Ballard FC is headed to the USL League Two Western Conference Final after a gritty 2–1 victory over Snohomish United on Sunday afternoon at Interbay Stadium.
With a spot in the conference final on the line, Ballard rose to the occasion in front of its home crowd, battling through a physical, high-stakes match to continue their playoff run.
After tying and losing in two regular-season matchups against Snohomish, Ballard came into Sunday’s game looking to flip the script.
Here’s the recap by Emily Battistoni from Ballard FC:
Ballard opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Joe Dale whipped a ball into the six-yard box from the right wing, and after a deflection, Sean Sent crashed in and calmly passed it home to give Ballard a vital early lead.
The home side nearly doubled their advantage ten minutes later when Beto Apolinar ripped a shot from the top of the 18 that forced a sharp save. But Snohomish responded quickly. In the 20th minute, former Ballard player Declan McGlynn created space on the edge of the box and curled a left-footed strike into the top-left corner, just past a diving Stockton Short.
The 1–1 scoreline held through halftime, but not without more drama. AB picked up a yellow in the 29th minute for a foul just outside the box. Two minutes later, Snohomish’s Carter Gay was booked following a collision with Ballard’s keeper on a corner kick. Jack Civitts added another yellow to Snohomish’s growing tally in the 40th after a late challenge on Khai Brisco.
The second half saw Ballard grow into the game with greater urgency. In the 63rd minute, Joe Dale once again delivered from the right wing, this time sending in a perfect cross to Rafi Otero, who met it in stride and smashed home a volley to restore Ballard’s lead, 2–1.
Ballard leaned on its depth to preserve the result. Substitutions in the 68th and 76th minutes brought in fresh legs, with Andre Philibbosian and Omar Grey replacing Beto Apolinar and Khai Brisco, followed by Omar Yehya, Nii Engmann, and Zach Ramsey entering in place of Joe Dale, Charlie Kosakoff, and Richie Aman. The final stretch saw a flurry of yellow cards as Kosakoff, Yehya, Engmann, Ramsey, and even Apolinar (from the bench) were booked while Ballard fought to protect the lead.
Despite five minutes of added time and late pressure from Snohomish, Ballard held firm. Late substitutions brought on Cameron Cruz and Davis Mungomba to help close out the final minutes, replacing Rafi Otero and Omar Yehya. When the final whistle blew, Interbay erupted in celebration.
Ballard now advances to the Western Conference Final, which will be hosted at Interbay this Friday, July 25.
Photo: Ballard FC