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Spokane Velocity FC

Spokane Velocity FC Records Draw vs Greenville Triumph in Jägermeister Cup Duel

May 26, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Spokane Velocity FC News Release


After not seeing action in last weekend's 3-0 loss, Carlos Merancio made his presence known in Spokane Velocity FC's third match of the Jägermeister Cup.

The 25-year-old goalkeeper recorded seven saves and anchored a robust defense that shut out Greenville Triumph SC through regulation. However, with Velocity also held scoreless - per Cup rules - the match went into a penalty shootout that Greenville won 5-4. Both teams were awarded a draw and a point in group play, with Triumph earning the additional point for winning the shootout.

Regardless of the result, Merancio said he was pleased with the way his team bounced back from its most lopsided loss of the season against Forward Madison FC last Sunday in league play.

"I wish we won the game first, but I think the team showed resilience and that's good," Merancio said of his team's showing against Greenville. "It was a tough game, ... so we just defend, keep the shutout, and then on the PKs, we need to improve to win the games there."

Mercancio was tested early and often by Greenville's front line, starting with a set piece opportunity in the 12th minute. Triumph's Ben Zakowski launched the ball toward the far post, where Jamie Smith was able to get off a clean header, only for Meracio to deflect the attempt for his first save of the match.

Another close call for Velocity came in the 35th minute when Greenville's Lyam MacKinnon, the leading scorer in USL League One, took a shot from just outside the 18-yard box. While MacKinnon was able to bend his attempt through Spokane's back line, Meracio was in position to deflect the ball out of bounds.

Velocity had several missed chances of their own, including a shot from Marcelo Lage in the 26th minute that was blocked by Smith. Controversy arose as the ball appeared to have crossed the line before Smith made contact with it, prompting boos from the robust crowd of 4,503 in attendance at ONE Spokane Stadium.

"I didn't see it, hopefully there's some VAR (Video Assistant Referee) next year in USL League One, but maybe I'll shoot it next time where the one defender isn't," Lage said with a chuckle when asked about the play. "I'm glad to know that I actually did score."

Lage's attempt was the only shot Velocity registered in the first half, despite controlling 60 percent of the possession before the intermission.

"I think everybody came off of halftime really frustrated," said Velocity head coach Leigh Veidman. "We were just not ourselves in the first half. We were building through them quite well from our defensive half into the attacking half, but once we got to the attacking half, it just wasn't clean. Things weren't coming off as good as we normally are."

Greenville dominated the ball much more in the second half, challenging Merancio almost immediately with a shot from Carlos Anguiano in the 48th minute. Anguiano drilled his attempt from roughly 25 yards out, but Merancio made a diving save to keep the match scoreless.

Triumph took eight more shots before regulation ended, but Merancio and the back line continued to hold up strong through the end of regulation.

"I've got a list longer than my arm where [Greenville] tops the charts in attacking statistics, so on the defensive side, to come off with a clean sheet against a team like that with the players they've got and how dangerous they can be is extremely positive," Veidman said.

Both teams aced four of their first five attempts in the penalty shootout, forcing a knockout round that ended with Spokane's Derek Waldeck getting denied by Greenville goalkeeper Gunther Rankenburg.

Rankenburg ended the match with three saves and seven recoveries to help disrupt Velocity's attack, which tallied three shots on target. Triumph has yet to allow a goal in regulation during the Jägermeister Cup.

The result keeps Triumph atop the East Region with a 1-0-2 record, while Velocity remains in second place in the West Region with the same mark after three matches of group play.

Velocity will host Club Deportivo Guadalajara U23 in Spokane's first-ever international friendly at 6 p.m. next Sunday before a 10-day break in the schedule. Veidman's club will resume Jägermeister Cup action on June 13 when they visit Union Omaha.

Velocity will be back home at ONE Spokane Stadium on June 23 to host Lexington SC in USL League One action.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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