OLYMPIA, WA – It was a challenging weekend for FC Olympia’s against nationally ranked sides with USL League Two, USL W League and Evergreen Premier League teams all coming up short despite several outstanding performances. Match recaps below.
USL Two: Oly Pushes Around No. 2 Ballard FC
FC Olympia’s USL League Two side delivered one of its strongest performances of the season against Ballard FC the No. 2 ranked team in the nation.
Olympia matched Ballard stride for stride and finished the night outshooting one of the premier clubs in USL League Two from coast to coast. After a hard fought first half Cooper Schneider found the back of the net in the second half to bring Olympia level and set up a thrilling finish.
In the end the difference came down to a penalty kick as Ballard edged FC Olympia 2-1 in a match that could have gone either way. The performance showed the quality and resilience of this squad against one of the country’s elite teams.
USL W: Major Improvements End in Narrow Defeat
The FC Olympia USL W League side turned in one of its most complete performances of the season against the West Seattle Rhodies.
Recent Mexico U23 National Team Goalkeeper call up Azul Alvarez was outstanding in goal making several key saves to keep Olympia in the match and showcasing why she continues to earn recognition at Baylor University and on the international stage.
Olympia created opportunities throughout the contest and competed at a high level from start to finish. However a defensive misplay proved costly leading to the lone goal in a narrow 1-0 defeat.
The overall performance reflected the continued growth and potential of the squad.
EPLWA: Men Suffer First Loss of Season
In Evergreen Premier League action, visiting Spokane Surf FC struck early and often.
“We got jumped on a bit today — came out and just didn’t execute the way we were expectig to” said Head EPLWA Coach Trevor Fetbrandt. “Getting punished on an early mistake out of the back followed by a very light penalty kick call moments later, it just gave them all the confidence in the world and we struggled to get going after that.”
Surf jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back handing FC Olympia its first EPLWA loss of the season. FC Olympia battled throughout the second half and found a goal to cut into the deficit but the comeback effort fell short in a 3-1 final.
“We had a window of 15 minutes where we felt unfortunate not to get a couple more but that’s the way the game goes sometimes” said Fetbrandt. We won’t let it define us, already looking forward to cleaning it up in practice over the next week and being ready for the weekend.”
The defeat serves as a valuable test for a team that has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign and remains focused on its goals moving forward.
USL Men back Friday & TikTok Mic’d Up Sessions
The action continues this Friday June 5th as FC Olympia’s USL League Two side returns to action against Bigfoot FC.
Get your tickets today at http://www.fcoly.com and be sure to follow FC Olympia across all social platforms for exclusive content, match coverage and special fan and player access:
You can also learn more about supporting the club becoming involved in the FC Olympia soccer community and registering for upcoming summer camps by clicking on our Camps tab at http://www.fcoly.com.
Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the match on Friday night.