It finally happened! After 385 days of agonizing defeats and uninspiring draws, Pacific FC have finally won a match in CPL action, and to put the cherry on top, they were able to do so in front of the Trident faithful at Starlight Stadium.
Unconventional win for Pacific
Despite Halifax being two spots ahead of the Tridents in the standings and having their own fair share of troubles this season, the odds were still heavily against Pacific getting a result in this matchup. For starters, their recently acquired first-team manager, Terry Dunfield, was away from the touchline due to yellow-card accumulation. This resulted in assistant manager Jesse Acteson taking the wheel and steering his squad to a result.
Acteson made a few notable changes to the starting lineup, most notably moving young star Ronan Kratt into the number nine position, aiming to get his side running and open up the field of play. Despite giving away three goals, the high-octane offensive flurry proved advantageous to Pacific, who fought hard and came from behind to earn the decisive win.
Strong debut for Sinclair Astridge
Despite suffering a defeat and allowing four goals, it was a positive first-team debut for young Wanderers goalkeeper Sinclair Astridge, who obtained his first professional start in the matchup. The 21-year-old Canadian product, who played collegiately at Dalhousie University, stood tall in goal and made some decisive saves to keep his side in the match, most notably stopping hard-driven shots by Yann Toualy and Ronan Kratt from close range.
After 90 minutes, Astridge made 11 saves off 26 total shots. It will take a lot more than a strong debut to beat out all-time great and current Wanderers netminder Marco Carducci from the starting lineup, but this impressive performance from the young goalkeeper will act as a quality start to his career and surely keep manager Vanni Sartini encouraged for the player's future.
Take a bow, Diego Konincks
Despite allowing three goals and scoring an own goal, it was an inspirational performance by Diego Konincks in yesterday's matchup. The 25-year-old Dutch centre-back did well to earn himself a brace, as the player found himself in the right place at the right time to slot the ball into the back of the net following a very good free kick from Lukas Browning-Lagerfelt that struck the crossbar. He also finished clinically with his head in extra time to score his second goal and secure the win for his side.
Pacific will need more inspirational performances from individual players to turn their season around and somehow sneak their way into a playoff spot.
