Iloski nets in four goals to cap off San Diego FC’s 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps

Wednesday night’s battle for first-place in the MLS Western Conference at BC Place saw San Diego FC’s Milan Iloski and Anders Dreyer lead the way to a commanding away 5-3 win over the then conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps to claim the top spot in the West.

Last matchday for San Diego FC saw the club complete a second-half comeback over Minnesota United, scoring three unanswered goals in their 4-2 victory at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, back on June 14.

Vancouver looked to get back to their winning ways, as their last matchday on June 14 saw them fall on the road 2-1 at Lower.com Field against the Columbus Crew. 

The heavyweight battle between the Western Conference’s first and second place would not only determine who would be at the top of the West at the end of the match, but it also marked San Diego FC’s first-ever match played outside the United States and in Canada.

On his first career MLS start, San Diego FC forward Milan Iloski opened the scoring in the match against Vancouver, finding the net in the 35-minute.

Coming off a Whitecaps defensive half turnover created by San Diego’s pressure, Iloski gained possession of the ball around the penalty area, with his first shot being denied by the Whitecaps All-Star goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. 

With the initial shot not fully pushed away from danger, Iloski met and slotted in the rebounded ball with a tight-angled near-post finish. 

San Diego was quick to tack on another, with forwards Anders Dreyer and Milan Iloski linking up for the club’s second goal on the night in the 37-minute.

After receiving a pass in his attacking half, Anders Dreyer took advantage of the two-on-two transition opportunity, laying a pass off for Milan Iloski as he dribbled into the penalty box and fired a shot into the left side of the goal, leaving Yohei Takaoka guessing the wrong way as San Diego took the two goal lead. 

The Whitecaps wouldn’t go into the halftime break without a goal of their own, as Vancouver defender Édier Ocampo took advantage of a mishandled set-piece clearance by San Diego FC defender Oscar Verhoeven inside the penalty box.

Édier Ocampo caught the ball on a volley and smashed it into the upper near post with San Diego FC goalkeeper CJ dos Santos unable to meet the rising shot as the Whitecaps cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 43-minute.

Directly off the restart kickoff, San Diego FC regained their two-goal advantage with Milan Iloski netting in his third goal of the match to seal his first-half hat-trick.

It would be Dreyer and Iloski connecting once again as Dreyer ran down the right wing and centered a cross near the penalty marker with Milan Iloski leaping and guiding a headed shot into the top right corner of the net for the 3-1 lead in the 44-minute. 

The 15-minute halftime break wouldn’t stop the visiting goal party for San Diego, as it would only take two minutes within the second half for Milan Iloski, who was already on a hat-trick, to find the back of the net for the fourth time in the match. 

Dreyer and Iloski combined for the third time in the match as Dreyer made a piercing pass between two Whitecaps defenders, and Iloski made the unmarked run that led to the shot. Yohei Takaoka would get a touch on the inside of the box shot, but it wasn’t enough to keep out Iloski's fourth goal of the night as San Diego took the 4-1 lead in the 47-minute.  

A historic outing for Iloski, as he came into the match with five goals on the season, all coming from off the bench. He finished the night as the club’s top scorer, netting four goals on his first MLS start. 

That wasn’t all for the hometown player, as the Escondido native became the first San Diego FC player to record a hat-trick and a four-goal match. 

“Milan (Iloski) stepped up massively from the start, and this was the challenge that he had, and he was big time tonight, just pressing, making runs in behind, obviously scoring the goals,” San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas said on Milan Iloski's performance against Vancouver. 

“It's, of course, a great feeling. I hold myself to a very high standard. I've always said this, and you know, it's something that I expected of myself,” San Diego FC forward Milan Iloski said on his hat-trick and four-goal outing against the Whitecaps.

Iloski wasn’t the only hat-trick hero on the night, with All-Star forward Anders Dreyer recording a hat-trick of assists, leaving him at 12 assists on the season and as the MLS assist leader. 

“He's an example of who we are as a team, because he runs and he gives and he gives and he gives, and then he's got tremendous talent and tremendous quality,” Mikey Varas said on Anders Dreyer's impact on the team. 

Whitecaps Vite and Laborda connected in the 66-minute to cut into their deficit. Midfielder Pedro Vite found defender Mathias Laborda with a through pass inside the penalty box, holding his run as he finished his one-on-one chance over CJ dos Santos for the 4-2 scoreline. 

With Vancouver applying pressure and numbers forward in search of getting back into the match, San Diego FC took advantage as midfielder Onni Valakari was able to find forward Tomás Ángel making the run in behind with an outside-the-boot pass. 

This left Tomás Ángel wide open and in on goal as he dribbled around the Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka and rolled in his left-footed shot into the center of the goal, making the match 5-2 in the 90-minute. 

Ángel’s second goal of the MLS season, with both coming from off the bench. 

The match wouldn’t end there with Whitecaps midfielder Antoine Coupland getting his first-time left-footed finish across goal and into the far side netting in the 96-minute to score on his MLS debut and leave the final match scoreline at 5-3 for the San Diego FC victory. 

San Diego FC head coach Mikey Varas spoke after the victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on his squad's performance on the night and mentality coming into the game.  

“I think the guys came with a fantastic mentality after the break to refocus quickly, to attack the streak that we had started and do it on the road against the top team.”

“It's about stacking performances on top of performances, home and away, training with the right mentality, and then making sure that we have a big squad so everybody's ready to go.”

San Diego FC now sits at the top of the MLS Western Conference after their win over the Whitecaps, as they go ahead of Vancouver by a single point.

The three points gained moved San Diego FC's season total to 36 points, improving their overall MLS record to eleven wins, five losses and three draws, while also earning their fifth road victory of the year. 

Another historic milestone was earned for San Diego FC, as the club recorded its first-ever victory outside the United States and in Canada. 

San Diego FC remains on the road for their weekend MLS fixture as they head to Toyota Stadium to face off against FC Dallas on Saturday, June 28, slated for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff.

It's the reverse road fixture for San Diego FC, as the first meeting between the two clubs back on May 3 at Snapdragon Stadium finished with a record goal tally, 5-0 victory for San Diego FC.