https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:10:44 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-2-0-valour-fc-2025-match-3 Sun, 06 Apr 2025 16:08:28 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-2-0-valour-fc-2025-match-3 Pacific FC opened their 2025 Canadian Premier League season on a winning note Saturday, as they beat Valour FC 2-0 at Starlight Stadium in the last match of an opening day tripleheader. That continues a strong run of opening-day games for Pacific, who have now won their first game of the season five years in a row, and have an all-time record of 6W-1D-0L in their season openers. After an even start to the match, Pacific found an early marker in just the 18th minute. Following a nice run from Ronan Kratt, who latched onto the end of a Josh Heard through ball, he fired a dangerous shot right at Jonathan Viscosi, and all Viscosi could do was parry the ball right to an onrushing Dario Zanatta, who slotted into an empty net from close range to give his team the 1-0 lead. Soon after, Zanatta almost had a brace in the 29th minute, as he got on the end of a dangerous Kadin Chung shot, but his header would be saved by Viscosi, who used his quick feet to get himself in front of the powerful attempt and parry it out for a corner. Pacific would find their second just minutes later, however. After a bit of chaos in midfield, the ball fell to Christian Greco-Taylor, who fired a hopeful ball towards Kratt on the right wing. There, instead of taking a touch, Kratt decided to take the shot on first time, and he caught it perfectly, looping it over Viscosi and into the top corner of the goal for an early goal-of-the-season candidate. Continuing their strong start, Pacific almost made it three right before half time, as Marco Bustos cut inside and fired a shot from distance, almost sneaking it past Viscosi, who had to get down quickly to keep his team in the game before the break. Despite the break, Pacific didn't show any signs of wanting to slow down in the second half, as they chased for that third goal. They almost found it in the 58th minute, as Kratt came close to finding a brace, doing well to nearly squeeze a low header past Viscosi, who made an excellent save. Then, in the 63rd minute, Greco-Taylor almost added a goal to his earlier assist, firing what appeared to be a goalbound shot from close range, but that shot would be deflected over by Valour's Rocco Romeo on a nice defensive play. Eager to get back into the game, Valour mounted a late push, as they tried to get something out of this one. As a result, they had a good look in the 85th minute via a volley from Jevontae Layne that was saved nicely by Pacific's Max Anchor, and had a few other good looks at goal, but were unable to breach Pacific's target. As a result, Pacific were able to cruise to victory, allowing them to bank three crucial points to start their season.

BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Anchor; Chung, Quintana, Machado (Lajeunesse 65'), Greco-Taylor; Browning Lagerfeldt (Keshavarz 70'), Young; Kratt (de Pauli 65'), Bustos (Mukumbilwa 88'), Zanatta; Heard (Toualy 88') Valour FC: Viscosi; Alarcón, Romeo, Facchineri, Antonoglou; Mlah (Figueiredo 63'), Ohin; Twardek (Venâncio 77'), Williams (Morgan 63'), Faria (Ressurreição 63'); Hundal (Layne 82')

Goals

18' -- Dario Zanatta (Pacific FC) 30' -- Ronan Kratt (Pacific FC)

Discipline

4' -- Yellow: Roberto Alarcón (Valour FC) 25' -- Yellow: Rocco Romeo (Valour FC) 34' -- Yellow: Gianfranco Facchineri (Valour FC) 51' -- Yellow: Kadin Chung (Pacific FC) 88' -- Yellow: Josh Heard (Pacific FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-york-united-1-2-pacific-fc-cpl-match-105 Fri, 11 Oct 2024 16:37:31 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-york-united-1-2-pacific-fc-cpl-match-105 Pacific FC secured a massive and dramatic victory on Thursday night at York Lions Stadium, with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over York United. A brace from substitute Reon Moore handed Pacific the victory, and pushed them up into fifth place in the table, three points ahead of BC rivals Vancouver FC for the final playoff spot. Oswaldo León scored his first York United goal in the first half. This was the first occasion this season that Pacific FC came from behind to win a match, and couldn't have come at a better time for the Tridents. Knowing the importance of this match to their playoff hopes, Pacific were the dominant side through the early stages. They put the hosts under a set-piece siege, with a stunning six corners in the first fifteen minutes -- although none of which troubled York goalkeeper Thomas Vincensini. York slowly matched the Tridents' intensity, and in the 21st minute, Matthew Baldisimo put the ball into the back of the net, but Brian Wright had strayed offside in the buildup. Wright had another good chance in the 30th minute, but sent a header from close range wide of target. The visitors, meanwhile, continued to ask questions, especially from corner kicks with 11 overall during the opening half. Pacific finally registered their first shot on target in the 41st minute, a glancing header easily gathered by Vincensini. The match looked destined to remain scoreless at the half, but York found a moment of quality in the 44th minute. Recovering a half-cleared York United corner kick, Jorge Guzmán cut down the wing and delivered a dangerous looping cross into the box which León volleyed home to give the Nine Stripes a 1-0 lead. Pacific came incredibly close to an equalizer early in the second half, as a cross from Christian Greco-Taylor was redirected goalward by Dario Zanatta, forcing an impressive kick save from Vincensini. Pacific had a decent penalty shout moments later, as Elijah Adekugbe looked to have potentially handled an effort from Sami Keshavarz in the box, but it went uncalled. Pacific had another half-chance in the 68th minute as Pacific substitute Moore cut through the York team and played a ball across to Moses Dyer. But the Pacific striker's effort went high and wide. With the visitors continuing to press, York nearly added to their lead in the 79th minute, as Brian Wright broke through on the counterattack and squared for Shola Jimoh. The 16-year-old's strike was denied by Sean Melvin in the Pacific goal. Three minutes later, Pacific FC finally tied the match. On corner kick number 12, their first of the second half, substitute Adonijah Reid's deflected cross made its way into the path of Moore, who made the match 1-1. In the 89th minute, Moore played hero for Pacific, with a crucial goal in their season. A huge tackle from Kunle Dada-Luke in the final third sent the ball into the path of Zanatta, who squared for an easy Moore tap-in. For Pacific FC, all eyes will now turn to Sunday's clash between Vancouver FC and Valour FC. They will hope the Winnipeg club can take points off of their BC rivals, and put Pacific in pole position to make the playoffs heading into 'The Outcome' next week, where they host regular season winners Forge FC.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

York United: Vincensini; Córdova, Higgins (Márquez 46'), León, Botello; Martínez (Voytsekhovskyy 86'), Adekugbe, Baldisimo; Jimoh (Ferrari 86'), Guzmán, Wright (Esprit 89') Pacific FC: Melvin; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Quintana, Greco-Taylor; Yeates, Young, Lamothe (Moore 68'); Keshavarz (Reid 78'), Zanatta (Tircoveanu 90+2'), Dyer (Mukumbilwa 90+2')

Goals

44′ — Oswaldo León (York United) 82' -- Reon Moore (Pacific FC) 89' -- Reon Moore (Pacific FC) 

