For a second straight season, Lane United FC and Oly Town FC put on an absolute thriller of a game in Olympia, WA, once again with the Reds tallying a late goal to earn a 2-2 tie and a point on the road.
Hear from head coach John Galas, late-game hero Owen Nelson, and defender Luke Waters after the down-to-the-wire match.
HEAD COACH JOHN GALAS
On how big it is to pick up a point on the road:
“It’s huge. Obviously, we’re disappointed to let a one-goal lead go and concede another late one and we had to salvage something out of this. Anytime you can get points on the road though, you have to frame it as a positive.”
On what Oly Town did at halftime to change the game:
“They had a bad result Friday night and had to rest some of their starters. Those guys came in, made a difference, had some legs to give us pressure and it was clear the first half was just to get to the locker room and make things close. I thought they were really difficult in the second half partly because they pressed and it’s a tough field to play on with our style of possession. Full credit to them putting us under pressure. We couldn’t break it down as much as we did in the first half.”
What to expect against Ballard on Friday:
“We’ll see how we respond in training Tuesday getting everyone back. Ballard is obviously flying right now, they’re top of the table for a reason. I like the fact that they have to travel and we’re playing at home on a big field which plays to both teams’ advantage. It should be a good game.”
STRIKER OWEN NELSON
His late equalizer:
“It was on the right side, Tommy (Case) assisted me. He cut inside and passed it to me just in front of the line. I cut inside and realized the goalie was shifted to the left, and put it in the other corner.”
On how he sees himself impacting the game as a substitute:
“I see myself scoring goals anytime. When you’re a sub you never know when you’re going to come in so you have to be mentally ready, but also relaxed just to have a good state of mind. I definitely had a slower start, but I got more comfortable as the game went on.”
LEFT BACK LUKE WATERS
On what is it about this team and Olympia that produces these results:
“Soccer is a crazy game. I thought we dominated the first half, sometimes you’re pushing high to get the win and three points on the road, and sometimes bounces go their way. It’s just crazy endings with both teams trying to get a point especially right in the middle of the league [table].”
On what the team did so well in the first 45 minutes:
“I think they sat back on us a lot and we had a lot of patience with the ball. It was a lot of moving side-to-side trying to get those inside spaces open and finite passes, especially on a narrower field.”
On what it was like as a defender going up against some of their physically bigger players:
“That center-back probably won 80 balls in the air going over the top. It’s tough to mark those guys on set pieces like that; one lapse will get you tied up 1-1.”
On looking ahead to Ballard FC next week:
“We were close last year against Ballard at home, I know we can do it. They’ve got good players but so do we.”
(Main photo credit: NW Sports Pics/Peter Bellerby)