Story of the Match

Pacific FC produced a statement 4-1 victory over York United FC on Sunday at York Lions Stadium. It was the Tridents’ second 4-1 win over York this season as well as the club’s third 4-1 win overall this campaign. The three points also continued Pacific’s outstanding record on the road in 2023, helping to set the single-season record for most points away from home in club history with 21.

In the match, the Tridents came out of the gates firing from the first whistle. After a few dangerous moments in attack, Pacific got on the board in the 11th minute through Thomas Meilleur-Giguère who was assisted by his centre-back partner Amer Didic with a header back across goal for Meilleur-Giguère to get on the end of. Then, just seven minutes later, some beautiful inter-play around the York box saw Adonijah Reid feed Djenairo Daniels with his back to goal inside the box. The Dutchman then played a beautiful back-heel flick first-time to Sean Young who came charging into the box and confidently swept the ball into the bottom corner.

Thanks to a fantastic team performance in the first half, the Tridents went into the break 2-0 up but didn’t let up from there. After continuing to dominate in and out of possession, Pacific was awarded with a third goal through the birthday boy and captain on the day, Manny Aparicio, who’s well-timed run into the box was found by Steffen Yeates with a picture-perfect cross that was headed home by Aparicio. The team capped off the incredible performance with another goal in the 79th minute when, after Amer Didic won the ball in midfield and set Easton Ongaro off on the attack, the striker played it wide to Ayman Sellouf who cut the ball back for David Brazão to finish, confirming the victory for the Tridents.

It was an all-around brilliant display from Pacific in the end, a true example of front-footed football at its finest and the perfect way to cap off a quick turnaround between the first two matches of the three-game road trip in Ontario. Producing convincing victories at this stage of the season can provide the perfect momentum to push yourself across the finish line, and Sunday’s result shows the Tridents have the necessary fight to get the job done in the regular season before turning the attention to playoffs.

Looking Ahead

Next up, it’s the third and final match of the Tridents’ tour of Ontario when the team travels to Hamilton for a huge match against Forge FC on Saturday. It’s a battle between second and third in the Canadian Premier League table and could prove absolutely crucial in the race for the top-two spots – which provide a second life in the revamped playoff picture. Pacific has already won in Hamilton this season and will be looking to do the double over their bitter rivals on the weekend.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the match between HFX Wanderers FC and Atlético Ottawa on Monday at 3pm PT. After the Tridents’ win over York on Sunday, a win from Halifax would clinch a playoff spot for Pacific – who would become the first team to do so while also having accumulated the minimum 2,000 U-21 minutes required to be eligible for playoffs.

PFC Standout Player: Steffen Yeates

After grabbing his first goal for Pacific during the club’s 1-1 draw with Ottawa on Wednesday, Yeates continued his fine form for the Tridents on Sunday. Yeates has grown into a valuable piece of Pacific’s starting xi in recent weeks, and has been a big part of Pacific’s playoff and title fight with the team having now gone unbeaten in four games after a rough patch at the end of August.

Here, Yeates second goal contribution in two games came in the 62nd minute when his delicate cross found Aparicio behind the York defensive line for the birthday boy to head home. Outside of the assist, Yeates was a man on a mission with the ball at his feet and showed off his excellent ball-carrying ability with an impressive number of progressive carries to break through the Nine Stripes midfield.

In the match, Yeates finished with a team-high 15 passes into the final third, as well as four out four dribbles completed (the highest number of successful dribbles in the match) and six of nine duels won.

Scoring Summary

11’ – Pacific FC – Thomas Meilleur-Giguère

18’ – Pacific FC – Sean Young

62’ – Pacific FC – Manuel Aparicio

79’ – Pacific FC – David Brazão

86’ – York United FC – Osaze De Rosario

Statistics

Possession: PFC 52 % – YRK 48 %

Expected Goals: PFC 2.10 – YRK 1.11

Shots: PFC 14 – YRK 6

Shots on Target: PFC 7 – YRK 2

Saves: PFC 1 – YRK 3

Fouls: PFC 13 – YRK 14

Offsides: PFC 2 – YRK 2

Corners: PFC 3 – YRK 4

Cautions

34’ – Trivine Esprit – Yellow

40’ – Manuel Aparicio – Yellow

63’ –Austin Ricci – Yellow

75’ – Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé – Yellow

90+3’ – Easton Ongaro – Yellow