The Halifax Wanderers went down to ten men in the second half and lost 2-0 to Atlético Ottawa on Thursday night.
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: Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé
In tandem with captain Andre Rampersad, Gagnon-Laparé was a key reason why the Wanderers leave the match having won the possession battle.
The experienced midfielder continues to be the key cog transitioning the club into the attack.
Gagnon-Laparé was credited with a match-high four chances created and was second only to Rampersad in completed passes in the match.
Celebrating new Canadians
Thursday was the Wanderers’ first annual New Canadian Night.
As part of the club’s mission to make the community stronger through sport, the Wanderers partnered with ISANS (Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia ), YMCA Halifax/Dartmouth, and local groups to invite 500 new Canadians to attend the match.
🍁 @HFXWanderersFC have partnered with Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, YMCA Halifax/Dartmouth, and local groups to invite 500 new Canadians to attend tonight's #CanPL match
Their mission is to make the community stronger through sport
📰: https://t.co/H7ZFgMwJJG pic.twitter.com/V1i11pEwT5
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) June 30, 2022
Arriving from Syria in 2020, Ibrahim Kelzi and his 9-year-old son Muhammed took part in the pre-match coin toss.
Group pushed forward after going a man down
Despite a red card and goal for Ottawa in a short span, the Wanderers didn’t drop their heads.
The club continued to push the issue in the final 20 minutes, Halifax had more possession and outshot the visitors in the second half.
Some late chances included a great flick-on header from Akeem Garcia would eventually be stopped by Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham.
What they had to say
“I can’t fault my players today, I thought they were fantastic, I thought we were never uncomfortable in the game, we were good enough to get a result. It’s unfortunate that the goal was scored on the free-kick from the red card, we didn’t get a chance to adjust but even with 10 men we pushed the game forward.” – Wanderers head coach Stephen Hart
“Today is a good example of how fine the margins are in this league, we just have to regroup now, we have a few games to rest before our next game and just keep pressing on because everyone is doing the right things in training.” – Wanderers midfielder Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé
What’s next?
The Wanderers don’t play again until Sunday, July 10 when they head to Winnipeg for a meeting with Valour FC.
Further reading
Read CanPL.ca’s breakdown of the match in Match Analysis: HFX Wanderers 0 Atletico Ottawa 2
Look back on the match with Sights & Sounds: HFX Wanderers 0-2 Atlético Ottawa