After a demoralizing loss in Halifax, Vancouver FC staged a comeback to secure a victory on Thursday, June 27, on Vancouver Island. In the Victoria derby match, the Langley-based Vancouver FC Eagles defeated their provincial rivals, Pacific FC, 2-1. The match saw Pacific FC take the lead first.
Thomas Meilleur-Giguere scored in the 38th minute, assisted by Steffen Yeates. However, the lead was short-lived as Vancouver FC's Alejandro Diaz equalized just two minutes later, assisted by Mikael Cantave. The decisive moment came in the 82nd minute when Elage Bah, set up by Kadin Chung, scored the winning goal for Vancouver FC.
During a post game interview, Bah thought back to his game-winning kick, saying, "Honestly, it felt like almost surreal. My head was down, but I could almost with a slight glance see the net, and I obviously put it in the back of the net. It's my left foot, and everybody gets on me about my left foot, so I'm glad to score the goal.
" This victory earned Vancouver FC three points and marked a significant morale boost for the team, which had been reeling from a recent defeat, said Vancouver FC's head coach, Afshin Ghotbi. “I think our players lost a lot of confidence from that [Halifax] game. And to be able to step into this game and overcome, taking that goal off a dead ball and within two minutes, scoring a fantastic goal to equalize.
.. I’m kind of excited about this result, but also in the fashion and the spirit that we achieved it.
” Bah also emphasized.