Discipline

24′ —Yellow: Thomas Vincensini (York United) 49' -- Yellow: Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC) 49' -- Yellow: Juan Córdova (York United) 49' -- Yellow: Christian Greco-Taylor (Pacific FC) 62' -- Yellow: Santiago Márquez (York United) 67' -- Yellow: Matthew Baldisimo (York United) 69' -- Yellow: Juan Quintana (Pacific FC) 90+7' -- Yellow: Max Ferrari (York United) ]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-4-cavalry-fc-cpl-match-102 Mon, 07 Oct 2024 16:39:47 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-4-cavalry-fc-cpl-match-102 Cavalry FC picked up three massive points on the road at Starlight Stadium on Saturday afternoon, defeating Pacific FC 4-1 to climb up to second place in the Canadian Premier League table. The match started in disastrous fashion for the Tridents, after goalkeeper Emil Gazdov was sent off less than three minutes in. Gazdov came out of his box to get to a pass over the Pacific backline and intentionally punched the ball away from danger. He was shown a straight red card by referee Mathieu Souaré, forcing James Merriman into an early substitution to bring on Sean Melvin. Tobias Warschewski fired the ensuing free kick into the wall before Melvin made saves on shots from Jay Herdman and Sergio Camargo. Pacific left back Christian Greco-Taylor took a free kick at the other end of the pitch a few minutes later, but his effort also struck the defensive wall. Diego Gutierrez had an opportunity to shoot from a tight angle in the 17th minute, but Melvin stood his ground to make another big save to deny the Cavs midfielder. Gutierrez and Moses Dyer traded off-target shots from outside the box in the 19th and 20th minutes as both sides pushed for a breakthrough. The first goal came from New Zealand youth international Jay Herdman, who headed Cavalry into the lead after running onto a curled cross from Ali Musse, redirecting it past Melvin to make it 1-0 to the visitors. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1842682078141223364 Pacific equalized immediately, with Dario Zanatta converting from the penalty spot with a calm, chipped shot after Marco Carducci was judged to have brought down Moses Dyer in the box. As a result, a hectic first half ended with the teams tied at 1-1. After a lively start to the second half from both sides, Cavalry re-took the lead just after the hour mark, with Warschewski finishing off a great team move from the visitors. Receiving the ball along the left touchline, Warschewski flicked the ball up the line for Tom Field, who then passed it laterally to Herdman. Herdman might have had a chance to score his second of the game but chose the unselfish option, sliding the ball to Warschewski, who fired it through a crowd to pick out the bottom right corner and put the Cavs back in front. https://twitter.com/CPLsoccer/status/1842694574021464501 That opened the floodgates for Cavalry, who then scored twice in three minutes to rub salt in Pacific's wound. Warscheski scored his second goal of the match in the 75th minute, picking out the bottom right corner with another well-placed shot to double his team's advantage. Two minutes and seven seconds later Lowell Wright picked up his first goal for the club, beating Melvin to the same side as the previous two goals after receiving a through ball from Sergio Camargo. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1842697586605469913 Things went from bad to worse for the Tridents, who lost centre-back Kevin Ceceri in the 84th minute after he picked up two yellow cards in under five minutes and joined Gazdov in the locker room. The result was decided well before that point, and after a final few minutes and two minutes of stoppage time, Cavalry's three points were confirmed by the final whistle from the referee. A professional performance saw the Cavs move into second place in the table, and keep the Tridents on the outside looking in.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Dominguez, Young, Yeates; O'Hea (Melvin 5'), Dyer (Quintana 88'), Zanatta (Bahous 46') Cavalry FC: Carducci; Harms (Aird 46'), Klomp, Montgomery, Field; Shome (Trafford 46'), Gutierrez (Wright 46'); Musse, Camargo (Kobza 81'), Herdman (Myroniuk 64'); Warschewski

Goals

35′ — Jay Herdman (Cavalry FC) 38' -- Dario Zanatta (Pacific FC) -- penalty 61' -- Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC) 75' -- Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC) 77' -- Lowell Wright (Cavalry FC)

Discipline

3′ —Red: Emil Gazdov (Pacific FC) 31' -- Yellow: Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC) 49' -- Yellow: Marco Dominguez (Pacific FC) 63' -- Yellow: Jay Herdman (Cavalry FC) 81' -- Yellow: Kevin Ceceri (Pacific FC) 84' -- Red: Kevin Ceceri (Pacific FC) -- second yellow card]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-valour-fc-1-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-100 Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:47:20 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-valour-fc-1-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-100 Valour FC moved within one point of Pacific FC for the fifth and final playoff spot on Monday night, after beating the Tridents 1-0 at Princess Auto Stadium. After the two sides traded early shots on target, Themi Antonoglou sent a dangerous cross into the Pacific penalty area which Shaan Hundal tried to control instead of trying to hit the target with his first touch. That extra touch bought Emil Gazdov a bit of time to come rushing out of his net, and Hundal tried to poke the ball past the Tridents goalkeeper, but he couldn't squeeze it by from close range. Shortly after Hundal's chance, Pacific midfielder Cedric Toussaint was forced out of the match after being troubled by an injury he seemed to pick up about five minutes earlier, replaced by Pierre Lamothe. Pacific had a great chance to take the lead in the 29th minute, as they counter-attacked quickly after winning the ball in midfield. Adonijah Reid was the player to get the final shot away, making a run into the penalty area before firing a shot at Jonathan Viscosi, who made a great reaction save. The ensuing corner kick didn't lead to anything, but the Tridents were starting to sharpen up a bit and build into the match as it progressed. The Tridents appealed for a penalty when Lamothe went down in the box, but the referee waved them away, as Lamothe went down quite easily. As play continued Reid floated a cross into the box toward Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, whose header went over the crossbar. Moments later at the other end of the pitch Loïc Kwemi, who was causing all kinds of trouble for the Pacific backline on the night, had a go from the outside of the box but sent it wide with a low shot. Moses Dyer nearly scored an impressive goal in first half stoppage time, diving to get onto a cross into the penalty area, but his effort went wide of the mark as well. The first half ended scoreless, with both teams chasing an important victory. Pacific picked up where they left off when play resumed, firing several shots at Jonathan Viscosi's net in the first few minutes, but none of them could hit the target. Steffen Yeates fired a free kick over the bar, before Reid missed the target less than a minute later. After Dario Zanatta had a shot blocked in the 56th minute Christian Greco-Taylor attempted an audacious shot from well outside the penalty area, but his effort went soaring into the Winnipeg sky high over the net. After replacing Jordan Faria just before the hour mark, Jordan Swibel tried to give Valour the lead from a free kick but he sent his shot into the defensive wall. He scooped up his own rebound, but the follow up effort went wide of the target. The deadlock was finally broken in the 76th minute. Themi Antonoglou fired another excellent low cross into the penalty area which Pacific centre-back Kevin Ceceri tried to clear, but mistakenly redirected into the back of his own net, giving Valour the lead. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1840932017049125100 Pacific were energized by conceding and went back to work to try and find an equalizer, as Valour looked to hold to three massive points. Dyer, who had scored in each of each previous four appearances for Pacific, struck the post with a cross-goal shot from the edge of the penalty area. When Roberto Alarcón made an acrobatic bicycle kick clearance to get the rebound away, Lamothe made contact with the Valour right back and was shown a second yellow card by referee Mario Alayass, leaving the Tridents at ten men for more than ten important minutes at the end of the match. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1840933603384930596 Six minutes of stoppage time were added on at the end of the 90, and Valour were able to hold on for those hard-fought minutes to secure three points and move themselves off the bottom of the table. The Winnipeggers climbed from eighth to seventh, over Halifax Wanderers FC and into a tie on 27 points with sixth-place Vancouver FC. More importantly they are now one point back of Pacific, who occupy the fifth and final playoff spot with 28 points with just three matches left in the regular season.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Valour FC: Viscosi; Alarcón, Mourdoukoutas, Facchineri, Antonoglou; Faria (Swibel 59'), Campbell, Mlah (Ohin 59'), Ressurreicao (Haynes 86'); Kwemi (Binate 78'), Hundal Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Toussaint (Lamothe 17'), Young, Yeates (Moore 82') Reid (Tîrcoveanu 64'), Dyer, Zanatta

