Sunday April 17, 2022 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The action was non-stop in front of half-full stands this afternoon at Starlight Stadium in Langford on this Easter Sunday.
This second game for Pacific FC in the 2022 Canadian Premier League season ended up as a 3-2 win for the home team against Winnipeg’s Valour FC.
Three great goals for PFC:
In the first half, two Pacific FC goals were assisted by midfielder Marcos Bustos #10 who ended up being given the honour of ‘Performance of the Match. Those first two goals were scored by Manuel Aparicio #34 and Alejandro Diaz #9. The first half finished with a goal denied to PFC midfielder Matt Baldisimo #66.
In the second half the one PFC goal was by forward Josh Heard #11.
Two goals to the Valour side:
In the first half, PFC’s forward Kunle Dada-Luke #13 managed an own-goal into the Valour FC net, pushing the score up one for the opposing team. The other goal for Valour was by Valour midfielder Moses Dyer #7.
Valour out of snowy Winnipeg:
The Valour FC team with their coach Phillip Dos Santos is here enjoying sunny warmish 9°C Vancouver Island on this Easter Sunday having left behind snowy Winnipeg. Two of the Valour training sessions were cancelled last week in their home town due to the snow.
Lower attendance:
The official attendance at 2,420 today at Starlight Stadium was lower than the 4,038 seen on opening game day last Sunday April 10).
This is Easter Sunday 2022 and there’s a competing interest (Men’s Rugby Sevens) going on in Vancouver. The stadium officially holds up to 6,000 in the stands, though also recently reported as 5,400.
Injury:
In the first half, there was an injury to PFC’s Nate Mavila #33, whose face got swiped by the shoe cleats of a Valour player who kicked high. But within 10 minutes of play he was back on the field in active play.
A red card was applied to Valour FC. A red card normally prevents a player from playing for the remainder of the match and as a result reduces the number of players that are available to a team.
COVID still on:
COVID is still something to deal with in terms of sharing social space, but as of April 8, 2022 the BC Vaccine Card is no longer required for access to public venues. A new jersey design with a Coast Salish theme was unveiled at last week’s season-opener.
The wearing of masks is not required in BC at sporting events. Use of masks in indoor spaces is still recommended if there is doubt about ventilation or the vaccination status of other people in the space.
The post-match interview had one microphone, and this time just one person at a time (last week there was a player alongside the coach).
Post-game:
Pacific FC head coach James Merriman held a post-game press conference, with reporters in the room and on Zoom.
“The team did well but we should have controlled the game more,” said Merriman. He said his team needs to be “more dominant and be in control… but we didn’t do that well enough today”
Merriman said that today the Valour team “did try to make it difficult right down to the last minute” to work against the Pacific FC team.
“Overall, we’re not happy with how we managed it,” Merriman added. “We need to finish games in more control,” he told reporters. “But it’s early in the season,” he added.
In a pre-game interview on Good Friday April 10, Merriman said: “It’s very early in the season. So there’s still a lot of work to do and a lot of work ahead of us.”
First season as head coach:
Merriman was assistant coach in the first three seasons (2019, 2020 and 2021), so he knows the inner workings of the team and has watched up close as players grew within the league.
“I’ve learned every season, as has everybody in this league,” said Merriman a few days ago, ahead of the first game on April 10.
Last week he said the players are “very strong within their own leadership within the team”, which Merriman says a “massive help” for him as coach.
===== RELATED:
Coach Merriman takes PFC into second game (April 15, 2022)
Pacific FC scores a win in home-game season opener (April 10, 2022)
New Coast Salish Pacific FC jersey for 2022 season (April 10, 2022)
New head coach James Merriman gears up for 2022 season (April 10, 2022)