Snohomish United Dishes Defeat to Division Champions Ballard and Clinches Playoff Spot

It doesn’t matter for Ballard FC’s playoff picture, but it’s not the way the top team in the Northwest Division wanted to end the regular season.

Ballard FC lost 2-1 to Snohomish United on July 12, 2025, at home in front of a sellout crowd at Interbay Stadium. The team played well for much of the match, but two key mistakes led to two goals scored for Snohomish by the time 51 minutes had passed. Although Ballard pushed and pushed towards the end of the match – making up one goal in the waning minutes – Snohomish held on for the win.

In the first half, the visiting side successfully contained Ballard FC’s attacks and capitalized on a bad giveaway in the middle of the half to go ahead by one goal. Despite some serious pressure from the home side in the last few minutes of the half, that score held by the end of the opening 45.

Snohomish played a 4-4-2 and kept a high press against Ballard FC, with forwards Eric Lagos and Aaron Leon attacking the ball in Ballard territory. Ballard looked to take advantage of the high press with right wing back Khai Brisco, and indeed they had an early run deep up the right side with Brisco and Joe Dale – but the early attack ended due to a handball.

Then the ball went back and forth across the field, not spending much time around the midfield. Snohomish had some seventh minute corner kicks, but Ballard expertly deflected. There was some miscoordination on the left side between left back Luke Hammond and left wing Richie Aman in the tenth minute during an attack and Snohomish had a missed opportunity in the twelfth as the ball skipped across Ballard’s goal.

Another miscommunication struck Ballard as Dale delivered a beautiful cross in the box in the 14^th minute to no availibility due to lack of recipients. By this point in the game, Snohomish was quite elastic on defense, able to adjust to Ballard’s attempts at the breakaway. The visitors repelled a dangerous attack driven by Aman and Dale in the 17^th before doing the same on a 19^th minute Ballard corner. 

Some good defense by Ballard’s back line twice kept the ball out of the net in the 23^rd. Meanwhile, Snohomish began to sit back a little bit more on defense, adjusting to allow Ballard a little more back line possession so they could more easily contain the wing backs. Ballard responded by working more through the midfield and bringing Aman inward as an extra playmaker. This nearly paid off in the 25^th as Aman worked in and began an attack that got the ball to Austin Brummett right in front of net – but he hesitated a bit too long and the attack was thwarted.

Jon Brennan / Area Sports Network

Then Ballard slipped. Midfielder Andre Philibbosian had a bad giveaway in his own territory and the ensuing Snohomish attack resulted in center back Abeselom Zemenfes committing a foul in the 18 box. All of a sudden, it was a penalty kick for Snohomish. Leon fired his shot well under keeper Charlie Lanphier’s mitts and into the net. 1-0, Snohomish United.

Both teams were taking quick plays and looking for breakthroughs after that point, but both teams kept losing their attacks to fouls. Philibbosian had an excellent clearance in the 39^th to prevent a goal-scoring chance. In the 42^nd, after a long half of fouls by both sides, Julian

Avila received the first yellow of the match, and Hammond sent off a free kick a minute later.

The attack culminated in some furious play in the box as Brummett created a chip over a defender to a Charlie Kosakoff deep in the box, but the Ballard striker’s attempted shot flew over the crossbar. Bowton made an excellent save on a Joe Dale shot from the side in the late 44^th and Dale made another shot in the 45^th as Ballard was furiously chasing the equalizer. Brisco had a rapid run up the side but fell behind the endline. The half ended soon after, with Snohomish still holding on to a 1-0 lead.

Snohomish had an excellent start to the second half, expanding the lead in the 51^st minute. Midfielder Connor Lofy took the ball away from midfielder Beto Apolinar deep in Ballard territory, worked the ball forward into the box, and then fired a curling shot to the right corner. It flew under Lanphier’s hands for the second goal of the game, and a stunner was brewing in Interbay.

Jon Brennan / Area Sports Network

Still more mistakes came from Ballard. A 56^th minute through ball from Apolinar with goal-scoring potential went far too forward for Kosakoff. Brummett was given a yellow a minute later for a collision with Bowton. The team had a corner kick in the 62^nd minute and Brummett delivered a second service, but Hammond’s shot came in high.

James Riley brought on six substitutions in the 63^rd. Apolinar, Brisco, Hammond, Aman, Kosakoff, and Dale came off. Rafi Otero, Zach Ramsey, Isaac Ketcham, Sean Sent, Omar Yehya, and Omar Grey came on.

Ballard’s attack was rejuvenated by the subs and the team had a shot from Philibbosian a minute later – but it was saved by Bowton. Then came one by Brummett in the 67^th, again saved. But the pressure was relieved for Snohomish as they brought forward an attack of their own.

Cameron Cruz came on in the 70^th minute for Christian Engmann to fill out the Ballard substitutions. The team immediately brewed another attack but a handball from Sent abruptly sent it the other way. Another attack built in the 76^th as Ballard attacked around Snohomish’s newfound low block, but it fell to the wayside after Sent’s cross had no recipients. Ballard had a corner in the 79^th, but again the ball did not find the back of the net. Time was rapidly running out.

The home side had another set piece, this time a free kick in the 83^rd minute. Ramsey went short and Cruz tried to work in from the far side, but Snohomish cleared. Then a corner came in the 85^th, but the service went well over the crowd. Philibbosian was shown a yellow card in the 88^th as the team was trying to put together another attack.

In the 89^th, Ballard finally punched one through. Grey worked in from the near side and flicked the ball inward towards Otero, who batted it towards the goal. It deflected off a Snohomish defender and into the net. 2-1. It was down to stoppage time for Ballard to eke out a point from a game where almost everything had gone wrong and go into the playoffs on a strong note.

Otero sent one up for Yeyha on the right corner and the winger worked in before crossing over – but it again went far. Snohomish was pressing close as Ballard tried to build up an attack as the last minute of stoppage wound down to a close. But the visitors cleared it away, and center referee Kiernan Smith blew the final whistle.

Although the game had no playoff implications for Ballard, it was a huge win for Snohomish, who clinched a playoff spot with the victory. The three points were absolutely necessary for the visitors, as Lane United also won on Saturday and finished one point behind Snohomish for the second-place playoff spot.

Jon Brennan / Area Sports Network

After going 9-0-3 in the first twelve matches of 2025, the final two games of the regular season have been losses for Ballard FC. Head Coach James Riley says it’s a wake-up call for the team that they have to get down to brass tacks for the playoffs.

“It’s a result oriented game … at the end of the day, you have to have end product. We have to have goals,” Riley said. “We gave them two chances, and that’s the game.”

Ballard will play in the Round of 32 on Friday, July 18, at home in Interbay. If the team wins on Friday, they will play in the Round of 16 on Sunday, July 20, also at Interbay. Riley stressed the importance of getting the successful bid for home field advantage in the first two rounds, crediting it to the team’s excellent play during the season. It’s now up to the team to make a run for the championship.

“We’ll be all hands on deck, all focused on the Friday game, and then taking it one game at a time,” Riley said. “It’s only five games to win a championship.”

Cover Photo: Jon Brennan / Area Sports Network