Goals

76′ — Kevin Ceceri (Pacific FC) -- own goal

Discipline

45+3′ — Yellow: Pierre Lamothe (Pacific FC) 49' -- Yellow: Roberto Alarcón (Valour FC) 69' -- Yellow: Christian Greco-Taylor (Pacific FC) 75' -- Yellow: Moses Dyer (Pacific FC) 75' -- Yellow: Jonathan Viscosi (Valour FC) 83' -- Red: Pierre Lamothe (Pacific FC) -- second yellow card]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-atletico-ottawa-1-1-pacific-fc-cpl-match-96 Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:05:33 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-atletico-ottawa-1-1-pacific-fc-cpl-match-96 Atlético Ottawa officially clinched their spot in the 2024 Canadian Premier League Playoffs on Sunday afternoon, as they and Pacific FC added one point each from a 1-1 draw at TD Place. For the matinee clash, neither manager saw a need to tinker much with his lineup; Atleti boss Carlos González made no changes from the side that drew with Cavalry FC last weekend, while Pacific's only swap was the inclusion of 17-year-old Sami Keshavarz in place of Cédric Toussaint. The opening of the match was a bit of a roller coaster; just three minutes in, Ottawa came close to scoring as Ballou Tabla hit a strike from the top of the box that smacked off the post -- the first of several dangerous counter-attacks from the hosts in the first 15 minutes. Soon, Atlético were rewarded for their repeated ventures into the final third. Ballou Tabla received at the top of the box and drew in a pair of defenders before slipping the ball through to Aboubacar Sissoko, who swept the ball past Emil Gazdov with a good finish to make it 1-0 before the 30th minute. Pacific responded to a lacklustre first half by making a pair of changes at the break. Armando Sá, manning the touchline in place of suspended head coach James Merriman, chose to take off Keshavarz and Andrei Tircoveanu, replacing them with Steffen Yeates and Adonijah Reid. It didn't take long for Pacific to be rewarded for the change. Less than 10 minutes into the half, they broke up the pitch and the ball came to Dario Zanatta out on the left flank. He curled a good cross into the box to where Moses Dyer, somehow unmarked between the Ottawa centre-backs, leapt to get his head on the ball and scored his fourth since joining Pacific in August (with a goal in four consecutive games). Pacific were much more aggressive in the second half, going blow-for-blow with Ottawa as the game began to open up a little more. However, a few changes by Atlético in the last 15 minutes or so gave them new life, as they began sending more and more crosses into the box in search of a winner. The second goal did not arrive for either side, though, and it ended honours even at 1-1. So, Pacific increased their cushion over Vancouver FC in the final playoff spot to two points, while Ottawa secured their place in the postseason, seizing sole possession of second place in the table.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Morer (Dos Santos 83'), Walker, Didic, Iliadis, De Brienne (Tissot 83'); Tabla (Salter 71'), Aparicio, Torres (Zapater 71'), Sissoko (Bassett 61'); Del Campo Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Young (Toussaint 69'), Domínguez (Lamothe 83'), Tircoveanu (Reid 46'), Keshavarz (Yeates 46'); Dyer, Zanatta (Moore 65')

Goals

29' -- Aboubacar Sissoko (Atlético Ottawa) 53' -- Moses Dyer (Pacific FC)

Discipline

30' -- Yellow: Aboubacar Sissoko (Atlético Ottawa) 37' -- Yellow: Marco Domínguez (Pacific FC) 39' -- Yellow: Dani Morer (Atlético Ottawa) 53' -- Yellow: Moses Dyer (Pacific FC) 56' -- Yellow: Sean Young (Pacific FC) 90+6' -- Yellow: Adonijah Reid (Pacific FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-halifax-wanderers-fc-2-2-pacific-fc-cpl-match-92 Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:23:12 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-halifax-wanderers-fc-2-2-pacific-fc-cpl-match-92 Pacific FC shocked Halifax Wanderers with a last-minute equalizer in the Maritimes on Wednesday night, as the 10-men hosts had to settle for a 2-2 draw with the Tridents in a thrilling midweek encounter. With both sides coming off emphatic wins over the weekend, neither manager made many changes. Halifax brought Dan Nimick back into the side after serving a suspension, while Pacific's only change was adding Cédric Toussaint back to their midfield. Giorgio Probo came close to opening the scoring in the 13th minute, as an excellent passing move between him and Massimo Ferrin sent Probo into the penalty area; his attempt from a difficult angle got past Emil Gazdov but just trickled wide of the far post. After another handful of Wanderers chances in the next few minutes, Pacific found one of their own just before the 20th; Christian Greco-Taylor came barreling into the penalty area with speed, but Yann Fillion was able to hold onto the shot. Around the half-hour mark, things took an unfortunate turn for the home side. Dan Nimick got caught in a challenge with Dario Zanatta, making contact from behind in a move the referee judged to be worthy of Nimick's second yellow card. So, the Halifax centre-back found himself sent off in the first half again, after suffering the same fate against Pacific just over two weeks ago. With one of his defenders thus ejected, Halifax boss Patrice Gheisar had no choice but to sacrifice Sean Rea, who had been one of his liveliest attackers so far, in order to bring on Jefferson Alphonse in the backline. The 10-men Wanderers continued launching attack after attack at Pacific in the second half, and finally on the hour mark they had a breakthrough. Ryan Telfer danced through traffic in toward the box, and although he was tackled the ball bounced out to the corner of the box where Massimo Ferrin, in space, smashed the ball on the volley, as it hit the underside of the crossbar and dropped into the goal with one of the best strikes in the CPL this season. Halifax's lead didn't last long, though. Pacific's Steffen Yeates hit a shot from the top of the box that Fillion stopped with his forearms, but the ball spilled in front of him and Moses Dyer arrived quickly to score the loose ball and equalize. After a quieter 10 minutes after the two goals, the Wanderers reclaimed the lead with 10 minutes to play. They won a free kick near the touchline just inside the attacking third, and Lorenzo Callegari delivered a perfect ball to the head of an unmarked Nassim Mekideche, who nodded it in to restore a one-goal lead for the hosts. Pacific rained a storm of attacks on Halifax in the final 10 minutes, and were it not for a few timely defensive interventions and one excellent Fillion save on Adonijah Reid, they might have found their equalizer earlier. With almost the final action of the game though, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, the ball finally fell for them in a chaotic scramble in the box. Thomas Meilleur-Giguère managed to put his foot through it from amid the fray, and found the back of the net to snatch a point at the death for Pacific. The extra point could prove crucial for Pacific, as it moves them ahead of Vancouver FC and into fifth place -- with just a one-point cushion.

BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Halifax Wanderers: Fillion; Bayiha, Nimick, Mekideche, Fernandez; Callegari, Rampersad; Rea (Alphonse 37'), Probo (Gagnon-Laparé 70'), Ferrin; Telfer (Coimbra 85') Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Young, Dominguez (Moore 62'), Toussaint (Reid 70'); Tircoveanu (Yeates 62'); Dyer, Zanatta (Lamothe 76')

Goals

60' -- Massimo Ferrin (Halifax Wanderers) 67' -- Moses Dyer (Pacific FC) 79' -- Nassim Mekideche (Halifax Wanderers) 90+7' -- Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC)

Discipline

11' -- Yellow: Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC) 20' -- Yellow: Dan Nimick (Halifax Wanderers) 31' -- 2nd Yellow: Dan Nimick (Halifax Wanderers) 64' -- Yellow: Giorgio Probo (Halifax Wanderers) 90' -- Yellow: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (Halifax Wanderers) ]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-3-0-vancouver-fc-cpl-match-90 Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:28:10 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-3-0-vancouver-fc-cpl-match-90 Pacific FC have won back-to-back games in CPL play, as they defeated rivals Vancouver FC 3-0 in the latest edition of the Salish Sea Derby at Starlight Stadium on Saturday. With that, they climbed into a tie with Vancouver for the fifth and final playoff spot in the CPL with 26 points, also sitting with a game-in-hand over their Langley-based rivals. As for Vancouver, this was their third straight loss in CPL play, the first time they've suffered such a sequence this season, which has allowed Pacific to climb back up the table after their recent pair of wins. Building off a strong offensive surge from their last match, a 3-0 win over the Halifax Wanderers, it didn't take long for Pacific to open the scoring in this game, either, as Dario Zanatta found the net after just seven minutes. After a great cross from Kunle Dada-Luke, Moses Dyer turned a dangerous shot on goal, one that fell to Zanatta on the rebound for the game's opening tally. Soon after, Christian Greco-Taylor flashed a dangerous shot from distance in the 24th minute, as he fired a powerful attempt just wide of the post. Doing well to build off their strong start to the half, however, Pacific managed to finish it on a high note in the 43rd minute, as Andrei Tîrcoveanu floated in a perfect ball on a corner, one that Dyer met with a flying header to double his team's lead. They wouldn't be done there, either, as they nearly made it three in the 45th minute, as Sami Keshavarz carved through Vancouver's defence and fired a dangerous shot, only finding himself denied by a strong stop from Callum Irving. On the other side of half time, Pacific nearly made it three in the 49th minute, as Tîrcoveanu fired a dangerous shot from distance, one that forced a nice save out of Irving down to his left. Meanwhile, Vancouver began to push in search of a result, and had a great look in the 59th minute, as Grady McDonnell fired a dangerous header from close range, one that forced a strong save out of Pacific's Emil Gazdov. Eager to put this game away early, Pacific had another dangerous look off a set-piece in the 71st minute, as Zanatta had a great look from close range, but his shot would be denied by an excellent save from Irving. Luckily for Zanatta, however, he wouldn't miss his next chance. After a great free kick from Tîrcoveanu in the 72nd minute, one that Irving just kept out with a flying save, the ball fell to a wide-open Zanatta, and he made no mistake in slotting the ball into an empty net for his second of the game. Looking to finish this game off on a positive note, Vancouver came close to scoring in the 85th minute, as Matteo Campagna flashed a header towards goal on a corner, but his attempt ended up landing on top of the net. From there, however, despite a couple of missed opportunities for both teams, Pacific would do what they needed to do in order to secure their three-goal victory and tie Vancouver in the table.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Young (Yeates 60'), Domínguez (Amedume 85'), Keshavarz; Tîrcoveanu (Lamothe 76'); Dyer (Bahous 85'), Zanatta (Reid 85') Vancouver FC: Irving; Chung (Cantave 46'), Romeo, Enyou (Campagna 46'), Cameron; Fry (McDonnell 36'), Rommens (Bitar 63'), Garcia; Bah, Sellouf, Díaz (Tahid 78')

Goals: 

7’ - Dario Zanatta (Pacific FC) 43' - Moses Dyer (Pacific FC) 72’ - Dario Zanatta (Pacific FC)

Discipline:

14’ - Yellow: Marco Domínguez (Pacific FC) 18’ - Yellow: Vasco Fry (Vancouver FC) 18’ - Yellow: Staff (Vancouver FC) 43’ - Yellow: Callum Irving (Vancouver FC) 44’ - Yellow: Andrei Tîrcoveanu (Pacific FC) 67’ - Yellow: Moses Dyer (Pacific FC) 71’ - Yellow: Mikaël Cantave (Vancouver FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-3-0-halifax-wanderers-fc-cpl-match-86 Mon, 09 Sep 2024 16:49:12 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-3-0-halifax-wanderers-fc-cpl-match-86 Pacific FC picked up a crucial win in their hunt for a spot in the postseason on Saturday night, beating Halifax Wanderers FC 3-0 in a chippy match at Starlight Stadium. The Tridents nearly found the back of the net less than five minutes into the match, with Moses Dyer getting onto the end of a dangerous cross from Dario Zanatta and smashing his effort off the post. After the Wanderers had a shot from Riley Ferrazzo blocked at the other end of the pitch, Zanatta got on the end of a cross a few yards away from the goal, but the ball struck him and somehow didn't end up in the back of the net. The Wanderers had a pair of attempts hit the target in the 23rd and 24th minutes, with Tiago Coimbra and Clément Bayiha testing Emil Gazdov, but the Pacific netminder was equal to them. Aiden Rushenas faced his first shot on target at the other end of the pitch in the 28th minute, pouncing on a relatively weak effort from Andrei Tîrcoveanu from the edge of the Wanderers' penalty area. The Wanderers goalkeeper was called into action again in the 33rd minute, making a great kick save to deny Cedric Toussaint. Pacific finally found the game's first breakthrough moments later, however, with Tîrcoveanu firing his side into the lead with a shot from around the penalty spot 12 yards out. It was a much-needed goal for Pacific, not only for thios match but https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1832612762733736414 It was a chippy first half, with four players booked by referee Alain Ruch. Dan Nimick was one of them, given a yellow card for an argument in the Pacific box during a set piece. He was then sent off five minutes later, given a second yellow card for a tactical foul after getting tangled up with Moses Dyer. Already down a goal but needing to sure things up defensively, the Wanderers were forced to take out Bayiha at halftime in favour of bringing Cale Loughrey on at centre-back to replace Nimick. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1832615330922869041 Tîrcoveanu nearly doubled Pacific's lead a few minutes after halftime, curling a corner kick onto the woodwork. Rushenas came out of his net to deny a Pacific breakaway moments later, charging off his line to deny a shot from Zanatta from the edge of the area after Sami Keshavarz led a counter-attack through the middle of the park. Keshavarz had a shot trickle through a crowd in the 58th minute following a set piece, but a deflection on the way through took the sting off of it, and Rushenas was able to hang on to the ball. The Tridents got a great chance to double their lead in the in the 62nd minute, as Moses Dyer was hauled down in the box by Jefferson Alphonse. Zanatta stepped up to take the penalty and buried it into the bottom right corner, scoring his first goal for the club and making up for his earlier miss. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1832625183368343703   Just when the Wanderers started to build a bit of momentum again, including Massimo Ferrin forcing a great save from Emil Gazdov, disaster struck again. Cale Loughrey, who replaced the ejected Dan Nimick in the backline, was sent off himself after picking up a pair of yellow cards less than 30 seconds apart. The first was for a foul, and the second came seconds later for dissent after he said something to the referee. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1832628407990878228 Dyer made it 3-0 for the Tridents in the 81st minute, tucking the ball into the back of the net from six yards out to score his first goal for his new club. He ran onto a low pass across the box from Adonijah Reid and made no mistake from close range to put a bow on a dominant victory. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1832629885191221307 With the win, Pacific have moved up into sixth position in the table for now, just three points back of Vancouver FC for the fifth and final playoff spot. If other results go their way, they could move into the top five next weekend with a win over the Eagles, a match which will be played at Starlight Stadium. The Wanderers, meanwhile remain at the bottom of the table, and will be without a couple of key starters through suspension for next week's must-win game at home to league leaders Forge FC.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana (Amedume 71'), Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri (Mukumbilwa 75'); Toussaint, Young (Bahous 71'), Marvasti; Tircoveanu (Greco-Taylor 81'), Dyer, Zanatta (Reid 71') Halifax Wanderers FC: Rushenas; Ferrazzo, Nimick, Alphonse, Fernandez; Callegari, Gagnon-Laparé (Probo 64'); Bayiha (Loughrey 46'), Daniels (Rea 64'), Ferrin (Vasconcelos 83'); Coimbra (Royer 76')

