Slow start costly for Pacific FC
Pacific FC literally had the table turned on it Friday night. Cavalry FC basically told PFC, in no uncertain terms, that it wasn’t going to allow the Island club to run away and hide atop it.
The Calgary club recorded a 2-1 Canadian Premier League victory before more than 2,500 fans at Starlight Stadium. A PFC victory would have put seven points between it and secondplace Cavalry. Instead, in a six-point swing, the Albertans (7-3-3) are now one point behind the Islanders (7-3-4) with a game in hand.
“We were on vacation. We were not awake,” said PFC head coach Pa Modou-Kah, of a disastrous opening 30 minutes that decided the outcome.
“That was painful, especially at home. We did not do anything from the git-go. There was zero intensity. You can’t be like that against a team like Cavalry. We’re better than that.”
Cavalry FC put on a football clinic in the first half hour, pressuring the uncharacteristically shaky PFC defence into numerous turnovers, leading to two goals by Joe Mason at 22 and 29 minutes. The import veteran, a former Ireland U-21 international, showed his Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers and Wolverhampton Wanderers pedigree. Cavalry also hit the crossbar during the onslaught.
“This is a difficult place to take three points so we knew we wanted to start off quickly,” said Mason.
“A two-goal lead at the half was a shame because we should have been up by three or four goals.”
PFC seemed lost without its crafty midfield sparkplug Marco Bustos, who was out with an unspecified injury. Also missing was back-line stalwart Lukas MacNaughton. PFC didn’t seem the same team without them.
“We have enough depth,” countered Kah, even though he would be the first to admit it didn’t show up Friday.
PFC finally broke through at 82 minutes on a Terran Campbell penalty kick, his fourth goal in six games, but much of that momentum was lost on a red card to PFC attacker Gianni dos Santos for his part in a melee following the awarding of the penalty. Down to 10 players, PFC could not find the equalizer.
The season series is 1-1-1 while Cavalry FC leads the alltime series 6-2-2. The teams could meet again in non-league play. Mason scored the winner as Cavalry FC beat provincialrival FC Edmonton 2-0 last weekend in the first round of the Canadian Championship and awaits in the second round the victor of the first-round game between PFC and Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer on Thursday at Starlight Stadium.
“Whichever team wins, we’ll be ready to play,” said Mason.