Vancouver FC has been eliminated from the TELUS Canadian Championship quarterfinals after back-to-back losses to CF Montréal.
During game 2 at Stade Saputo on Sunday, July 13, Eagles were unable to exploit a man advantage after Montreal’s Efrain Morales was shown a second yellow card and sent off.
Going into a scoreless second half, Montreal’s Brendan Craig sent a free kick curling past Callum Irving and into the net to make it 1-0 in the match.
Montreal extended the lead to 2-0 before VFC got on the scoreboard in the 79th minute, on a brilliant strike from Morey Doner, who volleyed it past Sebastian Breza in the Montréal goal to cut the score in the match to 2-1.
Vancouver FC, who reached last year’s finals, bow out in the quarter-finals of this year’s competition.
Game 1, Wednesday, July 8, saw the Eagles host the MLS side in the Stadium at Langley Events Centre, scoring the first goal during the second period of play, with Damiano Pecile and Nicolas Mezquida credited.
However, the five-time Canadian Champions from Montreal made it a tie 10 minutes later with a shot that was inadvertently hit by Vancouver netminder Matteo Campagna and went in his own goal, then got win off a penalty shot late in the game to make it 2-1.
A frustrated head coach Martin Nash said the team attitude and application was good, “it was just, you know, that quality in the third end that let us down at times.”
Next for the Eagles, a Friday July 17 trip to Laval Quebec to play the Supra Du Quebec.
They are back home Friday, July 24 for a 7 p.m. game against Cavalry.
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