Goals

33′ — Andrei Tîrcoveanu (Pacific FC) 63' -- Dario Zanatta (Pacific FC) -- penalty 81' -- Moses Dyer (Pacific FC)

Discipline

9′ — Yellow: Tiago Coimbra (Halifax Wanderers FC) 38' -- Yellow: Juan Quintana (Pacific FC) 38' -- Yellow: Dan Nimick (Halifax Wanderers FC) 43' -- Red: Dan Nimick (Halifax Wanderers FC) -- second yellow 53' -- Yellow: Cédric Toussaint (Pacific FC) 53' -- Yellow: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé (Halifax Wanderers FC) 74' -- Yellow: Cale Loughrey (Halifax Wanderers FC) 74' -- Red: Cale Loughrey (Halifax Wanderers FC) -- second yellow 88' -- Yellow: Zakaria Bahous (Pacific FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-forge-fc-2-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-80 Tue, 03 Sep 2024 16:13:12 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-forge-fc-2-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-80 Captain Noah Jensen was the hero in Hamilton on Friday, as the Forge midfielder scored twice en route to his side's 2-0 victory at Tim Hortons Field over Pacific FC, keeping his side atop the Canadian Premier League in matchweek 21. Both teams offered a slightly different look for this game after exhausting Canadian Championship ties against MLS teams earlier this week. Forge made six changes to the side that played Toronto FC on Tuesday, with Jensen -- wearing the captain's armband for the first time -- Dominic Samuel, and Malik Owolabi-Belewu coming back into the team, among others including goalkeeper Chris Kalongo returning after four straight games on the sidelines. Pacific, meanwhile, made five changes, as Moses Dyer made his first start for the club and Christian Greco-Taylor came in at left-back, with Devin O'Hea leading the line up front. After an entertainingly back-and-forth first 20 minutes, where both sides had a couple of decent opportunities to test the opposition, Forge broke through first. Jensen had already troubled Emil Gazdov once, but his second attempt a few minutes later found the back of the net. Jensen brought down a cross at the top of the box and struck the ball on the half-volley, beating the Pacific defence and Gazdov with a powerful shot to make it 1-0 for the hosts. However, the home side's fortunes turned 10 minutes after their goal, as winger Nana Ampomah went down with a leg injury, prompting Bobby Smyrniotis to make a first-half change for a second consecutive CPL match. This time, Smyrniotis turned to youngster Amadou Koné to fill the role in their attack. Forge took their lead into halftime, which prompted Pacific assistant coach Armando Sá -- patrolling the touchline in place of the suspended James Merriman -- to act with a double change. He brought O'Hea and Zakaria Bahous off the pitch, putting Adonijah Reid up front and Cédric Toussaint into midfield. The second half went on in similar fashion to the first, though -- perhaps eerily so. Fifteen minutes into the second frame, Jensen once again brought down a ball in a large pocket of space just outside the box. With nobody closing him down, Jensen unleashed another rocket of a strike and found the net for a second time from distance with his third goal of the year. Pacific spent plenty of time on the ball throughout the rest of the half -- as they had done all game -- and ultimately outshot Forge, but high-quality chances inside the box largely eluded them. Dyer came close around the 75th minute with a clear look at Kalongo, but Forge's Samuel arrived and remained on his feet to break up the episode before Dyer could get a shot away. Again it was Dyer, about 10 minutes later, who put the ball in the back of the net in transition, but he was ruled to be offside and Pacific remained scoreless. As Forge held on to the two-goal advantage and secured three points, they cemented themselves in first place in the CPL, taking a five-point lead above Atlético Ottawa and Cavalry -- with both sides still to play in week 21. Pacific, meanwhile, remained outside of the playoff picture, sitting in seventh place and six points adrift of the postseason spots.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Forge FC: Kalongo; Samuel, Achinioti-Jönsson, Metusala, Owolabi-Belewu (Duncan 69'); Schiavoni (Borges 69'), Hojabrpour (Kane 69'), Jensen; Choinière, Hamilton, Ampomah (Koné 39') Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri (Quintana 86'), Greco-Taylor (Amedume 86'); Bahous (Toussaint 46'), Young (Tircoveanu 70'), Dominguez, Yeates; Dyer, O'Hea (Reid 46')

Goals

25' -- Noah Jensen (Forge FC) 59' -- Noah Jensen (Forge FC)

Discipline

15' -- Yellow: Marco Dominguez (Pacific FC) 61' -- Yellow: Kevin Ceceri (Pacific FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-cavalry-fc-1-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-78 Mon, 26 Aug 2024 20:27:13 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-cavalry-fc-1-0-pacific-fc-cpl-match-78 In front of an outstanding crowd at ATCO Field on Saturday, a stoppage-time winner from Daan Klomp gave Cavalry FC a monumental 1-0 victory over Pacific FC. Cavalry's Ali Musse forced the first save of the game in the 13th minute with some quick buildup down the right flank, playing the winger into the box. His shot, however, was well saved and collected by Emil Gazdov. The match settled into a familiar rhythm in the early going, with Cavalry FC holding the bulk of possession, and probing away at the resolute Pacific FC backline. When the Tridents won the ball back, they looked quick and decisive on the counterattack. It was on one such occasion that the Tridents forced the next big chance. A dangerous cross from Georges Mukumbilwa from the right flank dropped into the path of Zakaria Bahous, but Marco Carducci got across to make a brilliant save to keep the match level. After that moment, the Tridents began to find more of a foothold in the game, attacking with more and more frequency as they put the Cavalry FC backline under significant pressure. Right before the half-time whistle, Lowell Wright forced another good save from Gazdov with a strong solo effort. The score, however, remained 0-0 when that whistle went. The Cavs were forced to make a change early in the second half, when Maël Henry pulled up injured and had to be replaced by Sergio Camargo. The substitute quickly made his presence felt, creating a very good chance for Shamit Shome shortly upon his introduction, which was again well saved by Gazdov. Musse forced another strong save from the Tridents' keeper just five minutes later on a curling free kick that Gazdov deflected to his right. The Cavs kept pressing, with wave after wave of attack frustrated by a strong Pacific FC defensive effort. In the 79th minute, Musse won another free-kick just outside the Cavalry box to the left, but Fraser Aird could not get his delivery right. Then in the 89th minute, Gazdov made another outstanding save on Klomp from close range. But spurred on by their home supporters, Cavalry didn't stop charging. In the first minute of stoppage time, Klomp took advantage of a moment of chaos in the Pacific FC box, and slid the ball past the young Pacific goalkeeper. It was heartbreak for the Tridents, who perhaps deserved more for a courageous defensive effort, but a big three points for a Cavalry FC side who seem like a team of destiny right now in their quest to earn back-to-back CPL regular season titles.

BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird, Kobza, Klomp, Kamdem; Gutiérrez (Trafford 88'), Shome; Musse, Henry (46' Camargo), Wähling; Wright (Shaw 68')  Pacific FC: Gazdov; Mukumbilwa (Dada-Luke 88'), Quintana, Ceceri, Greco-Taylor; Yeates, Toussaint (Meilleur-Giguère 88'), Young, Bahous (Keshavarz 61'), Lamothe; O'Hea (Moore 61')  

Goals

90+1' -- Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)

Discipline

57′ — Yellow: Juan Quintana (Pacific FC) 90+2' -- Yellow: Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC) ]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-0-3-atletico-ottawa-cpl-match-73 Sun, 18 Aug 2024 16:30:53 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-0-3-atletico-ottawa-cpl-match-73 Pacific FC fell at home to Atlético Ottawa, ended up on the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline at Starlight Stadium despite a much-improved second half. The visitors wasted no time, getting out to an early lead less than two minutes into the match. Dani Morer lobbed a free kick into the penalty area from distance, where Aboubacar Sissoko headed it into the bottom right corner of the net, past the outstretched arm of former Ottawa goalkeeper Sean Melvin. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1824931951272243234 It didn't take long for them to double their lead either, as Ilias Iliadis made it 2-0 in the 15th minute with a curling corner kick that went off the far post and in, the latest Olimpico in a league that has become known for them. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1824935158580985967 Kunle Dada-Luke made a play that saved a goal in the 22nd minute, lunging in to clear the ball away from the line after it slipped past Melvin and looked destined for the back of the net. From the ensuing corner, though, Ottawa made it 3-0 with a third set piece goal. Iliadis curled another corner kick toward the back post, which the defenders weren't able to deal with. With Melvin on the ground after attempting to play the ball, Ruben Del Campo had a lot of net to shoot at, and thumped a low shot through a crowd of defender, making it 3-0. https://twitter.com/onesoccer/status/1824937011259507117 Sam Salter had an opportunity to add a fourth for Ottawa in the 37th minute, getting his head onto the end of a deep cross into the penalty area, but this time Melvin was in position to make a fairly comfortable catch. Pacific upped the tempo after the third goal, and some intense encouragement from the coaching staff, but still struggled to create many legitimate scoring chances, hitting the target just once on four shot attempts in the first half. Their best opportunity of the first half came on the final kick before the break, as Thomas Meilleur-Giguère redirected an errant shot from Dario Zanatta high over the crossbar from very close range, missing the wide open net in front of him. Tridents head coach James Merriman took off three of his attackers at half time as he looked for a response from his side, bring off Reon Moore, Adonijah Reid and Andrei Tîrcoveanu and replacing them with Sean Young, Devin O'Hea, and Moses Dyer -- the latter player coming on for his club debut up top after being acquired on loan from Vancouver FC on Friday. They nearly found a goal immediately, but Dario Zanatta's shot on target 78 seconds into the half was saved by Nathan Ingham. Dada-Luke nearly set up a goal a few moments later with a dangerous cross into the box, but O'Hea wasn't able to get his head on the ball as he lunged for it. Pacific finally put the ball into the net in the 70th minute as substitute Zakaria Bahous headed home from a free kick that was chipped over the Ottawa backline. It was quickly called back by the referee, though, after Bahous was caught marginally offside. Ballou Tabla nearly took advantage of a giveaway from O'Hea in midfield, picking off an errant pass and charging toward the Pacific net, but his left-footed effort was stopped by Melvin after he did well to make himself big to narrow Tabla's targets. Moments later, Zachary Roy had a chance for a shot from close range but skied it over the bar, letting Pacific off for a lapse in concentration after an improved second half performance to that point. To Pacific's credit, they kept battling hard for a goal to the final whistle with Dyer getting a couple of late attempts on target, but they lose a fourth match in five and remain on the outside of the playoff spots looking in. Ottawa, meanwhile, climb back to the top of the table for now, with fellow CPL Shield contenders Forge FC still to play this weekend, on Sunday against Vancouver FC.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Melvin; Dada-Luke, Meilleur-Giguère, Ceceri, Mukumbilwa; Toussaint; Zanatta (Bahous 65'), Reid (O'Hea 46'), Yeates (Lamothe 83'), Tîrcoveanu (Dyer 46'); Moore (Young 46') Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Morer (Roy 77'), Walker, Didic, Iliadis, de Brienne (Singh 77'); Sissoko (Bassett 65'), Aparicio, Antinoro (Zapater 59'); Salter (Tabla 59'), Del Campo

Goals

2′ — Aboubacar Sissoko (Atlético Ottawa) 15' -- Ilias Iliadis (Atlético Ottawa) 22' -- Ruben Del Campo (Atlético Ottawa)

