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Valour holds York to scoreless draw in physical affair

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Valour FC will take any points they can get at this point in the season and at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday afternoon they earned one with a 0-0 draw from a physical, yellow-card-filled match versus York United FC.

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Valour FC will take any points they can get at this point in the season and at Princess Auto Stadium on Sunday afternoon they earned one with a 0-0 draw from a physical, yellow-card-filled match versus York United FC.

“Very disappointing, this is not the result we wanted, we wanted all three (points),” said Valour captain Raphael Ohin. “It was not the cleanest game, first half was not the cleanest game. But this is what we have to do sometimes when things are not going your way. I thought we came back strong in the second half, and yeah, unfortunately, we couldn’t get the three points. Sometimes you don’t have the cleanest game, but you take a point out of it and move on.”

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Valour FC Raphael Ohin (27) defends against York United Julian Altobelli (18) during second half action in Winnipeg on Sunday.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

Valour FC Raphael Ohin (27) defends against York United Julian Altobelli (18) during second half action in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Ohin, who has been on Valour’s squad since Day 1 and has seen all of the team’s ups and downs, played his 100th game on Sunday.

“This is the city that gave me something, gave me the opportunity to dream again,” said Ohin. “So whenever I put on the jersey, I cross the line, and go out there, I just want to give it my all. I just want to leave everything out there and walk back into the locker room with no regret, knowing that I gave everything. And that’s what I try my best to do every single day, from my first game, I remember my debut here in the stadium, all the way till my 100th game.”

Valour (4W-12L-3D) now sits at 15 points on the season, sitting 11 points back of the Halifax Wanderers, who hold the fifth and final playoff spot. York United (4-12-3) is fourth with 26 points.

They’ve yet to win a game in August, with losses to Atletico Ottawa and the powerhouse Forge FC before Sunday’s match, but defensively, Valour looked stronger.

Valour came out of the gate with a few key blocks and defensive plays, allowing new goalkeeper Emil Gazdov some time to adjust in his first game in a Valour FC uniform, as York controlled the majority of the possession time in the first half.

“We know that we’re going to have always to concede a bit of territory, but I think we built on that today,” said Valour head coach Phillip Dos Santos. “It was important, especially with Emil coming in, playing his first game. It was important to protect him well and give him a chance, and yeah, for me, that’s the positive.”

Gazdov, 21, was signed on Saturday on loan from CF Montreal of Major League Soccer.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Valour FC goaltender Emil Gazdov (99) saves the shot from York United during the second half.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

Valour FC goaltender Emil Gazdov (99) saves the shot from York United during the second half.

With veteran goalkeeper Jonathan Viscosi out dealing with a knee injury, and backup Eleias Himaras remaining on the sidelines, serving his final game of a three-game suspension after he got involved in a shoving match in Valour’s July 29 game against Cavalry FC — Gazdov’s signing couldn’t have come in at a better time for Valour, who has struggled all season keeping the ball out of the back of their net, with a league-leading 43 goals against heading into the game.

As the reigning CPL goalkeeper of the year, Valour hopes Gazdov’s reputation of being one of the top emerging goalkeepers in Canadian soccer will help them make a final push for the playoffs in the 2025 season.

“It was important to make sure that we would get the best option available,” said Dos Santos, who says Gazdov could be a key part of the future for the club. “And this is a bit of a luxury when we think about our goalkeeper situation right now. We had a chance to do the move, and we did it. It’s a good young prospect, we’re talking about the Golden Glove of last season.”

Valour also announced on Friday that defender Zachary Fernandez suffered an ACL injury during the club’s match in Hamilton on Aug. 2 and will be out for the remainder of the season, another big blow to Valour’s backline.

But the host team looked determined to protect their own net on Sunday, playing a physical game that meant Gazdov only had to stop two shots in the first half.

The teams entered halftime tied at 0-0, where ‘Pups at the Pitch’ took over the crowd’s attention and Olive took home back-to-back victories at the annual halftime dog race.

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Olive, left, races against the competition and takes the win at the Pups At The Pitch during halftime.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS

Olive, left, races against the competition and takes the win at the Pups At The Pitch during halftime.

In the second half, any barks heard were from fans to the refs, yelling at some questionable calls, which saw Valour handed four yellow cards in a row to start the half.

Valour had some very close chances towards the end of the game, narrowly missing an opportunity on the goal line at the 82nd minute, and Valour’s Themi Antonoglou just three minutes later with a chance alone in the box. However, Antonoglou, who was tripped from behind, could not get a shot away, as the theme of controversial refereeing continued.

“I think physicality, you’ll just have to remember where we’re at and what stage of the season we’re in, where every point matters,” said Dos Santos. “So the grind, the fight is going to lead to contacts. That’s what you’re going to start seeing more and more as we get closer to the end.”

Valour hope to get one or more across the line on Friday, when they meet the Halifax Wanderers in a crucial game, where they need all three points — and just as importantly, need to prevent the Wanderers from earning any — to keep chasing them in the standings.

“Build on this, build on the second half,” said Ohin on playing the Wanderers. “It’s not going to be an easy game, especially travelling to Halifax. All we can do is just work, work work, work, and believe, and hopefully we get something done.

Game time is 5 p.m. at the Wanderers Grounds.

zoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca

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