OLYMPIA, WA — FC Olympia looked on course for its first positive USL League Two result of the season Friday night but Snohomish United struck twice late to hand the Artesians a 2-1 defeat at Well 80 Pitch in Olympia.
The night began with a long awaited breakthrough as Gonzaga forward Michael Divano scored in the 51st minute giving FC Olympia its first USL goal of the 2026 campaign. Divano’s goal gave the Artesians an energy lift after a difficult opening stretch of three matches that all featured 0-3 losses and zero goals scored in what has become one of the toughest starts in 5 years of USL League Two franchise play in Olympia. C-Sharp Images photo gallery of the USL men’s game at the bottom of this article.
Snohomish however flipped the match late and equalized in the 83rd minute. The dagger was the stoppage time goal by United’s Jose Perez to complete the comeback and leave FC Olympia still searching for its first win.
“This result was really tough to take but I’m proud of the work the boys put in. They gave everything they had and I hope the fans were able to appreciate that” said Head USL Two Coach Luke Sandblom. “We continue to improve in every game but of course nobody is satisfied. We need to improve on executing key moments. The boys are sticking together through adversity and are committed to turning these improved performances into results starting Monday.”
The Artesians return to action quickly on Monday May 25th hosting West Seattle Junction at 12:30PM at Wel 80 Pitch at the Regional Athletic Complex in Olympia.
“7 USL teams in 70 miles is something I’m still trying to make sense of” said club president Ryan Perkins. “I can see the men and staff battling and firmly believe they’re capable of turning things around as ten matches are still left to play in 2026.”
A look back at the last five seasons isolated on only the first four matches. Note; start date in 2026 is the earliest in USL League Two NW Division history (May 9, 2026). Most goals scored was in 2023 with Liviu Bird at the helm and back when there was only (2) Washington State based teams in the USL League Two; Ballard FC and FC Olympia. 2022 to 2023 only two USL Two teams existed in Washington State meanwhile 4 several across Oregon.
2025 to 2026 there is now (7) Washington-based USL clubs from Snohomish to Olympia on the same Interstate 5 corridor and only one Portland, OR squad. Eugene, Salem as well as a second Portland team are all now defunct in a saturated Washington USL market now.
| Year | First (4) USL Two Matches | W-L-D | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 9 vs Bangers FC — L 0-3; May 15 at Ballard FC — L 0-3; May 19 at Midlakes United — L 0-3; May 22 vs Snohomish United — L 1-2. | 0-4-0 | 1 | 11 |
| 2025 | May 16 vs Ballard FC — L 0-3; May 23 vs Snohomish United — L 1-2; May 30 at Bangers FC — D 0-0; Jun 1 at West Seattle Junction FC — W 5-4 | 1-2-1 | 6 | 9 |
| 2024 | May 24 at Tacoma Stars — L 1-4; May 26 vs Lane United — D 1-1; May 29 vs Ballard FC — L 0-4; Jun 2 at Midlakes United — L 1-2 | 0-3-1 | 3 | 11 |
| 2023 | May 14 vs PDX FC — W 3-0; May 21 vs Ballard FC — L 0-4; May 26 at United PDX — W 6-5; Jun 4 vs United PDX — W 2-0; | 3-1-0 | 11 | 9 |
| 2022 | May 21 vs U23 Timbers — L 2-3; May 27 at PDX FC — L 1-2; May 30 at Ballard FC — L 0-3; Jun 4 at Lane United FC — L 0-2 | 0-4-0 | 3 | 10 |
USL W Draws 2-2 at Tacoma
FC Olympia’s USL W League side also picked up a road point Friday drawing 2-2 against Tacoma Galaxy in Tacoma.
Laney Smith and Olivia Collins both scored for FC Olympia providing attacking spark in a back-and-forth match. Molly McCabe got the start in goal as the Artesians battled through another early season test in the Northwest Division. Galaxy got on the board early with a pair of goals but the staunch offense provided by Collins and Smith kept the Artesians positive on the road.
The result moves FC Olympia’s USL W start to one win, two losses and one draw which is the most difficult opening stretch the club has ever encountered since USL W inception in 2023. Last season’s standards were high and FC Olympia has been one of the division’s strongest programs but 2026 has brought a new challenge under new head coach Seth Spidahl and first year USL Sporting Director Ben Willis.
