✍️ Ivan Sørensen

Welcome to week 7 of Wandering the Tides, our weekly column about the who, what and how of Halifax football.

The Wanderers

The showdown with Inter Toronto had a lot riding on it. The Ontario side is positioning itself as a serious contender this season, while the Wanderers are still chasing their second win of the season.

The first half was a strange beast, as neither team managed many credible chances, except that both teams scored an absolute banger of a goal: The Wanderers through Johnston, who has shaped up to be a real gem, and Altobelli for Toronto.

The game felt like a repeat of the defensive tactics we saw against Ottawa, with a thick, grindy defence trying to snuff out any opportunities for Toronto. This mostly worked. Toronto were limited to one cannonball strike for a goal, with an xG of around 0.6 at half-time despite taking nine shots, but the Wanderers did not create many opportunities at the other end either.

The second half saw more activity as the team built out from the back a bit more, but the midfield mostly belonged to Inter Toronto, who never really dropped below 60% possession. It was good to see more chances being produced, and Sartini said in his post-match interviews that he was pleased with this aspect.

Still, by the end, the score had not budged, and both teams had to be content with a point, an outcome I am not sure either side would be all that happy about.

“Grindy defensive team” is a valid strategy to get results, but it can be high-risk if you do not have a reliable method of scoring goals. Notably, Toronto got more than half of their shots in the first half, when I would say the Wanderers were sitting at their most defensive.

I realize this write-up sounds very negative, but I do not think it is all bad. I think with the likes of Telfer, Callegari and Johnston roaming, there is the potential to create a team that fights effectively on the counter and can overwhelm opponents whenever it chooses. Is that version of the team here right now? That is a bigger question. I think it could be, though.

The Tides

Because of scheduling quirks, the Tides played on Monday and then Sunday, first against Vancouver and then against Calgary. The Vancouver affair was a hopeful one, with Vancouver scoring early before Rhodes equalized, giving the match the feel of a very even contest. Unfortunately, a penalty kick saw Quinn score the second goal, and victory would elude the home side.

A penalty can swing a game easily, and I think it is understandable for the fans and team to feel a little hard done by, as they were holding things together extremely well. They outshot Vancouver almost 3-to-1, earned double the number of corner kicks, and forced Vancouver to clear the ball 28 times. It was a strong effort, but some nights you can do everything you need to and the result still eludes you. At least a point would certainly have been fair here, but it was not to be.

The weekend game saw a hopefully well-rested team travel to Calgary. The Tides were no doubt itching for a result to match their energy, and Calgary had been in an unsteady state with no wins to their name this season. Still, it is a road game, and you never know.

Well, okay, we knew after seven minutes when Miller scored her first on a rebound from Vallerand’s shot on goal. And at 22 minutes, when Vallerand took matters into her own hands and headed it in.

And at 25 minutes, Miller burst into a run to score from a long ball punted forward by Weichers.

This felt like the kind of game we had all been waiting for. The team felt oppressive in their control of the field, leaving Calgary struggling to build counterattacks at all. We also saw the team play with a ton of energy, flooding the box in key moments before retreating to battle it out in the centre.

A special shout-out here must go to Vallerand, who scored the fourth goal in the second half with an absolute cannon of a strike. Yes, she is nominally a defender, but if you watch her, she is constantly roaming up the flanks, supporting the attack and tracking back effortlessly to help defend.

Another shout-out goes to Cho So-Hyun, who on multiple occasions displayed fantastic ball control and agility in tight spaces, really helping provide a stable foundation.

Addy Weichers told TrueNorthFoot afterwards, “This game was a long time coming for us in terms of capitalizing on our opportunities and showing the quality our team has. Expect to see more of this throughout the season.”

Standings

A single point keeps the Wanderers in sixth place, though it allowed them to maintain their gap over Vancouver, who are snapping at their heels below.

With how close the standings are (and remain), fans might start looking at that -3 goal difference and wishing for something a little more decisive. That is just as well, as the next game will be against the team just below them, with VFC visiting the Wanderers Grounds. A sturdy home win would create some separation in the standings and maybe even improve the goal difference.

If you feel things are starting to come together, then this is a good week to make a statement.

On the side of the Tides, a loss and a win bring them to third with seven points. Last year, there wasn't a lot of time spent in the top half of the table, nor with a positive goal difference, but here we are.

Friday sees the team take on Ottawa again, likewise in a home match. They have beaten them once already, they are coming off a win, and they are playing at home. Not to mention that a win would put them in a push for second place in the table.

Do you believe in home wins for both Halifax sides?

Get in the car. We’re going winning.