One Knox Earns Come From Behind Draw at Spokane Velocity
Gøling's first professional goal and Kelly's equalizer earn the point
One Knoxville SC kicked off its season on the road on Sunday, traveling to face Spokane Velocity, and did so without the services of star goalkeeper Sean Lewis. Johan Garibay got the start in net, and with his stand up performances in 2024, the only worry was what would happen if there was an injury.
Sensing the situation, the Knoxville defense provided plenty of support. Garibay scooped up a couple of dribbles that made it through, but did not face a shot on target until the 40th minute.
However, it was that 40th minute shot that opened the scoring for the match. That was when Spokane center back Camron Miller sent a header from a Derek Waldeck set piece into the net, to the left of Garibay.
Waldeck struck again on a corner set piece early in the second half. This time it appeared to be the season’s first Olympico, but officials close to the scene credited a deflection off of the head of Knoxville midfielder Mikkel Gøling for an own goal.
In the 55th minute, Knoxville coach Ian Fuller made a tactical substitution, sending in 2024’s leading goal scorer Kempes Tekiela, along with fellow forward Stavros Zarokostas and newly signed midfielder Mark Doyle.
The substitutions made an immediate impact, with Knoxville taking control of play. It resulted in another set piece linked goal, this time off a Knoxville throw in, in which Jaheim Brown linked up with Gøling on a pass. The rookie midfielder made up for the own goal by heading the ball into the net to bring Knoxville back within one goal.
Spokane Head Coach Leigh Veidman responded with his own triple-substitution, sending in Neco Brett, Ismalia Jome and Nil Vinyals.
However, it was Knoxville that earned the dividends of the substitutions, as Zarokostas linked up with Angelo Kelly to equalize in stoppage time. The pass found Kelly in the box, who sent the ball screaming past Spokane keeper Carlos Merancio.
Match Notes
Mikkel Gøling made his professional debut for One Knoxville in the starting 11. The midfielder joined the club in the preseason after finishing his NCAA career at UC Santa Barbara. Gøling also scored his first professional goal in the match.
In addition, the following players had their first appearances for One Knox in the starting 11: Jaheim Brown, Babacar Diene, and Kimarni Smith. The latter was part of Spokane’s 2024 roster. Mark Doyle also made his debut in the 55th minute, and Abel Caputo in the 78th minute. It was also the league debut of Head Coach Ian Fuller, who joined in the offseason after serving as an assistant at MLS side Minnesota United FC.
Knoxville’s defense held Spokane to a single shot on target, the 40th minute goal. The team also blocked four of six total shots, indicating that defense continues to be a strong point moving into 2025.
Shavon John-Brown made his debut for Spokane in the starting 11, joining in the preseason after spending 2024 with Central Valley Fuego. Neco Brett, David Garcia, Lucky Opara and Nil Vinyals also made their debuts as second half subs.
Spokane’s Derek Waldeck moved up to 5th place among the USL League One all time regular season assist leaders, tied with Rafa Mentzingen. Waldeck is third among active USL League One players, behind Tormenta’s Conor Doyle and Spokane’s Nil Vinyals.
Match Details
Attendance: 2,444
Goals
SPO: Miller, 40’ (Waldeck)
SPO: Gøling, 47’ (own goal)
KNX: Gøling, 60’ (Brown)
KNX: Kelly, 90+1 (Zarokostas)
Discipline
KNX: Kelly, 84’ - Yellow
KNX: Caputo, 90+4 - Yellow
SPO: Fernandez (bench), 90+5 - Yellow
Spokane Velocity Roster
Not used: Bilichuk, Hernández
Scratched: Jalen Crisler, Jack Denton, Pierre Reedy
One Knoxville Roster
Not used: McLeod
Scratched: Sean Lewis, Nico Rosamilia, James Thomas (injury)
Next Up
One Knoxville will visit Appalachian FC in US Open Cup action on Wednesday, then travel to Texoma on March 22nd to help that club open its USL League One regular season.
Spokane will head across state for a US Open Cup rematch with Ballard FC on Wednesday, then return home to host FC Naples in that side’s first away match on March 22nd.