Discipline

28' — Yellow: Andrei Tîrcoveanu (Pacific FC) 40' -- Yellow: Dani Morer (Atlético Ottawa) 64' -- Yellow: Georges Mukumbilwa (Pacific FC) 90+4' -- Yellow: Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-0-vancouver-fc-chances-galore-as-tridents-fail-to-find-back-of-the-net Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:21:35 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-0-vancouver-fc-chances-galore-as-tridents-fail-to-find-back-of-the-net Vancouver FC have extended their win streak over Pacific FC to five straight games, as they defeated their provincial rivals 1-0 in the 7th edition of the Salish Sea Derby at Willoughby Community Park on Sunday. With that, they picked up their 2nd win in the past 11 games, allowing them to stay in the fifth and final playoff spot in the CPL after entering this game without a win in their previous five matches. As for Pacific, they extended their winless run to four games, putting them three points behind Vancouver in the table, as they continue to slump in CPL play. Pacific had some good early looks to start the game, as they looked to get off to a strong start on the road. First, Josh Heard flashed a dangerous shot on his left foot that forced a save out of Vancouver's Callum Irving in the 5th minute, before Heard had another good look in the box in the 21st minute that was blocked by a Vancouver defender. Then, eager to get a goal before half time, Sean Young had a look from distance for Pacific, but his shot sailed just over the goal. At the other end, Vancouver had their first good look at goal in the first half off a free kick from distance, which Renan Garcia stepped up to take, forcing a good save out of Pacific's Emil Gazdov with his attempt. Continuing the lively end to the frame, Pacific almost found the net right before half, as Steffen Yeates found a wide-open Young at the back post with a perfect cross, but Young flashed his shot well wide of the mark. Meanwhile, on the other side of the break, Vancouver began to push, and nearly found a goal in the 58th minute, as Vasco Fry curled a dangerous ball towards the back post, sending it just wide of the mark. At the other end, Yeates did well to pick out the run of Devin O'Hea on a wide free kick, but despite making good connection with his header, he'd be unable to keep his attempt below the crossbar. Soon after, however, Vancouver would manage to open the scoring in the 63rd minute. After a perfect deep cross from Paris Gee, he found a wide-open Alejandro Díaz at the back post, and Díaz would make no mistake with a left-footed finish to make it 1-0. They nearly added to their lead right after, too, as Olivier Rommens stepped up to take a dangerous free kick, one that he curled just past the post. Pacific had their best chance of the game in the 74th minute, as Dario Zanatta found Andrei Tîrcoveanu with a nice cutback into the box, but Tîrcoveanu's low attempt would be nicely saved by Irving. Then, Zanatta had another good look in the 81st minute, as he cut in at the edge of the box, and flashed a dangerous shot towards the near post, sending it just wide of the mark with power. Then, Pacific nearly found a big equalizer in the 85th minute, as the ball fell to Zakaria Bahous in the box, and he fired a dangerous shot, only finding himself denied by a spectacular block from Vancouver's James Cameron. Continuing their late push, the ball fell to Tîrcoveanu at the edge of the box after a nice run and cutback from Zanatta, but despite having time to line up a dangerous shot, he curled a powerful shot just past the top corner. From there, however, Vancouver did what they needed to in order to hang on, allowing them to grab a crucial victory in their hunt towards the playoffs.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Vancouver FC: Irving; Gee (Campagna 88'), Romeo, Enyou, Cameron; Rommens, Garcia, Fry (Norman Jr. 82'); Bitar (McDonnell 82'); Cantave (Tahid 82'), Díaz (Crawford 90+1') Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Mukumbilwa (Ceceri 84'); Lamothe (Zanatta 60'), Young, Dominguez (Bahous 71'), Heard (Reid 71') O'Hea (Tîrcoveanu 71'), Yeates

Goals

63' -- Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC)

Discipline

26' -- Yellow: Josh Heard (Pacific FC) 43' -- Yellow: Marco Dominguez (Pacific FC) 51' -- Yellow: Olivier Rommens (Vancouver FC) 57' -- Yellow: Juan Quintana (Pacific FC) 75' -- Yellow: Vasco Fry (Vancouver FC) 90+2' -- Yellow: James Cameron (Vancouver FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-1-york-united-tridents-testy-affair-goes-down-to-the-wire Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:46:34 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-1-york-united-tridents-testy-affair-goes-down-to-the-wire York United extended their unbeaten run to five matches with a 1-1 draw against Pacific FC on Friday night at Starlight Stadium. Both of the match's goals came inside the opening ten minutes, as Pacific's Thomas Meilleur-Giguère opened the scoring just two minutes into the game, while Brian Wright scored his ninth of the season, in the ninth minute no less. Just over a minute into the match, Pacific FC ignited the Starlight Stadium crowd. A corner kick from Steffen Yeates found the head of Meilleur-Giguère, who headed the ball past Thomas Vincensini to open the scoring for the Tridents. That lead didn't last long, however, Jorge Guzmán found Wright in the box who shifted to his left and smashed a stunning strike past Emil Gazdov. It was Guzmán's third CPL assist already -- a league record for the most a player has managed in their first two matches in the league. The two sides continued to look for attacking moments, but couldn't quite get the final touch. Reon Moore tried to round Vincensini in the 28th minute, but couldn't sort out his feet and put the ball harmlessly out for a goal kick. A similar happenstance thwarted Max Ferrari a few minutes later, as the ball fell to him in the box but he could not get his shot off cleanly. Tempers flared between the two sides just before the half after a big challenge from Georges Mukumbilwa on Max Ferrari. A number of players flew into tackles in the next few moments, the Pacific's Marco Dominguez eventually being shown a yellow card, and York's Josué Martínez going into the book as well minutes later. However, the score remained 1-1 after 45 minutes. York's Juan Córdova had the first few half chances of the second half, both from distance shortly after the 50th-minute mark. A player who is known for his ability to score spectacular goals, Córdova didn't quite get the shape on either of his strikes right and sent them wide of the target. The hosts seemed to find more of a foothold thereafter, as the introduction of Pierre Lamothe and Dario Zanatta seemed to help the Tridents to hold onto the ball a little bit more. Neither side could really get their final pass right, however, as they struggled to turn promising moments into genuine chances. Substitute Austin Ricci nearly won the match in stoppage time on another outstanding delivery from Guzmán, but his redirection struck the crossbar. Then it was Kunle Dada-Luke who cleared the ball off the goalline after Mo Babouli had beaten Emil Gazdov. The draw won't do much for either team's position in the table, as York United remain in second place, although now just a single point behind Atlético Ottawa. Pacific, meanwhile, stays in sixth but are now tied on points with provincial rivals Vancouver FC, who they will face in their next match on Sunday, August 11.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups 

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Mukumbilwa; Yeates (Tircoveanu 83'), Dominguez, Young; O'Hea, Heard (Zanatta 68'),  Moore (Lamothe 59') York United: Vincensini; Ferrari, Abatneh, Adekugbe (Baldisimo 86'), León, Botello; Martínez (Ricci 72'), Córdova, Guzmán; Babouli, Wright 

Goals

2′ — Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC) 9' -- Brian Wright (York United) 

Discipline

40 — Yellow: Marco Dominguez (Pacific FC) 43' -- Yellow: Josué Martinez (York United) 55' -- Yellow: Georges Mukumbilwa (Pacific FC)]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-forge-fc-2-1-pacific-fc-cpl-match-54 Mon, 15 Jul 2024 16:22:45 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-forge-fc-2-1-pacific-fc-cpl-match-54 Forge FC completed the comeback in Hamilton on Sunday night, defeating Pacific FC 2-1. After Pacific's Ayman Sellouf opened the scoring from the penalty spot, a Kwasi Poku brace gave Forge the victory. Poku now has six goals in the past five matches and is the most in-form striker in the CPL right now. With the win, Forge move up into third place in the table, while Pacific FC drop to fifth, still just two points above Cavalry FC for the final playoff spot. Pacific had a great chance inside the opening two minutes, as captain Josh Heard slalomed through the Forge backline and fired a floating shot which was just wide of Chris Kalongo's left post. The hosts dominated possession thereafter, however, and had a few chances of their own around the 13th minute, as David Choinière twice got isolated down the right and looked to find Poku in the middle -- but couldn't connect on either. In the 22nd minute then, Choinière went alone but curled his shot from the top of the box just wide of the post. The visitors weathered the storm, however, and in the 32nd minute created a chance of their own. Sellouf played in Reon Moore down the right, who was brought down in the box by Forge's Malik Owolabi-Belewu. Sellouf then stepped up and converted the resulting penalty from the spot, giving the visitors an unlikely 1-0 lead. It was his league-leading third penalty goal of the season. Just before the half, Béni Badibanga forced a good save from Pacific's Emil Gazdov on a well-struck free kick, which the goalkeeper palmed over the bar. The score remained 1-0 at the half, despite the hosts holding the vast majority of the ball. Forge struck almost immediately to start the second half, Tristan Borges played a lovely cross into the box down the right flank, which Poku extended to redirect off the post and in to tie the match 1-1. Poku put the ball in the back of the net again just four minutes later on a headed effort from close range, but this time he was offside. With both sides tiring from their midweek Canadian Championship matchups, they made double substitutions around the hour mark, with Pacific switching up their midfield and bringing in Cédric Toussaint and Pierre Lamothe, and Forge adding Nana Ampomah and Noah Jensen into the mix. Poku came incredibly close again in the 71st minute, as Jensen played a clever outside-of-the-boot cross into the box, but the Forge striker's diving header was denied by Gazdov. The rebound fell nicely to Borges, but his low effort was easily gathered by the Pacific goalkeeper. Looking to win it late, Forge kept pressing. They forced another good save from Gazdov in the 82nd minute off a volley from Ampomah. Off the ensuing corner, however, Forge scored the winner. Daniel Parra poked the deflected cross into the path of Poku, who completed his brace to make it 2-1 for the hosts. After giving up late goals in each of their past three matches in all competitions, Forge held on and were able to pick up their fifth home win of the season. That is tied with York United for most in the league.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups

