Portland Bangers Battle FC Olympia to a 0-0 Draw

Shot by Jesse Ortiz

Portland, OR — On a warm and sunny Friday night at UO Portland stadium, the Portland Bangers picked up their first point at home this season, battling to a 0-0 draw. 

The Bangers' defense was called into action early. In the 9th minute, goalkeeper Marcus Norris produced a brilliant save, leaping to his tiptoes to push a deflected effort off center back Donovan McClellan over the bar, preventing an early setback.

Portland nearly found the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Loïc Baures intercepted a pass near midfield and quickly launched a counterattack. He found Vance Sheffield, who linked up with Volodymyr Kubrakov on the edge of the box. Sheffield's shot had power but flew high into the northeastern corner stands.

Another dangerous attack happened in the 33rd minute. Baures delivered an outswinging corner to the back post, where Sheffield headed the ball back into the mix. Oliver Jeppe rose to meet it but couldn’t generate enough power, and the header fell comfortably into the hands of Olympia keeper Leif Hunter.

The Bangers’ best opportunity of the half came when Kubrakov switched the play to Lukas Fisher, who squared the ball into the box for Sheffield. The forward was poised to strike from point-blank range before an Olympia center back made a stunning diving block to deny the chance.

Despite moments of promise, the match went into halftime scoreless. 

Portland came out of the break with renewed energy and nearly capitalized just seconds into the second half. A mishit clearance from Olympia found its way to Vance Sheffield on the right side of the box. With defenders closing fast, Sheffield rushed his shot, sending a slow dribbler straight to keeper Leif Hunter.

The pressure continued to mount in the 53rd minute, as Oliver Jeppe led a quick counterattack through the middle of the field. A link-up with Kubrakov earned the Bangers a corner. On the ensuing set piece, Donovan McClellan’s powerful header struck the arm of an Olympia defender inside the box, resulting in a penalty! The experience of Lukas Fisher stepped up and confidently hit the ball to the right side, but it clanged off the post, and the opportunity to take the lead slipped away.

In the 65th minute, Portland made a triple substitution. Mason Bradley, Drew Pedersen, and Evan Huber entered the match and made an immediate impact. Bradley combined with Pedersen on the right wing, with Pedersen whipping a dangerous ball across the box that forced a desperate clearance from the Olympia back line.

Additional substitutions followed in the 78th minute, as Ritter Sundby and Andrew Lovell were brought on to inject fresh legs into the midfield and attack. 

Just a minute later, Pedersen created the Bangers' best chance of the game. A quick through ball from Vala Saghafi found Pedersen making a run across the top of the box. The forward took a touch and curled a shot across goal with the inside of his right foot, but Olympia’s goalkeeper made a spectacular diving save to keep the game level.

Despite late pushes and promising spells of possession, the Bangers were unable to find a breakthrough, and the match ended in a 0–0 draw. The draw moves the Bangers to four points on the season so far, and it gives Olympia its first point of their 2025 campaign. 

Match Timeline: 

Goals:
None

Assists:
None

Cards:
🟨 34’ – Loïc Baures

Substitutions:
🔁 45’ – Vala Saghafi
🔁 65’ – Drew Pedersen
🔁 65’ – Evan Huber
🔁 65’ – Mason Bradley
🔁 78’ – Ritter Sundby
🔁 78’ – Andrew Lovell 

Fulltime: Bangers FC 0  – 0 FC Olympia

Starting XI: Norris, Villanueva, Jeppe, Mendoza-Soto, Sheffield, Fisher, Dunne, Kubrakov, McClellan, Lopez, Baures 

Subs: Bradley, Sundby, Dubon, Lovell, Saghafi, Pedersen, Huber, Glock

What’s Next:

Your Portland Bangers will be taking on the Tacoma Stars tomorrow, 5/31, at 7 pm, at Bellarmine Memorial Field in Tacoma, Washington.

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