The Town FC needed late-game magic to level the match, which it did in the 93rd minute. The club secured a point in the table following the 6-5 shootout result in favor of Ventura County FC.
MORAGA, Calif. — Down by one in the dying moments of second-half stoppage time, The Town FC’s chances of grabbing a point at home against Ventura County FC looked slim.
But when substitute midfielder Alexander Chow scored The Town’s (4-5-5, 19 points) third goal of the game — a 93rd-minute equalizer — a shootout was in store at Saint Mary’s Stadium, which ultimately finished 6-5 in favor of Ventura County (6-4-5, 28 points) following a 3-3 draw in regulation.
Midfielder Eduardo Blancas had scored The Town FC’s first goal of the game in the 18th minute, while forward Julian Donnery, another late substitute, notched the second in the 82nd minute for his first goal contribution of the season. Blancas’ four goals on the season lead The Town FC. Forward Riley Lynch, who tallied an assist on Blancas’ goal, brought his goal-contribution total to five on the year.
Goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa made five saves in the bout, plus a big one in the shootout to extend the match. But Ventura County FC’s two goal-scorers — forwards Aaron Bibout and Ruben Ramos Jr. — applied offensive pressure on Ochoa and the usually solid Town FC defense, making the team hard to defend. Bibout scored two goals in the match, bringing his season total to five. He also connected on his shootout try, making him the clear catalyst for the Southern California side’s two-point day.
In the shootout, The Town FC’s two missed shots were proven costly when Ventura County sealed the game with a made attempt. With the result, Ventura County FC caps off June with just one loss and in fourth in the Western Conference.
Both teams had met back on Mar. 17, when Ventura County FC took a narrow 2-1 victory at home during the first game of the season. On Sunday, The Town FC exerted its offensive energy to a much larger extent, recording 22 shots with nine on target. The squad’s three goals were its most in a single game since Mar. 22 against Portland (4-5-6, 20 points).
The winless result places The Town FC just outside of the Western Conference playoff picture, in ninth place and trailing eighth-place Timbers2 by just a single point. The Town FC sits at 19th place in MLS NEXT Pro overall.
The Bay Area club will continue its homestand, with Colorado Rapids 2 (3-9-3, 13 points) as its next opponent. Colorado saw mixed results in June and will enter the match coming off a loss. Colorado also owns the lowest point-per-game average in the West (0.87) and sits at 13th in the table. The matchup between the two clubs will be the second of The Town FC’s four-game home stretch.
The Town FC will host Rapids 2 on July 5 at Saint Mary’s Stadium. The battle will start at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
MEDIA ASSETS
Click here to download photos of the match
Click here to watch highlights of the match
MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
The Town FC 3[5] – 3[6] Ventura County FC
Saint Mary’s Stadium
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Scoring Summary:
VCFC (0-1) – R. Ramos Jr. 8’
TTFC (1-1) – E. Blancas 18’
VCFC (1-2) – A. Bibout 51’
VCFC (1-3) – A. Bibout 67’
TTFC (2-3) – J. Donnery 82’
TTFC (3-3) – A. Chow 90 + 3’
Misconduct Summary:
VCFC – I. Parente (Caution) 5’
TTFC – A. Edwards (Caution) 45 + 4’
TTFC – C. Walls (Caution) 76’
The Town FC: E. Ochoa (GK), R. Ibarra, C. Walls (J. Spivey), S. Bilter, O. Verhoeven, E. Blancas (J. Donnery – 79’), E. Mendoza (J. Garcia – 79’), C. Medina (C) (B. Leroux – 79’), R. Lynch, A. Edwards, W. Richmond (A. Chow – 57’)
Substitutes not used: A. Cano C. Arseni, K. Oseguera, M. Guerra
SHOTS: 22; SHOTS ON GOAL: 9; FOULS: 11; CORNER KICKS: 8; SAVES: 5
Ventura County FC: B. Scott (GK), V. Casillas, C. Klein, A. Essengue, R. Dalgado, I. Parente (C) (N. Schelotto – 63’), G. Arnold, D. Díaz (S. Villalpando – 86’), R. Ramos Jr., S. Karani (J. Corona – 86’), A. Bibout
Substitutes not used: D. Lopez, L. Adams, E. Garcia, C. Tchouante
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 8; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 6