Amazing what a Fortnight can do! – Whitecaps 4-0 Thunder

By: Lee | July 10th, 2009

Well that feels good!

After an up-and-down first half of the season, the Whitecaps showed last night that a break was just what the doctor ordered. The team wanted to start the second half of the season on the right foot. This was perhaps best captured by Wesley Charles and Charles Gbeke showing their respect to the club by jogging around the pitch, both holding a Whitecaps flag.

The Whitecaps also made it clear that the break had given them time to recover and refocus. This was a team determined to make the playoffs. Their intention was made clear in the opening minutes of the game. New winger Tyrell Burgess created some great chances before Lyle Martin opened the scoring. Martin Nash lobbed in a ball, that really should have been cleared by the defender. But, the defender was poorly positioned, and Lyle Martin collected it well at the edge of the 18-yard box and blasted it by the keeper.

However, after the opening goal, things really settled down. It then became a game of almosts. The Thunder had some good opportunities and almost scored. The Whitecaps almost connected on a bunch of opportunities; both teams almost made that perfect through pass, that perfect move around the defender. No team was dominating by any means. You would be surprised to learn that we ended up making a blowout out of it.

And then the floodgates opened. Another well placed through ball by Martin Nash gave Burgess an edge on the defender who was marking him. The defender could do nothing but haul him down which gave the Whitecaps a penalty. Nash converted the penalty making it 2-0.

It didn’t end there. A few minutes later, Nash this time sends Marcus Haber on a through bar who then waits until the last moment to pass it to Gbeke who then slots it in. Before they can announce the goal, the Whitecaps have score again on a goal by Haber, set up by a good tackle by Dever Orgill. Near the end, another Residency product Philippe Davies nearly makes it 5-0.

Here are the highlights: