Valour FC continues perfect season with 2-0 win over Atlético Ottawa

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This article was published 04/07/2021 (1559 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The chase for Valour FC’s third straight victory to begin the season proved difficult as the rain and humidity made for a challenging start. Nonetheless, the result remained the same. Three straight victories, three clean sheets and all by a margin of 2-0 as Valour defeated Atlético Ottawa to remain undefeated on the season. Valour head coach Robert Gale was all smiles following the win.

“The structure was right today and the effort I’ve never questioned it from these guys,” said Gale.

“Three years now it’s like building an organization around you. You got to have the horses in the stable. If you don’t have the personnel that can execute, you’re going to struggle.”

Temperatures on the field remained near forty degrees by game time despite the match being delayed to the 9:00 p.m. start. Valour had entered the night playing their third game in six days as the coaching staff had noted the difficulty of their condensed schedule.

Going into Saturday night’s matchup, Valour had only previously faced Atlético Ottawa once in 2020 as the Canadian Premier League’s newest club has entered their second season notching one win and one loss through two games. After nearly a year between the two teams last matchup, the small sample size didn’t affect Ottawa’s readiness as Atlético nearly jumped out to a 1-0 start in the twelfth minute.

After some strong early ball possession, an Ottawa corner set up an early goal that was taken away by the officiating near the twelfth minute of the game. The explanation given was not clear from the referee, but it appeared there was a foul on the play as a Valour defender was knocked to the ground.

In the first half of the match, both teams seemed to feel out the other opponent as ball possession remained nearly equal. Ottawa’s defender Keesean Ferdinand was a notable presence for the new club nearly scoring and preventing a quality chance from Valour striker Austin Ricci. Ferdinand, only 17 years of age remains one of the youngest players on Atlético’s young roster as the Canadian showed potential in his third game with the team.

“Talent has no age in this league,” said Atlético Ottawa head coach Miguel Ángel Ferrer Martínez.

Much of the action took place at centre field until the final five minutes before halftime.

Following a yellow card for Ottawa, Valour seemed to feed off the time ticking away as the hometown club improved their passing, resulting in a few quality scoring chances. In the final minute before halftime, midfielder Raphael Ohin from Ghana notched his first goal of the season on an excellent pass from fellow midfielder Stefan Cebara.

“I was a little emotional, it’s been awhile,” said Ohin.

“After two seasons, today was the day and I’m excited. It’s something I’m going to remember for the rest of my life. This is the first of many to come.”

“I’m delighted for the boy, such a humble kid,” said Gale.

“He’s hard working and epitomizes Manitoba. He’s the friendliest guy in the room.”

Cebara worked his way through the right side of Ottawa’s penalty box and fed a pass through Atlético’s defense that caught the team off guard. Ohin was able to quickly accept the assist, take a well-placed shot and Ottawa’s goalkeeper Dylon Powley only caught a piece as Valour took a 1-0 lead. For Raphael Ohin, the 26 year old’s first goal of the season also marked his first with Valour FC into his third season and 32nd appearance with the club. Cebara’s assist marked his first point for Valour as he continues in his second season with the team.

By the second half, the rain picked up in strength as Valour looked to hold their momentum built in late from the first half. William Akio, who tallied his first goal of the season on Wednesday against Halifax, looked dangerous on the offensive side of the ball as he continued to show strong passing and speed throughout the game.

Valour defender Andrew Jean Baptiste, who was named the most recent CPL athlete of the week helped maintain a tight defensive lockdown as the club continued to build off their defensive success from the first two games. Jonathan Sirois entered at goalkeeper for his third straight start in the season. The 20 year old keeper has received praise from Valour head coach Robert Gale through the first two games and the LaSalle, Quebec born player maintained impressive composure at his end of the field. In the 89th minute, Sirois made a nice save on an Ottawa set piece to keep a third clean sheet.

“I prefer to lose like we did tonight,” said Martínez.

“Our team had personality, did a great job with possession and got some good chances. Unfortunately when you don’t score you don’t win games. At this moment, Valour is the best team in the CPL and we’ll try to do better next game.”

In the 90th minute, New Zealand midfielder Moses Dyer tallied his second goal on the season with a well-placed penalty shot. The 24 year old notched his first goal on the season in the same fashion, scoring on a penalty shot against defending champions Forge FC in their first matchup of the season. After the full 90 minutes, team possession remained nearly equal between the two teams and once again Valour made the most of their chances.

“It’s a privilege to do what I do,” said Gale.

“It’s too early to get ahead of ourselves, but I am pleased of how the boys executed another game plan.”

Valour FC now stands alone at the top of the CPL bracket with three victories. The hometown club will now have two full days of rest before resuming action against York United on Wednesday July 7.

jbernacki@freepress.mb.ca

@JosephBernacki