Ballard FC Pick up a Point in Snohomish, Stay Undefeated

Ballard FC earned a hard-fought point on the road Sunday evening, drawing 1–1 against Snohomish United at Stocker Fields in a match defined by grit, physicality, and moments of chaos on both ends of the pitch.

The 6pm kickoff saw rising tensions from the outset, with seven yellow cards issued in the first half alone as both sides struggled to gain control.

Ballard’s backline, anchored by captains Luke Hammond and Christian Engmann, was tested early when Snohomish rattled the crossbar in the 15th minute with a thunderous strike. Ballard responded just minutes later when Hammond unleashed a long-range shot of his own, only to be denied by the crossbar as well, continuing the theme of near-misses.

The midfield battle was intense, and tensions boiled over in the 18th minute when Austin Brummett and Snohomish’s Soto both received yellow cards following a chippy exchange. By the 40th minute, five more cautions had been handed out, including one to Ballard’s Beto Apolinar for a tactical foul and another to Davis Mungomba for a forceful challenge near midfield.

As halftime approached, the match came to life. Snohomish struck first in first-half stoppage time when Egor Akulov’s curling cross from the left wing sailed untouched and dipped into the top right corner—an accidental goal that stunned the Ballard defense. But Ballard didn’t waste time responding. Just two minutes later, Richie Aman capitalized on a goalkeeper miscue, staying alert in the box and tapping home the equalizer to make it 1–1 right before the break.

The second half opened with renewed energy and a pair of Ballard substitutions in the 58th minute, as Abeselom Zemenfes and Joe Dale came on for Sean Sent and Zach Ramsey. Just moments later, goalkeeper Charlie Lanphier made a stunning diving save to his right to deny Snohomish a second goal, one of several clutch interventions that kept Ballard in the match.

Physical play continued into the later stages, with Engmann and Head Coach James Riley both receiving yellow cards in quick succession for delay of game and dissent, respectively. Charlie Kosakoff added to Ballard’s growing yellow card tally with a hard challenge in the 64th minute, and was subbed off for Ray Mendez four minutes later.

The closing stretch was filled with end-to-end action. In the 80th minute, a flurry of headers, deflections, and bobbled clearances in the Snohomish box nearly produced a dramatic go-ahead goal for Ballard. One minute later, a missed header sailed just wide, and in the 84th, Aman came inches from a brace, narrowly dragging a shot past the left post.

Despite late pressure and four minutes of added time, the score held level. Lanphier received a final yellow for stalling on a goal kick in the 90th minute, underscoring just how tight and tense the final moments were. Ultimately, both teams were forced to settle for a point in a match that featured 13 yellow cards, relentless effort, and no shortage of drama.

Player of the Match honors go to Richie Aman, whose relentless work ethic and opportunistic finish just before halftime secured a crucial equalizer and helped Ballard FC stay unbeaten for the season.

Written by Emily Battistoni

MATCH DETAILS

FULLTIME: Ballard FC 1 – 1 Snohomish United

Starting XI: Lanphier, Hammond, C. Engmann, Mungomba, Brisco, Apolinar, Sent, Brummett, Aman, Ramsey, Kosakoff

Subs: Zemenfes, Dale, Mendez, Otero, Cruz, McGlynn, Ketcham, Spatz, Short

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Richie Aman

WHAT’S NEXT?

Ballard FC return home this Saturday, June 14th for an exciting double header matchday against Lane United. Salmon Bay FC kicks off at 3pm and will be followed by Ballard FC who start at 7pm.

GALLERY