TACOMA, WASH. – Tacoma Defiance (5-15-5, 20 points) on Friday tallied a season-high five goals and defeated San Antonio FC (9-10-7, 34 points) by a 5-1 margin at Cheney Stadium. Forward Justin Dhillon recorded a brace while Danny Robles, Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez and Ethan Dobbelaere each netted a goal for the home club. Tacoma improved to 3-2-0 in its last five home games with the victory and moved ahead of Tulsa Roughnecks FC in the Western Conference standings. Defiance hits the road for its next two contests before returning home for four of its last seven games of the season.
Dhillon’s team-leading eighth goal of 2019 gave Tacoma a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute. Shandon Hopeau won a ball on the near sideline and took two touches before finding Dhillon in the area. The First Team forward finished with one touch to the left side of the goal to give his side an early advantage.
Tacoma grabbed a 2-0 lead in the 29th minute on Danny Robles’ first professional goal. He won a header in the middle third of the field and put the ball at the feet of a streaking Hopeau down the near side. The midfielder left a ball for Robles in the area, and the 17-year-old took one touch with his left foot and found the right corner of the goal. Ocampo-Chavez converted a penalty kick in the 75th minute to push the game out of reach at 3-0. The marker was his third of the season in his 12th contest, ranking him third on the club.
Academy player Dobbelaere’s goal in the 80th minute came off a pass from defender Nick Hinds near the top of the area. The 16-year-old took one touch before calmly finishing past San Antonio goalkeeper Matt Cardone to push the lead to 4-0. After a San Antonio goal made it 4-1, Dhillon completed his brace with a blast from outside the area. He took two touches with his right foot and sent a screaming ball into the back of the net for the final goal of the evening.
Seven players under the age of 20 saw action for Tacoma tonight, including two First Team players in Ocampo-Chavez and Danny Leyva.
Tacoma Defiance next travels to take on Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, September 7 (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN+). The club then plays at Reno 1868 FC on Tuesday, September 10 (7:00 p.m. PT / ESPN+).
MATCH SUMMARY
Tacoma Defiance I 5-1 I San Antonio FC
Friday, August 30, 2019
Venue: Cheney Stadium I Tacoma, Washington
Referee: Elijio Arreguin
Assistants: Cameron Siler, Adam Sanchez
Fourth Official: Alexis Johnston
Attendance: 2,880
SCORING SUMMARY
TAC – Justin Dhillon (Shandon Hopeau) 17’
TAC – Danny Robles (Shandon Hopeau) 29’
TAC – Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (penalty) 75’
TAC – Ethan Dobbelaere (Nick Hinds) 80’
SA – Joshua Yaro (Jack Barmby) 88’
TAC – Justin Dhillon (Alec Diaz) 90’
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
TAC – Justin Dhillon (caution) 9’
TAC – Jack Barmby (caution) 31’
SA – Moises Hernandez (caution) 74’
TAC – Jesse Daley (caution) 86’
SA – Walter Restrepo (caution) 86’
LINEUPS & STATS
TAC – Bryan Meredith; Antonee Burke-Gilroy, Aleks Berkolds, Josh Atencio, Nick Hinds; Jesse Daley, Danny Leyva; Shandon Hopeau (Ray Serrano 76’), Danny Robles (Ethan Dobbelaere 65’), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Alec Diaz 82’); Justin Dhillon
Substitutes not used: Trey Muse, Denso Ulysse, Ever Rubio, Chris Hegardt
Total shots: 12
Shots on goal: 7
Fouls: 9
Offside: 1
Corner-kicks: 2
Saves: 5
SA – Matt Cardone; Kai Greene, Joshua Yaro, Ebenezer Ackon; Pecka, Moises Hernandez; Walter Restrepo, Brian Gomez, Jack Barmby, Billy Forbes; Frank Lopez (Ever Guzman 62’)
Substitutes not used: Jonathan Viscosi, Pascal Eboussi, Johnny Fenwick, Michael Lahoud, Cristian Parano
Total shots: 25
Shots on goal: 6
Fouls: 11
Offside: 4
Corner-kicks: 7
Saves: 2
