PACIFIC FC 1 - ATLETICO OTTAWA 0
It was a sweet homecoming Saturday for Pacific FC goalkeeper Callum Irving, who was outstanding in recording a clean sheet, in his return to TD Place Stadium in the nation’s capital.
Irving’s performance, and Alejandro Diaz’s goal at 72 minutes, provided PFC with a 1-0 Canadian Premier League victory over Atlético Ottawa.
Irving came out of NCAA Div. 1 with the University of Kentucky Wildcats to play with the defunct Ottawa Fury of the NASL and USL.
“This was a place I enjoyed playing for three seasons. I was looking forward to this game when the schedule came out,” said Irving.
The Vancouver native is in his third season with the Tridents, but this was his first visit back to his old stomping ground because the previously scheduled PFC games in Ottawa took place in the Prince Edward Island and Winnipeg pandemic bubbles in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
“A clean sheet is the ultimate for a goalkeeper. I am all the more happy to be able to win here,” said Irving.
PFC improved to 4-1-1 atop the table while Ottawa fell to 2-2-1 in wins, losses and draws.
“These are two good teams. Ottawa put us under a lot of pressure after our goal. Credit to them,” said PFC coach James Merriman.
“Callum Irving was excellent with some big saves. He earned the clean sheet. He deserved it.”
Much of the Ottawa pressure came from 23-year-old Ballou Tabla, the former Major League Soccer striker with CF Montreal, who played for Canada in Under-17, U-20 and U-23 and has two caps with the senior national team. “Tabla is very dynamic and moves all over the pitch,” said Merriman.
But the Atlético Ottawa striker rued the missed opportunities. “You can have many chances, but you have to score on them,” said Tabla.
Those thoughts were echoed by Carlos González, a Spaniard and former Kuwait national team coach, who now guides the Atlético Madrid-owned Ottawa club: “I felt we played really well. If you look at the chances we created, we definitely deserved a little more than the results showed today. But we couldn’t finish.”
Atlético Ottawa had 23 shots, 11 on target. The Tridents had eight shots, two on target. But PFC controlled possession, 63 per cent to 37 per cent.
“We were on the ball [more] but they created [more],” said Merriman. “Our defenders were aware.” In attack, the opportunistic Tridents took their chance when they got it, with Manny Aparicio ringing a long shot off the post and Diaz diving to head home the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.
PFC returns to Starlight Stadium next Saturday to face FC Edmonton.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
