Valiant effort keeps hopes alive

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This article was published 26/10/2021 (1609 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Valour FC still has something to play for.

It was do or die for the Winnipeg side on Tuesday night at IG Field as a loss to HFX Wanderers FC would’ve ended their playoff hopes.

But Valour came away with a massive three points to improve to 9-4-13 on the year with an impressive 3-0 victory over Halifax (8-10-8).

Valour now trails the Wanderers by three points for the fourth and final Canadian Premier League playoff spot. Both clubs have two games left on the schedule.

“We’re gonna do whatever it takes. Like tonight, that was the first step and we’re just gonna keep on going and doing exactly what we did tonight. We’ll leave everything on the field and see what happens,” said Valour forward Sean Rea.

Halifax almost got out to an early lead 20 minutes into the game when defender Morey Doner had a shot ring off the post. A couple minutes later, Valour had a golden opportunity of their own as midfielder Rafael Galhardo was sent on a breakaway but the 29-year-old Brazilian didn’t have the speed to finish the play.

In the 38th minute, Spanish veteran midfielder José Galán led Valour’s dynamic rookie William Akio into the box and Akio drilled a shot past Kieran Baskett to pot his sixth goal of the season. Valour quickly added to its lead in the 45th minute as Galhardo lobbed a shot over Baskett’s head into the back of the net to give the home team a 2-0 advantage going into half time.

“I felt the energy levels were extremely high,” said Valour head coach and general manager Phillip Dos Santos.

“I told the guys ‘This is what we need to be about.’ That’s the type of team I want to coach. We knew we had played a team that had played on the weekend and had to travel here. It was important for us to get into the game with very high energy and try to take control of the game early.”

Valour put the game completely out of reach in the 66th minute with Rea, a 19-year-old on loan from CF Montreal, ripped a shot into the bottom corner of the net. After 20 appearances this season, Rea finally notched his first CPL goal. Galhardo capped off his impressive night with the assist.

Tuesday was Valour’s last home game of the season and the team took a minute to salute the crowd before and after the match.

“Oh, it feels amazing, especially in our last home game in front of all of our fans. It was one of the best feelings,” Rea said.

“I saw the keeper cover pretty much the whole angle but I made sure to put enough power to get the post and put it in so I was really happy with that.”

Outside of Doner’s shot in the opening 45 minutes, the Wanderers struggled to generate any serious scoring chances. Valour keeper Jonathan Sirois only had to make one save on the night to pick up his ninth clean sheet of the season. Valour won the possession battle at 52.3 per cent and had six shots on target.

“I think we didn’t start well from the beginning and we really didn’t show who we are as a team,” Doner said.

“It was disappointing because we came in with confidence and that motivation to take that playoff spot to us and it just wasn’t there from the beginning.”

Winnipegger Caden Tomy, a 19-year-old who was signed to a developmental contract last month, replaced Galán in the 77th minute to make his third career professional appearance.

Valour will try to stay afloat on Saturday in Calgary against Cavalry FC. If they win that one and get some help along the way, it could come down to their regular season finale in Edmonton on Nov. 6. If Valour finds itself in a tie for the last post-season berth, the first tiebreaker is total number of wins, followed by goal differential.

“We haven’t won on the road, so the message is simple: we need to get a first one and it has to start on the weekend… We have to keep pushing,” Dos Santos said.

“There’s belief in the locker room, there’s confidence in the locker room, and it’s a game to go and win. That’s how we want to approach it.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31