An 85th-minute penalty finished off by Alejandro Diaz sends the Halifax Wanderers home with a 2-1 loss to close out a three-match road trip to open the 2022 Canadian Premier League season.
Here are some of the storylines that transpired for the club over the 90 minutes.
Miss the match? Watch the highlights
Wanderers Man of the Match: Cory Bent
It was the free-kick heard around the Canadian Premier League. Bent curled in a right-footed effort in stoppage time of the first half to send the match into the break tied at 1-1.
To go with his dead-ball delivery, Bent’s play on the wing led to him drawing more fouls than any other player on his team. He also contributed to the attack with three crosses.
Bent it like Bent 💫
🌊 @CoryLB_ with a stunning free kick to tie the match for @HFXWanderersFC #CanPL l 📺: @onesoccer
pic.twitter.com/6hycNvQFY3— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 23, 2022
Garcia makes his return
With the news this week that 2021 Golden Boot Winner Joao Morelli will miss the rest of the season, 2020 Golden Boot winner Akeem Garcia was a welcome return to the lineup. Following a pre-season injury, Garcia got the start on Saturday for his first match of 2022 and showed his ability to threaten the opposing backline.
The Trinidad and Tobago international put the pressure on early and nearly won a challenge with Pacific’s goalkeeper Callum Irving five minutes into the match.
Another debut for an offseason signing
A player that was seen as an exciting off-season pickup for the Wanderers, midfielder/defender Mo Omar entered the match in the 65th minute. It was also the professional debut for the former Notre Dame captain and 2022 MLS first-round draft choice.
Omar won his tackles, made an interception and completed 100% of his passes in his first taste of the CPL.
What they had to say
“I thought it was pretty even for the most part, we just couldn’t get what we needed to get more out of the game, but I thought we at least deserved a point out of it. Just got to keep going with it, it will be nice to go home next week… I thought we played really well, just didn’t get the result we wanted at the end.” – winger Cory Bent.
“Two young guys that have folded nicely into the team and doing their job well, I have nothing but praise for them. Tabi had to deal with one of the better right-backs in the league, and one of the best attackers, and Fernandez kept his side under control, so a great game from them.” – head coach Stephen Hart on the play of first-year defenders Obeng Tabi and Zach Fernandez.
What’s next?
The Wanderers return to Halifax and prepare for their home opener on Saturday, April 30, against FC Edmonton.
Further reading
Read CanPL.ca’s breakdown of the match in Match Analysis: Pacific FC 2-1 Halifax Wanderers
Look back on the match in Ottawa with Sights and Sounds: Pacific FC vs. HFX Wanderers