FC Olympia failed to replicate last year’s appearance in the USL2 national playoffs, ending the season in 7th place out of the eight teams in a competitive Northwest Division with 13 points from three wins, seven defeats, and four draws, along with a (–13) goal differential, a steep fall from last year’s second-place finish with 20 points and (–1) GD.
The Artesians can finally bid goodbye to this mediocre season, finishing with only one point in their final three fixtures of the season, losing twice and drawing once in a run of three games squeezed into five days.
Interstate rivals Ballard FC (Seattle) and United PDX FC (Portland, OR) will represent the Northwest Division in the national playoffs, both teams ending the season with 29 points. Ballard FC will try to defend the USL2 title they won last year.
After three games on the road, FC Olympia returned to South Sound Stadium in their first home fixture in July, only to settle for a stalemate with expansion team Midlakes United FC (Bellevue, WA) on Wednesday evening, July 10.
After an uneventful first half, the Artesians got the lead in the 54th minute, thanks to a Connor Loafy effort. He slammed the ball past the opposite goalkeeper from a Tyler Alfred free kick delivery. Loafy has been in hot form recently, scoring twice for the Artesians in a 4-4 draw in West Seattle just days before.
Unfortunately—though unsurprisingly—the Artesians couldn’t hold on to the lead. Midlakes’ Braden Ferreira was left unmarked for an open header, breezing past the outstretched arms of FC Olympia goalkeeper Avary Olson to level up the game in the 62nd minute.
The Artesians made some last-ditch efforts in pursuit of the winning goal, including a wild shot from around 30 yards out just shaving the post and needing the hands of Midlakes keeper Ryan Saunders, but the physical battle ended with both sides sharing the spoils.
After the draw at home, FC Olympia traveled to Eugene, OR, to face Lane United on July 12 in what could have been a close battle for 5th place. Unfortunately, the Artesians still couldn’t catch a break, with a very late comeback falling short, leading to a 3-2 defeat on the road.
The scoreline may appear close, but the match itself showed how the hosts dominated the visiting Artesians. The first half ended with FC Olympia trailing 2-0 on goals from Lane United’s Milo Wray and Ethan Doud. Meanwhile, Oly Town struggled with foul trouble, as Sebastian Suber and captain Tanner Dutra both were shown the yellow card.
What could have been the finishing blow was Lane’s third goal late in the game, in the 87th minute, on the effort of Charles Lacey. Fortunately, FC Olympia had other ideas.
The Artesians, after 89 minutes of being subdued on the pitch, finally found a goal back, thanks to Tanner Frickle in his first goal of the season. Chad Sovde subsequently added another goal for the Artesians in stoppage time.
Alas, the comeback campaign proved too little, too late, as time expired in yet another painful defeat for the Artesians.
On the final matchday of the season, FC Olympia hosted the Tacoma Stars in the Artesians’ Afterglow kit on their home pitch at South Sound Stadium in Lacey. Yet it's safe to say that the hot pink uniforms didn’t make much difference, as the Artesians fell to the Tacoma Stars 5-2 on Sunday, July 14.
Brazilian Fellipe Oliveira Souza, who also played for Tacoma’s arena soccer team in the MASL, led Tacoma’s attack. He accomplished a hat trick, as he scored twice in the first half and completed it with the team’s fifth goal in under an hour of play in the second half.
FC Olympia’s most trusted scoring duo of Lennard Fock and Chad Sovde sealed their names on the scoresheet after getting one goal each in the first half. In fact, at one point the Artesians held a 2-1 lead after more than 30 minutes of play. That was before Tacoma’s Juan Mendoza and Souza overturned the scores just before halftime, leaving the Artesians trailing 3-2.
After that point, the Artesians failed to recover in facing the team composed mostly of players with an arena soccer background. Sebastian Navarro scored for Tacoma in the 48th, while Souza completed his hat trick in the 55th, concluding the FC Olympia season in a whipping.
The loss concluded a season in which the men from Oly Town didn’t achieve much of what was expected.
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