Portland Bangers Battle Ballard FC to a 1-0 in Keg Cup Finale

Portland, OR — In the final game of their inaugural season, your Portland Bangers took on the first-placed Ballard FC at Hilken Community Stadium in Portland, Oregon, in the the newly minted “Keg Cup”. Ballard came into this game after having secured another Northwest Conference Championship, as they were looking to improve on their 4-game winning streak. On the other hand, Portland is coming off a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Lane United in the heated in-state rivalry. The last time these two sides met, it was Ballard dominating from the first whistle to the last, but only coming up with a 1-0 win at their home stadium in Seattle, Washington.

The Bangers started a new goalkeeper tonight by the name of Quinn Sappington. Making his first appearance for the Bangers in their final game of the season, he was called into action early in the match in the 19th minute, where a quick Ballard break found striker Charlie Kosakoff 1v1 with Sappington. The Portland goalkeeper came up huge with cat-like reflexes to deny the Ballard striker a great opportunity. 

GOALLLLLL!!! Loic Baures with the magical strike to give Portland an unlikely 1-0 lead in the first half. Baures opened up nearly 25 yards from the goal and unleashed an absolute beauty into the bottom left corner, beating the Ballard goalkeeper, who has only allowed 1 goal in the past 6 games. Portland, which has struggled at times finding the back of the net at home so far this year, is the one to open the score at Hilken Community Stadium.

The two teams went into the break with the Portland Bangers holding a 1-0 advantage. The strike by Baures provided the difference so far in the game. With Ballard having had more chances, it was Portland who had the better opportunities and ultimately capitalized on them.

The first opportunity of the second half came from Ballard. Similar to the opening 45 minutes, where Ballard had a 1v1 chance, the second half saw a Ballard explosion of pace in behind the high defensive line held by Portland. The second-half goalkeeper sub and regular starter, Marcus Norris, came up huge with a diving save that left Ballard scoreless. 

Norris was a busy man in the second half with two back-to-back saves on shots from outside the box coming within three minutes. He parried both of them away excellently after two rockets from the Ballard wingers to keep the scoreline reading 1-0 in favor of Portland.

In the end, Portland’s resolute defending and tactical discipline proved to be the difference. The Bangers parked the bus in the second half, dropping numbers behind the ball and frustrating a normally clinical Ballard FC attack. Despite dominating possession and creating several dangerous opportunities, Ballard simply couldn’t find a way through Portland’s compact shape and the outstanding goalkeeping display by both goalkeepers, Marcus Norris and Quinn Sappington.

This result marks Ballard’s only loss of the season, a rare blemish on an otherwise dominant campaign. It also adds new intrigue to the burgeoning rivalry between these two sides. As the second leg of the Keg Cup, tonight's 1-0 victory for Portland evens the series on aggregate at 1-1, leaving the bragging rights and the Cup itself undecided heading into next season. For Portland, it’s a statement win to close out their inaugural season, showing they can stand toe-to-toe with the league's best when it matters most.

Match Timeline: Portland Bangers 1 – 0 Ballard FC

First Half:
32’ – ⚽ Goal: Loic Baures (Portland Bangers)

Second Half:
46’ – 🔁 Substitution: Marcus Norris enters for Portland (GK)
53’ – 🟨 Yellow Card: Charlie Kosakoff (Ballard FC)
55’ – 🔁 Substitution: Drew Pedersen enters for Portland
59’ – 🟨 Yellow Card: Jay Klein (Portland Bangers)
65’ – 🔁 Substitution: Gunder Miller enters for Portland
65’ – 🔁 Substitution: Jaime Villanueva enters for Portland
65’ – 🔁 Substitution: Vance Sheffield enters for Portland
70’ – 🟨 Yellow Card: Charlie Lanphere (Ballard FC)
83’ – 🔁 Substitution: Evan Huber enters for Portland
83’ – 🔁 Substitution: Ritter Sundby enters for Portland

Starting XI – Portland Bangers:
GK: Sappington
Defenders: Klein, Dunne, McClellan, Bradley
Midfielders: Trujillo, Jeppe, Aror
Forwards: Baures, Dubon, Saghafi

Substitutes Used: Norris (46’), Pedersen (55’), Miller (65’), Villanueva (65’), Sheffield (65’), Huber (83’), Sundby (83’)
Unused Subs: Perez-Hernandez