Story of the Match

Before we get into the magic of the penalty shootout, let’s break down the 90′.

After a positive opening 25 minutes from Pacific, a ball over the top from Cavalry’s centre-back to pick out the forward making a run the channel (a classic method of attack for the Cavs) ended with the ball in the back of the Pacific’s net. It appeared in real time, and upon later looks, that Eric Lajeunesse was tripped by the Cavalry attacker as they both chased down the ball. It was a very harsh start for the young defender, who otherwise looked incredibly composed for his professional debut.

The Tridents responded well to that adversity though and created a few half-chances before levelling the match in the 39th minute. Young’s picture-perfect delivery from a wide freekick found Easton Ongaro’s head in the box – not the last time that will happen this season – and his downward header slipped by Marco Carducci’s hands into the back of the net. Cue the celebrations from the home supporters who had braved the wind and rain and were rewarded just as the sky began to clear.

In the second half, Pacific again created the better chances – especially two good chances from Ongaro that the striker just couldn’t finish. We know he’s one of the most clinical strikers to ever play in this league and the positive signs right now are the fantastic positions he’s frequently getting himself into; the goals will come very soon.

Ultimately though, this match will be remembered for the penalty shootout. Five clinical penalties from Pacific and a massive save from Emil Gazdov are the story of the action there, and the celebrations after Georges Mukumbilwa’s winning penalty shows what this competition means to the team and the supporters.

Tactics Talk

The first tactical wrinkle we saw from Pacific was starting Sean Young at centre-back. With Thomas Meilleur-Giguere resting, Young’s physicality and ball-playing ability were needed in the backline. After Manny Aparicio’s unfortunate injury however, Young was moved back into midfield when Lajeunesse was brought on. A man of the match performance followed from the Victoria boy who covered every inch of the pitch over the course of the 90 minutes.

In attack for Pacific, it was very similar to the first match of the season against Vancouver FC. Most of PFC’s attack came down the right side, which in this match was Josh Heard and Kunle Dada-Luke right from the start. 48.1% of the Tridents’ attacking actions came down the right against Cavalry, compared to 29.6% from the left wing. It points to Heard and Dada-Luke’s ability to beat their defender one-on-one out wide before looking for Ongaro, Daniels, and the highest positioned midfield in the box.

Looking Ahead

Immediately ahead for the Tridents is a rematch against Cavalry in Canadian Premier League action at home on Sunday. But in the Canadian Championship a visit from League1 BC’s TSS FC Rovers is just around the corner. That match will take place at Starlight Stadium on May 10 at 7pm.

After the Rovers booked their spot in the quarter-finals, the idea of that matchup between the Tridents and the Pirates was on everyone’s minds. It’ll be another huge moment for soccer in BC when that match happens, in a year that has already included the first-ever CPL derby match between Pacific FC and Vancouver FC.

We’ll continue to look forward to that game on the Island against TSS Rovers, but getting back to the match immediately in front of the Tridents, a rematch with Cavalry right after such an emotional cup game is going to be interesting. The teams just saw how the other likes to line up, and the reasons behind the motivation to win the game on Sunday will be very different. Cavalry will be looking for revenge so quickly after being knocked out of the cup, while Pacific will look to sweep this unique double-header against their Alberta rivals.

Favourite Moment

The back-to-back of Gazdov’s save and Mukumbilwa’s winning penalty will be remembered forever!

PACIFIC WINS ON PENALTIES 🚨@Pacificfccpl books a spot in the QFs of the #CanChamp via penalties over Cavalry

And they have this HUGE save from Emil Gazdov and a COOL penalty from Georges Mukumbilwa to thank for that😎

They’ll face the TSS Rovers in the next round🗓️ pic.twitter.com/zHJHwc3nGa

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 21, 2023

Words won’t do that sequence of events justice, so just put that on replay all day and soak in the magic of the cup.

Favourite Photo

PFC Standout Player: Sean Young

The birthday boy put on a world-class performance for the entire 90 minutes against Cavalry. First lining up alongside Amer Didic at centreback, Young was solid in an unfamiliar role. After Aparicio had to exit in first half, Young was moved back into midfield and continued to shine. The former Van Isle Wave player had three chances created, the highest passing accuracy into the final third of any Pacific player, won four aerial duels, and provided the assist for Onagro’s goal.

Below is a map of Young’s touches of the ball against Cavalry on Thursday, highlighting his starting position at centre-back (circled in yellow) as well as his ability to join the attack once he switched positions (red circle).

Gazdov also deserves a special shoutout here after his brilliant display in the penalty shootuout. The young ‘keeper is a very special talent and deserves this moment after biding his time as the backup for so long. It was a very shrewd piece of business for Pacific to extend his contract prior to the season as the potential he possesses is limitless.

Scoring Summary

28’ – Cavalry FC – Myers Bevan

39’ – Pacific FC – Easton Ongaro

Statistics

Possession: PFC 44 % – CAV 56 %

Shots: PFC 11 – CAV 11

Shots on Target: PFC 4 – CAV 2

Saves: PFC 1 – CAV 3

Fouls: PFC 13 – CAV 18

Offsides: PFC 0 – CAV 1

Corners: PFC 5 – CAV 2

Cautions

15’ – Jose Escalante – Yellow

45+2’ – Djenairo Daniels – Yellow

45+2’ – Myers Bevan – Yellow

77’ – Ali Musse – Yellow