By Jason Fridge, edited by Charles Hamaker

Tukwila, WA - The Tacoma Defiance avenged an early season loss to Austin FC II, in a 1-0 victory Sunday night at Starfire Stadium. Tacoma used a Braudílio Rodrigues penalty kick in the 32nd minute to cruise their way into their sixth victory and second shutout performance of their 2023 campaign. As the Defiance crest over the mid-point of their regular season, their strong play has them lined up to make another deep run in the MLS Next Pro playoffs come September.

Leaving June on fire

After taking down the Western Conference top seed Colorado Rapids 2 on the road 2-1 just the week previous, the Defiance are starting to make noise across MLS Next Pro. The month started with Tacoma dropping a 2-0 contest to St. Louis City 2 in a rematch of the 2022 Western Conference final. A slow start and many missed opportunities on offense put the Defiance in a sticky situation fighting for control at the top of the conference.

Tacoma then hit the road for games against Earthquakes II and Sporting Kansas City II, with both of these resulting in a draw and penalty shootout loss. In this two game stretch, the Defiance were only able to register five total shots on goal and struggled maintaining possession of the ball in the middle of the field. Everything turned around when Tacoma took the field at the University of Denver and played one of the most efficient games of the season into Colorado Rapids 2 first loss in 2023. Five different scorers found their way onto the stat sheet while on the road, and the Defiance kept the momentum going as Austin FC II came into town.

Both teams spent Sunday evening trading attacks into the offensive zone with no avail. Tacoma’s saving grace were the two penalty shots conceded by Austin FC II, with Adolfo Ovalle narrowly missing what could’ve been the game's dagger in the 83rd minute.

These two big victories to end the month put the Defiance in a great position with a stretch of competitive opponents awaiting them in July.

Rodriguez continues to shine

Braudílio Rodrigues is no stranger to the spotlight, and he has been making the most of his opportunity to compete in MLS Next Pro. The Defiance signed Rodrigues in February of this year after posting a 44 point season at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire, where he led his team to a NCAA DII national championship and received national player of the year honors. He’s picked up right where he left off in college as Tacoma’s leading scorer and a dominant force when he has the ball in the offensive zone. His longer frame lends him an advantage, fighting through 50/50 situations, and he’s garnering a lot of attention from opposing defenses aware of how dangerous he can be in the middle of the field. The Portuguese native has been showing strong poise in big situations all year, a hint to Pacific Northwest soccer fans that they have a lot to be excited about coming up through the program.

What’s next?

Tacoma will have another opportunity to protect home field, as Houston Dynamo 2 fly into town for their second matchup of the year. The first meeting between these foes saw the Defiance escape SaberCats stadium with a 2-1 victory as Gio Miglietti found the back of the net in the 90th minute. Houston Dynamo 2 sit at 6-6-2 on the year, only trailing the Defiance by four points in the standings. Tacoma has been capitalizing on their opponents' mistakes, but in order to continue this winning streak, the offensive side of the ball needs to produce a great volume of attacks and put pressure on the opposing defenses. It goes without saying that the Dynamo have an explosive offense that will test Tacoma’s resilience on defense which has been the backbone of this team working to keep their position near the top of the Western Conference. Kickoff is scheduled for July 2nd at 7PM from Starfire Stadium in Tukwila.