TACOMA, WASH. – Tacoma Defiance (2-9-2, 8 points) on Sunday scored an equalizer in the 90th minute to earn a point in a 3-3 draw with Fresno FC (5-1-5, 20 points) at Cheney Stadium. Justin Dhillon scored in his third consecutive game on a lead pass from Jesse Daley to give Tacoma its third goal of the day. Defiance has now recorded two consecutive draws after dropping its previous six matches.
Tacoma netted its first goal of the day in the 48th minute to even the match at 1-1. Nick Hinds won possession on the far sideline in Fresno’s end and burst into the area, forcing an own goal off the foot of a Fresno FC defender.
Just four minutes later, Sam Rogers found Shandon Hopeau streaking down the middle of the field and hit him with a pass in stride. Hopeau took four touches before firing a shot that hit the post and bounced in. The marker was the first of the season for the midfielder, who leads all Defiance field players with 789 minutes played in 2019.
The final equalizer came in the 90th minute off the foot of Dhillon. Daley sent a ball into the area that found a streaking Dhillon, who calmly beat diving Fresno goalkeeper C.J. Cochran to his right side to level the match at 3-3.
Fresno’s first goal came off a free kick by Arun Basuljevic in the 38th minute. He sent a curling ball into the area that found the foot of Qudus Lawal, who finished for his fifth goal in his last four games. Lawal has now scored in four consecutive matches for Fresno.
Basuljevic leveled the match at 2-2 just two minutes after Hopeau’s goal, as he lifted a shot to the top of the goal past Tacoma goalkeeper Trey Muse. A misplay in the back end allowed Jaime Chavez to give Fresno a 3-2 lead in the 81st minute.
Five players under the age of 20 saw action for Tacoma today, including two First Team players in Muse and Danny Leyva.
Tacoma Defiance next travels to LA Galaxy II on Wednesday, May 29 (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN+). The club then hosts El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday, June 1 (7:00 p.m. PT / ESPN+).
MEDIA RESOURCES
PHOTOS – IMAGES FOR MEDIA USE: https://sndrs.com/8m3d8
VIDEO – ASSISTANT COACH WADE WEBBER POST-MATCH MEDIA SCRUM: https://sndrs.com/ceqtc
VIDEO – FORWARD JUSTIN DHILLON AND MIDFIELDER JESSE DALEY POST-MATCH MEDIA SCRUM: https://sndrs.com/dmexm
AUDIO – DOWNLOADABLE POST-MATCH SOUNDBYTES: http://sndrs.com/audio
MATCH SUMMARY
Tacoma Defiance I 3-3 I Fresno FC
Sunday, May 26, 2019
Venue: Cheney Stadium I Tacoma, Washington
Referee: Mark Allatin
Assistants: Joshua Haimes, Christian Clerc
Fourth Official: Sya Magee
Weather: 65 degrees and partly cloudy
Attendance: 1,788
SCORING SUMMARY
FFC – Qudus Lawal 38’
TAC – Own goal 48’
TAC – Shandon Hopeau (Sam Rogers) 52’
FFC – Arun Basuljevic (Diego Casillas) 54’
FFC – Jaime Chavez 81’
TAC – Justin Dhillon (Jesse Daley) 90’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TAC – Henry Wingo (caution) 31’
TAC – Antonee Burke-Gilroy (caution) 59’
FFC – Zachary Ellis-Hayden (caution) 64’
LINEUPS & STATS
TAC – Trey Muse; Henry Wingo, Sam Rogers, Jonathan Campbell, Nick Hinds; Danny Leyva, Josh Atencio; Shandon Hopeau (Justin Dhillon 60’), Antonee Burke-Gilroy (Jesse Daley 76’), Azriel Gonzalez (Denso Ulysse 84’); Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez
Substitutes not used: Jacob Castro, Aleks Berkolds, Matt Nance, Joel Rydstrand
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 2
Fouls: 7
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 5
Saves: 2
FFC – C.J. Cochran; Zachary Ellis-Hayden, Michael Daly, Ramon Del Campo, Diego Casillas (Emir Alihodzic 74’); Arun Basuljevic, Seth Moses, Hiroki Kurimoto (Juan Caffa 56’), Jemal Johnson; Jaime Chavez, Qudus Lawal (Christian Chaney 53’)
Substitutes not used: Sam Howard, Jems Geffrard, Renato Bustamante, Jorge Escamilla
Total shots: 15
Shots on goal: 5
Fouls: 15
Offside: 4
Corner-kicks: 3
Saves: 0
