White Hat Trick Lifts Whitecaps

Photo: Gerrit te Hennepe

Vancouver Whitecaps 4-3 St, Louis City SC

VANCOUVER, BC–Both teams came into this match looking to end streaks. Vancouver was coming in on back-to-back losses while St. Louis was looking to end an eight-match winless streak. For a while, it seemed like the latter would end, but a hat trick by Brian White led the Whitecaps to their third win in five matches, 4-3.

St. Louis got on the board first in the sixth minute when Njabulo Blom’s shot deflected off Levonte Johnson and past Yohei Takaoka into the net. The lead was doubled in the 12th minute as Edwin Löwen scored from the penalty spot after a shot was handled by Javain Brown.

Then Brian White entered the picture. His first goal came in the 37th minute after collecting a long ball and his shot deflecting off a defender past a wrong-footed Ben Lundt. White would more fortunate bounces on his second goal in the 54th minute. A back header from Jake Nerwinski went off Tomas Totland and then White hit it with the back of his heel. The ball would go past Lundt and in to level the score. The natural hat trick would be completed in a more natural way as he headed in a cross from Ryan Raposo in the 61st minute.

Fafa Picault would add insurance in the 90th minute which turned out to be timely as Nokkvi Thorisson added one late for St. Louis three minutes later.

It was White’s second hat trick for the Whitecaps he tied the club’s MLS regular season goalscoring record at 39 goals.

The Whitecaps next play on Wednesday at Minnesota United. Kickoff is at 5:30pm PT on Apple TV as part of the MLS Season Pass.

For more of Gerrit te Hennepe’s photos, please click on the link to his gallery.