In the regular season home finale the Issaquah Gunners FC WSPL soccer team came through in the clutch in front of the hometown fans.

The Gunners scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of play, earning a 3-1 win against OSA Football Club on July 1 in Issaquah. Issaquah improved its overall record to 5-2-1 with the win, while OSA Football Club dropped to 5-2-1. The Gunners and OSA Football Club are currently tied for second place in the Northwest Division standings. The Gunners got on the board in the first half when Macy Jo Harrison scored on a penalty kick with 4:30 left in the first half, giving her team a 1-0 lead. Harrison’s left-footed shot on the ground to the lower right side of the net easily got past OSA’s keeper. With 13 minutes left in regulation, Kelsey Passaglia scored on a ground-ball shot to the lower left side of the net, giving Issaquah what appeared to be insurmountable 2-0 lead.

OSA wouldn’t go away quietly, cutting Issaquah’s lead to 2-1 with a goal in the 80th minute of play. Issaquah didn’t play conservative in the final 10 minutes of play, instead opting to dial up the pressure. The aggressive mode of operation paid off when Rachel Wheeler scored Issaquah’s third goal with three minutes left in the game. Wheeler’s score gave Issaquah a 3-1 lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the final 180 seconds of action.

“That was good pressure from our forward (Wheeler). I think it was just one of those where they tried to clear the ball and we put so much pressure on that and we won that ball,” Gunners head coach Gareth Vaughan said of Wheeler’s goal to seal the win.

The Gunners offense struggled in the first half but were able to put constant pressure on OSA’s defense in the final 45 minutes of play.

“We changed the system in the second half and it gave us a bit more offense. I was really pleased with the result. We got the result we deserved,” Vaughan said.

The final home game of the 2016 season saw a large contingent of fans in attendance. The majority of fans and players stayed long after the game had ended congregating on the field for photos.

“We had a really big crowd today. We were really impressed and really happy. The fans have been fantastic this year again and the crowds only get bigger and bigger,” he said.