Tacoma Defiance returned to winning form following a 6-1 win over Timbers2 at Hillsboro Stadium Sunday evening.
The match marked the second of three meetings in the Pacific Northwest rivalry as the Defiance now claimed both matchups this season, winning 3-0 in the first game on May 31.
With the win, Tacoma Defiance jumped to second in the Western Conference and bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Dynamo Dos on June 26 that halted its nine-game unbeaten run. As for Timbers 2, the home side suffered a third straight loss but remained 10th in the West.
Despite ultimately losing 6-1, the Timbers2 backline held the dynamic Defiance offense at bay in the first 20 minutes and created chances but didn’t convert.
By the 23rd minute, the Defiance broke through courtesy of a freekick rocket from midfielder Marlon Vargas, marking his eighth goal of the season.
The Defiance doubled its lead toward the end of the first half as forward Dylan Teves hit the post and scored his first of the night.
The second half went from bad to worse for Timbers2 with Tacoma not letting up and scoring another four goals.
The first two came in quick succession as Teves set up midfielder Ethan Dobberelaere with a backheel pass in a decisive counter attack in the 54th minute, then Dobberelaere followed it up a minute later, finishing the brace after a Timbers2 goalkeeping error.
Teves grabbed his second goal in the 68th minute after running in behind the Timbers2 backline and slotting in the chance through Hunter Sulte’s legs. The Defiance put the finishing touches on an impressive road performance with a sixth goal 11 minutes later when defender Joe Hafferty put his chance away.
Timbers2 did pull a goal back in the 57th minute when forward Nathan Fogaca displayed some skill to set himself in the box and blast the ball past the Defiance goalkeeper.
The Tacoma Defiance jumped to second in the Western Conference following its 6-1 rout over the Timbers2 in the new MLS NEXT Pro North Pacific rivalry.
Many players played well for the Defiance in the win, but Dylan Teves absolutely bossed the game from start to finish.
The 22-year-old forward from Hawaii finished the match with two goals and an assist to earn man of the match honors. Teves now ranks tied for third on Defiance with four goals and second with three assists.
This one week after making his first MLS start and scoring in a 2-0 Sounders FC win over Toronto FC.
Teves was signed as a Homegrown player by the Sounders in January after standing out in the club’s academy from 2015-2018, making 12 appearances for Sounders FC 2 in the process before playing four years at the University of Washington where he scored 13 goals in 45 appearances.
Now playing for the Tacoma Defiance in MLS NEXT Pro, Teves looks to continue to impress along with a slew of young talented players on the team.
Look out, the Defiance may have another star on its hands.
