By Matthew Lacy
VANCOUVER, WA—It was a lights out affair Sunday night on the Hampton Inn Championship Field at Harmony Sports Complex where our Vancouver Victory sacked the Spokane Shadow U23’s 6-3. V2FC’s Brandon Zambrano earned a hat trick during the bought and our mid-field showed their heart and tenacity.
Head Coach Logan Emory on the Game
“It started off frustrating. They came off a loss yesterday, drove down here so I knew that they were going to be a little lethargic. I think we may have underestimated them a little bit. Their coaching staff does a really good job with their group, they know who they are and they have some talented players. We needed to come out a bit stronger, a bit quicker than we did and they caught us on the back foot a little bit but I think the guys settled into the game at some point. It was uncomfortable to be down 1-0 but there wasn’t a whole lot of panic from our group which is good to see. They looked like they were in control which is good to see the poise and I think that comes with some of the experience that they brought into the group. I think that might be some of the difference in some of the first games we played. There is just a little bit of professionalism and maturity in the game management.”
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Assistant Coach Scott Lewis on the Game
“Very, very pleased. The group that we have is a very, very talented group. I think Logan [Head Coach Logan Emory] probably said it, we are very frustrated with the goals we gave up. All three were easily avoidable. But other than that it was a good game to watch. I thought it was good for them to come back from 1-0 down. Brandon Zambrano was just unbelievable. Noah Gaines in the back just worked, worked hard all game. It was a good group effort, we are just glad to get a win after two very frustrating games, it is good to get back on track.
“It was frustrating to start, but once we got a goal it kind of settled down. They got one back once we got ahead and then we took over from there. But again, a good result from the group. I was happy that they battled through it. There was a lot of good things.”
Brandon Zambrano on the Game and his Second (his favorite) of Three Goals
“Obviously, they started out winning but we managed to get back. We modified the formation, we saw that our press wasn’t working and we went to a 442 and that obviously helped, we started scoring some goals and then we got one and it was a little different game after that.”
“It was a total group effort, I couldn’t have done it without them. Probably the second one because I like to roll the ball a lot and I got to take on the keeper, I just picked my spot and hit on.”
Bennett Lehner on his Goal
“Tyson (Fox) brought the ball and took it to the byline. I am not a huge guy so I usually try and get to the top of the box and get the ball and he was able to play it back to me. I took two touches past two guys and put it in the bottom right corner.”
Tyson Fox on his Goal and the Game
“They played it short on a goal kick to the left and I saw Brandon step up and pressure and then the only option I had was the keeper. I was just buzzing around the whole game so I figured ‘why not take a chance’ and they made a pass back to the keeper and I just read it, took it off his foot, dribbled across the line and scored a goal.”
“This was the first home game for me and just meeting the guys and meshing with them during training and finally getting out here for a game. It has been a week and a half since we played our last game. We didn’t get the result we wanted but it was a good performance to come back home and play with the guys I haven’t played with before, some guys I have. Just seeing where things are going. I think we have a good squad here for the rest of the season.”
Mid-Fielder Javier Sanchez-Figuera on the Game
“We started off kind of sloppy, there was no control in the mid. I was anxious to play and, obviously, everything is a team effort so I felt like eventually we all picked it up once we made our adjustments in the mid and the defense as well. I am sure that worked as well. The players that came in bumped up the tempo and that kinda helped. It was a team effort. We started communicated more and playing as a team more.”
Head Coach Logan Emory on the Game and Looking Forward
“It is really easy to get excited about today, with the goals and the way we played but it is important to keep everything in perspective and realize that it is all relative. We still have a mountain to climb, we have a long way to go. I am happy, but we have a long way to go.”
The Vancouver Victory are back in action next Sunday (6/10) on Hampton Inn Championship Field at Harmony Sports Complex at 3pm. They will take on the Tri-Cities Alliance, rampaging newcomers to the league who have something to prove. It will be an exciting contest, Sea of Blue. Tickets are available online and at the game: $6 for adults, kids 12 and under are free.