Despite these early results the core roster is still coming together which includes more collegiate playmakers from around the nation including Mexico National Team Goalkeeper Azul Alvarez (Baylor).
FC Olympia’s next USL W match is Friday May 29th when the Artesians host West Seattle Rhodies at Well 80 Pitch at the Regional Athletic Complex. The Rhodies enter as one of the top sides in the Northwest Division making the match another major early test for FC Olympia.
Notable in this table of first (4) matches by USL W season is the earliest start time in last four years (May 9, 2026). Most goals scored out of the gate was in 2024 when Ben Willis was head coach and Chris Wells the Sporting Director (23 goals to only 1 against).
| Year | First (4) USL W Matches | W-L-D | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | May 9 vs Snohomish (Crossfire ECNL) — L 0-6; May 15 vs Salmon Bay — L 0-4; May 17 vs Bigfoot — W 2-0; May 22 at Tacoma — D 2-2. | 1-2-1 | 4 | 12 |
| 2025 | May 18 vs Lane Utd — W 6-0; May 25 at Bigfoot — W 5-0; May 31 vs West Seattle — W 2-1; Jun 7 vs Tacoma — W 6-0 | 4-0-0 | 19 | 1 |
| 2024 | May 14 vs Tacoma — W 4-0; May 21 vs Lane United — W 4-1; May 31 at Capital FC—W 7-0; Jun 5 at Lane W 8-0 | 4-0-0 | 23 | 1 |
| 2023 | May 14 vs PDX FC — W 2-0; May 19 at Lane — W 4-1; May 26 at United PDX — D 2-2; Jun 1 vs United PDX — W 3-1; | 3-0-1 | 11 | 4 |
Memorial Day Captain’s Cup: FC Olympia vs Port Orchard FC (EPLWA)
Monday will also feature a special Evergreen Premier League men’s matchup as FC Olympia hosts Port Orchard FC at 3:00PM in the opening leg of the new Captain’s Cup rivalry which is new to the league in 2026. FC Olympia host first in Captain Cup then a return meeting Sunday June 7th at Port Orchard will be the decider on aggregate for the Cup winner.
“This league is all about our local communities and nothing highlights these communities more than a strong derby rivalry game,” says Evergreen Premier League President John Crouch. “We are excited to introduce our first community-specific competition and highlight it with the Captain’s Cup tradition. Don’t miss the first fixture in what we hope will be a long lasting high level cross bridge community rivalry.”
Monday’s result in Olympia will set the tone before the series shifts to Port Orchard two weeks later.
“Our jump up to statewide play in the EPLWA makes FC Oly our current closest opponent,” says POFC Coordinator David Falk. “Our cities have plenty in common, from being near water, to being local govenment hubs, and more. In terms of soccer we both also share the mission of engaging the communities we represent. This will be a fun derby and I am excited to see how it develops over the years.”
“From player pool and coaches to proximity of our home venues within EPLWA, this is the closest rivalry for us in this path to pro EPLWA conference” FC Olympia president Ryan Perkins says. “We’re thrilled to embark on a new Captain’s Cup tradition with Port Orchard FC & FC Olympia — we’ll see who gets the first bragging rights in 2026. OLY! OLY! OLY!”
FC Olympia’s Memorial Day match day is also being promoted as an EPLWA Game of the Week with an enhanced community atmosphere at the RAC. FC Olympia will have a beer garden, kids zone with inflatable soccer field, prizes and a special broadcast stream for “Captains Cup” coverage and EPLWA.
Tickets are available through FCOLY.com.
Kids Camp Memorial Day Morning
Before the holiday soccer doubleheader local kids can take the field Monday morning for a special FC Olympia youth camp led by USL League Two and USL W League players from colleges around the country. FC Olympia’s youth programming gives local families opportunities for kids to meet, play and learn from USL athletes and experienced youth staff.
Families can register at FCOLY.com for the Memorial Day camp then stay for a full day of local soccer as FC Olympia looks to turn the page chase its first USL League Two win and launch a new rivalry with Port Orchard FC.
Photo Gallery | 5.22.26 | USL Two | C-Sharp Images
