The pitch is alight and strewn with fallen leaves but the players, clad in Wanderers blue and York United’s green and white, have gone to their locker rooms. It’s the second time that play has been delayed due to lightning at the Wanderers Grounds. Time drains away. And the match’s life — so vibrant for 112 minutes with the chanting of the Kitchen, the clash of cleats and curses and, at one point, a shoving match following the Nine Stripes’ tying goal — fades.
The stadium is empty, only momentarily, during arguably the most important match in Halifax’s history. It feels surreal. But suddenly, like the thunder and lightning that delayed their moment, the players burst out and encourage one another, willing their feet onto the wet grass once more. “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” both sides chant as they round cones to become warm again.
Although they aren’t visible, the crowd, too, breathes life into the Wednesday night's air, still present, still singing 112 minutes into a match that is nearly over but has felt like a fever dream with no ending.
“We’re still here!” sings the Kitchen from behind the grandstand.
And they are, their flags streaming back into view with the match set to resume and emblazoned for Block 108 and Privateers 1882 and anyone else who has committed to sitting on the cold, wet bleachers. The ball is placed at the feet of York United goalkeeper Diego Urtiaga and the match, once more, resumes.
Isaiah Johnston, one of Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar’s best soldiers so far this night, ends up with the ball in midfield. He drives forward and is impeded, drawing a foul. The Wanderers prepare for a freekick. Wesley Timóteo sends in a ball and it sails beautifully to Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, who has been used sparingly this season, but he becomes the hero as he heads the ball past Urtiaga and his teammates are on him like a rogue wave as they celebrate.
Their joy is short-lived, a small moment in this pantheon of football, as York United are quickly on the front-foot, surging towards Halifax’s box. Head coach Mauro Eustáquio, who has gone from rain jacket to no jacket a half-dozen times, calls for a cross. The ball is blocked; it ricochets, and it falls to striker Shaan Hundal, who ties the match with a confident finish that is a dagger. The Nine Stripes flood the pitch in celebration. The score — as the referee blows his whistle on extra time — is tied at 2-2, meaning this match will be decided by penalties on a night that continues to stretch.
York United shoots first. Julian Altobelli steps up and beats Wanderers ‘keeper Rayane Yesli. Striker Tiago Coimbra is next and he, too, makes no mistake. The rotation continues. The Nine Stripes score again. But star midfielder Lorenzo Callegari misses and suddenly the home crowd is quiet as their season shrinks to the next moments in a delicate dance between shooter and ‘keeper. More shooters step up, each slotting home the ball and then it’s Steffen Yeates’ turn. Yesli reads it and the Kitchen roars to life as he deflects the ball to safety.
The night, mad and magic and the best of what Canadian football has to offer, is not over.
Former Wanderer Massimo Ferrin steps up and does his bit for his new club. Yohan Baï levels the score. Midfielder Kembo Kibato replies, pushing the hosts to the brink of defeat once again. And then it is Gagnon-Laparé’s turn.
The veteran midfielder prepares for his shot, goes forward and then the ball is sent above the bar, a miss, and York United’s players and staff storm the pitch in a flurry of joy and relief for what they’ve accomplished. Their season remains alive; they’ve earned themselves another match together, another chance to chase the North Star Cup.
The Wanderers, in contrast, sink to their haunches or fall to the pitch. They’re spent, having given their all, but have fallen a hair’s breadth short of the club’s first home playoff win. The emotions are visible. But a chant picks them up as those fans who have stayed recognize their club, which has given them a night unlike any other in its history. Captain Andre Rampersad — who is the club’s longest serving member — will tell reporters it wasn’t enough. But the tape doesn’t lie: it was anyone’s match, until it was York United’s.
It is late on a Wednesday night at the Wanderers Grounds. The fans go home as the away locker room rocks with life and music. Halifax's season, intense like the rain, is over until next year.
