06/24/2012 8:46 PM -
Bellingham United FC earned a massive win in Pacific Coast Soccer League action on Sunday, June 24. United took on the first place, and undefeated, Vancouver Thunderbirds in front of almost 700 fans in a match that saw the top two teams in the league playing each other.
In the earlier match between these two teams, Vancouver came out on top with a 3-0 victory.
“It was a lot closer than a 3-0 score line last time,” said Bellingham United forward Kellan Brown. “We felt like we were pretty even with them last game.”
Brown scored the only goal in the game this time to give United a 1-0 win. Brown received the ball off a Greg Young flick on a throw in.
“When Greg is playing, he wins 100 percent of the balls,” Brown said. “I knew he was gonna get it and hit it out, so I ran onto it and felt the defender coming on to me. I struck it and it had front spin on it so it dipped over the keeper.”
Brown’s 35-yard goal brought his season total up to eight. He leads the league in goals scored, and United is second as a team in goals scored this year.
Head Coach Lance Calloway was not at the game. United was led by Assistant Coach Scott Caldwell for the match.
“It was a must win game for us,” Caldwell said. “Great result against a great team. I thought Joel Grossman and Mitch Barrows were solid in the back and Brendan Quilici, Sean Connor and Oscar Jimenez all played really well in the midfield for us.”
Kellan earned the Hammer Man of the Match for his performance.
“Kellan’s goal was fantastic,” Caldwell said. “To drop it in from 35 yards out was high class.”
With the win, United maintains its second place spot in the league. It now has a record of 7-5-0, which is good for 21 points total. United’s next game is on the road at Victoria United on Saturday, June 30.
Victoria is in the middle of the table after starting out undefeated in its first five games of the year. In the last meeting between the two teams, Victoria stole a late win in Bellingham with two goals in the final 15 minutes.
