A wave of relief washed over Brian White on Saturday night. The Vancouver Whitecaps striker, having gone two months without scoring, finally found the back of the net. Then, he did it twice more.
White's hat trick led the Whitecaps to a remarkable 4-3 comeback victory against St. Louis City, a win that snapped their two-game losing streak.
“The first goal went in and I think the game came a bit easier for us," White reflected. "I felt a little bit more comfortable. It did feel like a little bit of a stress reliever. And fortunately, we were able to push on and win the game.”
The match at BC Place saw Fafa Picault also score for the 'Caps (8-7-5) in the 90th minute, sealing the victory. For St. Louis (3-7-10), the night began with promise as Njabulo Blom and Eduard Lowen netted goals within the first 12 minutes, capitalizing on Vancouver's shaky defense.
The Whitecaps' defense struggled early, with Blom's right-footed shot slipping past goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka in the seventh minute. Just five minutes later, Lowen doubled St. Louis' lead with a penalty kick following a handball by Vancouver's Javain Brown.
Despite the rocky start, Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini emphasized calm and perseverance. “We were clearly the better team from minute one and we just complicated our life like we did in Portland, too," Sartini said. "The big difference is we stayed calm and we kept playing our game, and knowing that we would create chances and knowing that we would defend very well for the rest of the 80 minutes.”
White ignited Vancouver's comeback in the 37th minute, taking a ball at the top of the box and firing a shot that deflected off a defender into the net. He tied the game in the 54th minute with an impressive back-heel shot that arched over St. Louis goalkeeper Ben Lundt. The decisive goal came in the 61st minute when White headed in a cross from Ryan Raposo, securing his second career hat trick.
“Busting out of a slump takes persistence," White noted. "You really only have one option and it’s just to keep going. It’s doing everything you can on the training pitch, getting extra reps in front of the goal after training, it’s studying film, it’s doing the mental side of the game. A lot goes into fighting through those tough times.”
Both teams were missing key players due to injuries and international duty, but the Whitecaps managed to overcome these challenges. An announced crowd of 24,662 at BC Place witnessed the thrilling turnaround.
With the victory, Vancouver prepares to visit Minnesota United on Wednesday, while St. Louis will host the San Jose Earthquakes the same night.
