Whitecaps lose match, first place to San Diego

Vancouver Whitecaps 3-5 San Diego FC

VANCOUVER, BC–After losing just twice in their first 25 competitive matches to start the year. The Whitecaps have dropped their third in their last four. This time, it was a 5-3 defeat to upstart San Diego FC at BC Place with Milan Iloski–in his first start for San Diego–scoring four goals in the contest.. The loss means San Diego vaults over the Whitecaps for first place in the Western Conference.

The Escondido, CA-mative who is currently on loan to SDFC from Danish Superliga side Nordsjælland scored all four of his goals in a 12-minute span of play–two on either side of an Edier Ocampo strike. The first of the four came in the 35th minute off his own rebound after Yohei Takaoka made the initial save. Two minutes later, Iloski would score on a counter attack off an assist from Anders Dreyer.

After Ocampo pulled one back for the Whitecaps in the 43rd minute, Iloski was back at it 57 seconds later heading in a cross from Dreyer to make it 3-1 at the break. Two minutes into the second half, Jeppe Tverskov sent a thru-ball for Dreyer who flicked it to Iloski for his fourth of the night.

Vancouver did not give up though. They would pull one back once again in the 66th minute as Mathias Laborda got on the end of a Pedro Vite thru-ball to make it 4-2. However, any chance the Whitecaps would have of salvaging a point ended in the 90th minute as Tomas Angel made it 5-2 after getting in the behind the defense courtesy of a ball from Onni Valakari.

Antoine Coupland would score a consolation goal six minutes later, but it was San Diego’s and Milan Iloski’s night as they go top of the West. The Whitecaps now embark on the first of five straight league matches on the road starting on Sunday at LAFC (7:30pm PT, Apple TV). San Diego travel to FC Dallas on Saturday (5:30pm PT, Apple TV).

Photos by Gerrit te Hennepe

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