League1 BC: 'Caps move into first place

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC MLS Academy continued a good run of form with their third win in a row, defeating Rivers FC 2-0 at Thunderbird Stadium.

• Girls Elite remain perfect with win over Rivers FC

Amoni Thomas set up both goals with spirited efforts to put the opposition defenders on their back heels.

With five minutes left in the first half, Thomas sprinted ahead for a loose ball, and was cautioned after he collided with Rivers FC ’keeper Jackson Gardner.

However, Thomas kept his nose to the grindstone. Mere seconds before the stroke of halftime, he zig-zagged into the danger area with the ball glued to his boots.

Suddenly, Thomas saw an opening. He tapped a pinpoint pass forward to onrushing captain Matteo Samori, who expertly chipped the ball past an outstretched Gardner from 10 yards out for a 1-0 lead.

After play resumed, Thomas wasn’t done. He powered his way past a defender and put up a cross for an easy header nodded in by substitute Sydney Wathuta.

Wathuta came inches within scoring a brace, as he pushed past his mark for a strike that rang off the crossbar.

Rivers FC’s best chance came from the top of the box when midfielder Jonathan Rinaldi put his head down and smashed a knuckleball that curled out of play over the outstretched arms of 'Caps ’keeper Ben Alexander.

Alexander finished with a clean sheet.

Teammate Angelo Zhu also came close as he went made a move to go wide and then cut in to face Gardner one-on-one – but Zhu’s effort just dribbled a foot wide of the far post.

The 'Caps now have a record of 3W-1L-1D in the men's division to top the League1 BC standings at the end of the weekend.

Next up, they’ll host Altitude FC at UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday June 9 at 3 p.m. PT.

MATCH DETAILS

Referee: Mo Mohseni

Scoring Summary
45’ – VAN – Matteo Samori (Amoni Thomas)
51’ – VAN – Sydney Wathuta (Amoni Thomas)

Cautions
40’ – VAN – Amoni Thomas
50’ – VAN – Nikos Clarke-Tosczak
83’ – RIV – Marcus D’Andrea

Whitecaps FC MLS Academy
90.Ben Alexander; 87.Sahai Williams, 72.Nikos Clarke-Tosczak, 71.Jaden Manetta; 84.Amoni Thomas, 68.Cristiano Da Silva, 65.Mario Lefevre, 88.Angelo Zhu (98.David Ajagbe 81’); 79.Matteo Samori (89.Elijah Bean 67’), 95.Markus Rukavina (23.Amir Ghasemi 67’), 34.Riley Ferraro (85.Sydney Wathuta HT)

Substitutes not used
80.Alex Milosevic, 74.Aidan Fong, 91.Felix Masson