante. A 2022 grad from Fresno Pacific University’s team, he’s played in the USL and NISA since leaving college. He had a gritty performance, refusing to back down from some forceful Stars attacks. And he demonstrated some highly creative playmaking vision. In addition to the two goals, the Man of the Match nod was his reward.
Midlakes’ dominant midfield possession in the latter 45 minutes was the key to the team coming home with a point from the away game. But another key second-half difference was University of Washington right back Connor Leber. He came in as a substitute and successfully shut down the pesky Souza with some excellent tracking and a perfect full-stretch block of a cross toward the end of the game.
Unfortunately, the referee awarded Tacoma a penalty kick in the 76th minute that evened the score, and that’s where the two squads left it.