Forge FC: Kalongo; Metusala, Achinioti-Jönsson, Owolabi-Belewu, Parra; Hojabrpour, Bekker (Jensen 61'), Borges (Samuel 90+2');  Badibanga (Ampomah 61') Choinière (Duncan 88'), Poku (Hamilton 88') Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke. Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Lajeunesse; Heard (Tircoveanu 64'), Young, Dominguez (Toussaint 55') Yeates (Lamothe 55'); Sellouf, Moore (Reid 64')

Goals

33' -- Ayman Sellouf (Pacific FC) (Penalty) 47' -- Kwasi Poku (Forge FC) 85' -- Kwasi Poku (Forge FC)

Discipline

43′ — Yellow: Sean Young (Pacific FC) 45' -- Yellow: Malik Owolabi-Belewu (Forge FC) ]]> 10 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-2-vancouver-fc-cpl-match-45 Fri, 28 Jun 2024 18:19:32 +0000 https://pacificfc-archive.canpl.ca/video/highlights-pacific-fc-1-2-vancouver-fc-cpl-match-45 Pacific FC fell 2-1 to BC rivals Vancouver FC on Thursday night and dropped to fifth place in the table with this result, losing in back-to-back games for only the second time this season. To start the game, Josh Heard had the first good chance of the game for Pacific in the 6th minute, as the ball bounced up nicely for him at the edge of the box, but his dipping volley narrowly missed the target. Then, in the 18th minute, Pacific's Reon Moore did well to set up Steffen Yeates for a powerful shot at the edge of the box, but he too would send his attempt over the goal. Right after that Yeates chance, however, Pacific found a glorious chance to open the scoring. After Heard did well to sneak in behind Vancouver's defence, he found an open Moore with a perfect low cross towards the penalty spot, but Moore was unable to keep his side-footed attempt on target despite his close proximity to Vancouver's net. After that, however, the game ended up quieting down a bit, as both teams settled into a rhythm. As a result, the next chance didn't come until the 35th minute, when Pacific's Cédric Toussaint cut inside and fired a strike, one that Vancouver's goalkeeper, Callum Irving, would easily catch. Having knocked on the door for most of the half, Pacific's pressure would finally pay off in the 38th minute, though. After a perfect corner from Yeates, who sent a dangerous ball in towards the near post, Pacific's Thomas Meilleur-Giguère managed to meet it with a thumping header, sending the ball into the net with power to give his team a crucial 1-0 lead. That lead wouldn't last long, however. Nearly immediately after conceding, Vancouver put their tails up and fashioned together a dangerous attack, as Mikaël Cantave found Alejandro Díaz at the back post with a perfect cross, and Díaz made no mistake with his header to tie the game up at 1-1 in the 40th minute. Eager to regain their lead before half time, Pacific came close to doing so in the 43rd minute, as Pierre Lamothe fired a dangerous strike towards Irving's goal from the edge of the box, nearly troubling the goalkeeper with a shot that just sailed over the crossbar. On the other side of half time, Vancouver came out strongly as they looked to build off their opener, and did well to nearly find it in the 49th minute, as Paris Gee fired a dangerous shot from distance that nearly found the target. At the other end, however, Pacific continued to push, and nearly had a big breakthrough in the 55th minute. After a nice run into the box by Heard, he was taken down by Vancouver's Allan Enyou, winning his side a penalty, one that Sean Young stepped up to take. Yet, despite having scored a composed penalty for Pacific earlier this month, Young would be unable to convert, as Irving denied him with a superb stop to keep the score at 1-1. A few minutes later, Pacific came close to scoring once again, as Kunle Dada-Luke found Reon Moore with a dangerous cross into the box, but he'd send his header right at Irving in the Vancouver goal. Having done well to absorb that Pacific pressure, Vancouver managed to then find a breakthrough at the other end in the 82nd minute. After a dangerous ball into the box from Kadin Chung towards Elage Bah, Bah managed to spin inside and fire a dangerous half-volley on his left foot, slamming the ball into the bottom left corner to give his team the lead. Brimming with confidence after his well-taken goal, Bah nearly stunned the Pacific fans with another beauty in the 85th minute, as he managed to fire another dangerous half-volley from the edge of the box, this time on his right foot, striking the post with his attempt. Then, looking to put the game away, Gabriel Bitar fired a dangerous shot from a similar area to Bah just minutes later, and he nearly found the net with a stunner, just sending his shot past the top corner. Continuing their late flurry of chances, Renan Garcia had the chance to step up to a free kick in the 90th minute, and he fired a dangerous shot towards goal, forcing a difficult catch out of Pacific's Daniel Zadravec in goal. Looking to get something out of the match, though, Pacific's Dario Zanatta had a good look at goal deep in extra time, cutting inside and firing a dangerous shot, but his shot would be easily saved by Irving. From there, Vancouver did what they needed to do in order to hold onto their result, allowing them to pick up a crucial three points in the race for the CPL playoffs, while also continuing their strong run of form against their rivals at the same time.

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BOX SCORE

Lineups

Pacific FC: Zadravec; Dada-Luke (Mukumbilwa 86'), Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Lajeunesse; Lamothe (Zanatta 86'), Young, Toussaint (Sellouf 65'); Yeates; Moore, Heard (Tîrcoveanu 87') Vancouver FC: Irving; Chung, Romeo, Enyou, Gee; Fry, Garcia; Fisk (Bitar 63'), Cantave (Bah 70'); Díaz (Norman Jr. 87'), Dyer (Dzikowski 63')

Goals

38' -- Thomas Meilleur-Giguère (Pacific FC) 40' -- Alejandro Díaz (Vancouver FC) 82' -- Elage Bah (Vancouver FC)

Discipline

4' -- Yellow: Rocco Romeo (Vancouver FC) 75' -- Yellow: Paris Gee (Vancouver FC) 90' -- Yellow: Sean Young (Pacific FC)]]>