Houston Dynamo 2 finished regulation tied 2-2 against Whitecaps FC 2 before falling in the shootout from the penalty spot to come away from the team’s Friday night contest with one point.
In the penalty shootout, midfielder Diego Gonzalez, midfielder Paulo Lima, and forward Daniel Rios converted their penalty kicks before forward Joseph Farouz’s shot was saved to give Whitecaps FC 2 the two points.
Houston came out of the gates firing, scoring a goal in just the second minute off a set piece. The goal came after Dynamo 2 drew a corner kick in which midfielder D’Alessandro Herrera got multiple shots off that eventually ended when forward Papa N’Doye got a rebound off the Whitecaps goalkeeper and put in the shot for his fifth goal of the season.
Whitecaps FC scored the equalizer in the 26th minute as Ali Ahmed crossed a ball to Easton Ongaro, who put a shot past goalkeeper Xavier Valdez to tie the game at 1-1.
Dynamo 2 scored in the 35th minute off a free kick from midfielder Marcelo Palomino. Midfielder Jacob Evans drew a free kick in front of goal just outside of the 18-yard box, and Palomino lined up to lay down a strike that went straight into the top corner of the net to give Houston a 2-1 lead.
Whitecaps FC 2 scored again in the 4th minute of added time in the second half as Thierno Bah found Emiliano Brienza for the equalizer and forced penalty kicks.
Whitecaps FC 2 nearly scored in the 22nd minute, when the team got on a breakaway following a giveaway by Dynamo 2. However, defender Micael dos Santos Silva made a goal-saving deflection that kept the score at 1-0.
Houston’s best chance of the second half came in the 54th minute, as Palomino lined up hoping to score his second free kick goal of the game. His kick was well struck, but took a deflection off a Whitecaps defender and just narrowly went above goal.
Whitecaps FC had another dangerous attack in the 65th minute, however Valdez got in front of Gio Aguilar’s shot to help Houston maintain its lead. On the night, Valdez finished with four saves.
LeFlore drew a foul in the 85th minute on the right flank to gain a free kick near the end of the match. N’Doye took the free kick and whipped a free kick into the box, but it was headed away by the opposition.
Houston is back at home at AVEVA Stadium to take on Sporting Kansas City II on Sunday, August 7 at 7 p.m. CDT.
