Spokane Velocity FC edged Sarasota Paradise 1–0 at home on Saturday, with Derek Waldeck's 72nd-minute strike proving the difference in a tight USL League One contest.

The first half offered little in the way of decisive action. Sarasota's Garrett McLaughlin picked up a yellow card in the 26th minute, but neither side managed to break the deadlock before the interval.

The second half carried more edge. Spokane's Gagi Margvelashvili was cautioned on 59 minutes as both teams struggled to find a breakthrough. That changed in the 72nd minute when Waldeck latched onto a Collin Fernandez delivery and found the net to put the hosts ahead.

Sarasota pushed for an equalizer, but discipline became an issue. Andres Rodriguez was booked in the 77th minute, and Spokane's Andre Lewis joined him in the referee's notebook four minutes later as the game grew scrappy in the closing stages. Paradise couldn't carve out enough to salvage a point, and Spokane saw the result through with relative composure.

It was a workmanlike win for Velocity — not pretty, but effective. One goal from one moment of quality was all they needed against a Sarasota side that rarely threatened.

The three points give Spokane valuable momentum heading deeper into the spring stretch of the League One season.