Wanderers earn 3-0 road win vs. frustrated Valour squad | MATCH ANALYSIS

Match in a minute or less

It wasn't pretty but the Halifax Wanderers managed to claw their way to a 3-0 victory versus Valour FC on Saturday thanks to some savvy goalkeeping from Aiden Rushenas, who made his season debut, and clinical finishing from Adam Pearlman, Isaiah Johnston and Tiago Coimbra.

Valour looked to finish their final match of the season at Princess Auto Stadium on a high note, dominating posession all match but struggling to test Rushenas despite some excellent opportunities, the best belonging to Jordan Faria. The Wanderers managed to score in the 35th minute, leaving head coach Phil Dos Santos' side chasing the match.

Ultimately, the Wanderers were able to take advantage of Valour's backline as they pushed further up looking to equalize, scoring two more goals in less than a 10-minute span. The result means Halifax jumps to fourth on the table, with a chance of catching Cavalry FC for third, and Valour remaining in sixth-place.

Three Observations

Depleted Wanderers finds a way on the road

Injuries, suspension and international duty all but gutted Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar's bench heading into Winnipeg on Saturday.

With Ryan Telfer, Andre Rampersad and regular starting 'keeper Rayane Yesli all representing their countries, and the likes of Vitor Dias, Julian Dunn and Jason Bahamboula injured, Gheisar was forced to start a more defensive line up that became a 5-4-1 out of possession. Rushenas got the nod in goal while CF Montréal loanee Alessandro Biello started as an attacking midfielder. Wesley Timoteo, who played as a No. 10 versus York United FC last week, was unavailable due to suspension.

The Wanderers started on the back foot as Valour caused them trouble with their press. However, with Jefferson Alphonse, Thomas Meilleur-Giguère and Nassim Mekidèche patrolling the backline, Valour struggled to create quality chances. As Gheisar shared post-match, his side went in with the idea of letting the Winnipeggers control the ball and trying to punish them on the counter.

"Traveling on the road, sometimes you have to be willing to give up the ball to create spaces to attack to and, you know, we've been so limited with the forwards," he said. "Sure, we would like the ball more but I'm ecstatic with 3-0."

The Wanderers made the most of their opportunities as Pearlman got them on the board in the 35th minute with a one-touch finish, cleanly beating Valour goalkeeper Eleias Himaras.

However, the match wasn't without suffering as Halifax clung onto their lead until the 76th minute, when Johnston took it upon himself to give his side a cushion with a formidable turn and finish. Coimbra, making his first appearance since he was injured on September 1, drew and delivered on a penalty with a stutter step, sealing the important road victory for his side. It wasn't the club's best performance — they were sloppy on the ball, completing just 80 per cent of their passes — but got the result when it mattered.

The 3-0 victory was the Wanderers' first road win since May 17.

Valour lose composure after first goal

Valour very much came out looking confident at home, playing in a 4-1-4-1 formation that kept the ball for large swathes of the match. Despite finishing Saturday with 65.2 per cent possession, they were unable to make the most of their chances and wrapped up their season at Princess Auto Stadium with a scoreless performance.

It's not that the Lions lacked opportunities: winger Kris Twardek in particular created a lot offensively with his crossing, earning a number of corners and finding his teammates with pinpoint accuracy. However, be it Jordan Faria — who had Valour's best chance at the the end of the first half — or captain Raphael Ohin, they were unable to put the ball into the back of the net. Valour finished the night with 13 shots but only one big chance created with a total xG of 0.91.

"I think that we weren't effective," said Dos Santos post-match. "I look at so many good positions near the box and the shot just not coming out the way we expected or even crosses falling short."

When asked if his squad was frustrated or rushing chances, he acknowledged the players were looking to level the score quickly.

"Emergency, feeling the need to get the goal fast. Things happen very fast on the field. I can't fault the guys for effort. I think to say the best team won, I don't think it's the case today. I think the team who capitalized the best and was able to take their chances ended up winning the game," he said.

It's also fair to say that the match could've been very different because, at 1-0 down, referee Ben Hoskins opted not to give Halifax midfielder Lorenzo Callegari a second yellow card, which would've sent him out of the match.The Frenchman, much to the chagrin of the home bench, was lucky to stay on and the Wanderers went on to close out the match soon after.

Rushenas shines with clean sheet in season debut

It just so happens that Rushenas' first league match of 2025 was a big one for his club and he didn't disappoint, looking commanding in his box and stopping all three shots on target to secure the clean sheet. The start comes almost a full year since he played for the first team, going back to Halifax's 2-1 win versus York United FC.

Speaking post-match, Gheisar touched on the goalkeeping situation this year in Halifax, noting that the club never hit the form he would've liked to rotate his 'keepers. He added that Yesli also developed significantly throughout the year.

"Rayane's growth has nothing to do with Aiden's ability," he said. "I've got to give Aiden the man of the match. He came up with a huge save when we were up 1-0. It did not look like it was his first game of the season."

Rushenas best moment of the match came just before the end of the first half as Faria found himself unmarked in the box. He sent a shot towards goal which Rushenas challenged, delivering a kick-save which sent the ball flying.

The clean sheet was the first of Rushenas' professional career.

What They Said

"I think that, I've said it multiple times, goals change games. They were effective in the way they were able to capitalize. I think we were on the ball, we got into very good spots, occasionally we were able to pull the trigger and get a strike or two at goal but I don't think it was enough for the amount of possession we had." — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos

"We've got to pick our poison and for me the focus is we got the three points, we got three goals, we got a clean sheet, we broke the club record for away points, we broke the club record for the most goals for so that kind of summarizes everything a coach can ask for from his squad." — Halifax Wanderers FC head coach Patrice Gheisar

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Aiden Rushenas, Halifax Wanderers FC

Rushenas stood tall when his club needed him most, delivering a mature performance between the sticks to help the Wanderers earn their first road win since May.

What’s next?

Valour finishes their season on the road as they travel to Vancouver Island to square off versus Pacific FC on Oct. 18 (1:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. MT) for The Outcome. Meanwhile, the Wanderers play hosts to Atlético Ottawa at the Wanderers Grounds for a match that could have trophy-deciding consequences (5:00 p.m. AT / 4:00 p.m. ET).

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