Match in a minute or less
Make no mistake: Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos and his squad felt they owed it to themselves to end their 2025 campaign on a high note and they delivered, dismantling a weary Pacific FC side 4-1 at Starlight Stadium on Saturday. The Lions looked poised from the beginning of the match and had perhaps their best first half of the season, scoring three unanswered goals.
Pacific, looking to rally for their fans, were better in the second stanza but struggled to create offensively. Aside from a consolation goal from Marco Bustos in the 69th minute, the Tridents never really threatened Valour and their frustrations showed. The match, in many ways, was emblematic of a tough season for head coach James Merriman and his players.
Three Observations
Valour's best first half of the season? Dos Santos thinks so
The statistics don't lie.
Although they didn't have the bulk of possession, there's no doubt Valour looked more poised and dangerous on the ball. Their wing-play, with Kris Twardek and Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy playing out wide, caused loads of trouble for a Pacific side that was tentative with and without the ball. Valour finished the first half with three goals, 11 shots, six shots on target and an xG of 0.84.
Speaking to media post-match, Dos Santos opined that it was Valour's best first half of the season.
“We looked at it as a single game. We wanted to compete, we wanted to finish well, we wanted to secure the highest position we could in the standings. I think there’s an element in pride also in not allowing anyone to get ahead of us," he said. "I think that we just came out and played probably our best first half of the season. I think the guys’ mentality was fantastic.”
Valour hit Pacific on the transition early, with their first chance coming courtesy of a misplayed ball that fortuitously landed on the foot of striker Myles Morgan. Morgan charged across Pacific's half, separating himself from the defenders, but was robbed by Trident 'keeper Sean Melvin. However, Morgan found himself in a similar situation roughly 10 minutes later, this time breaking down the left wing, and made no mistake.
Later, Themi Antonoglou whipped in one of his patented crosses and found Diego Konincks in the box to give the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead. But Valour didn't let up and, smelling blood, continued to push, with Voytsekhovskyy dribbling into the top of the box and hammering a shot home to put the match to bed within the first 40 minutes. Morgan scored his second goal off a set piece in the 65th minute.
"It's important because as a footballer, you want to win," Morgan told reporters.
Injuries, stop-gaps and bad luck sum up Pacific's season
Both Merriman and captain Josh Heard spoke on Friday about wanting to do right by the fans with a strong performance to end the year. However, things quickly got off to a poor start, underlining several of the issues which has plagued them in 2025, namely injuries and trying to make the most of situations by playing players out of position.
"The first goal was really difficult for us to take," said Merriman. "Matthew Baldisimo, he felt good to go into the game but obviously was injured, and then we concede and we have to sub him out straight away and bring Kadin (Chung) from right-back to right-sided centre-back. This is something we've been dealing with all season long. It's no excuse but it is our reality."
Pacific never really looked confident on the ball on Saturday and struggled to prevent being hit on the counter as Valour hunted down sloppy passes. They looked better in the second half once they settled following Baldissimo's substitution, with Georges Mukumbilwa coming onto the pitch in the 21st minute, but the match was already far out of reach. They finished second only to Valour for goals conceded with 59, a 27 goal increase from 2024.
Clearly, both their match and season didn't go according to plan.
"It's really tough when we've got three key players out so early in the season," said veteran full-back Chung. "You saw me today playing centre-back. It's not something we planned for at the beginning of the year or looked forward to. I feel like it’s part unlucky and part us just not being at the level we need to be, and again, that comes from the players as well. We just need to be better and just have a bit more belief in ourselves because we do have good players and we do have that next man up mentality."
Pacific's defensive play was particularly poor on set pieces as both Morgan and Konincks took advantage of poor man-marking. The Tridents ended the match with five shots to Valour's 17.
Big off-seasons ahead for both clubs
Dos Santos is out of contract this year, a fact he was asked about during the pre-match press conference. He noted he was happy his side rallied to finish on a strong note but said he'd be taking time to assess his own situation and that the club would need time, too.
Valour secured sixth-place on Saturday following their win which represents a high-water mark for the club since 2022. But for a club that's yet to secure a post-season berth, more is wanted.
"I'm pleased. This is a dynamic world we live in and we need to enjoy the moments that are good, positive and, you know, we look at it and I don't know what the future holds and I have to enjoy this moment," he said.
Merriman, meanwhile, highlighted that this year fell well below Pacific's standards, especially for a club that has built a culture of winning. A seventh-place finish is a huge disappointment for a club often contending for trophies. Their five wins speaks to their diminished state in the league.
"We don't accept at all what we've done this year," said Merriman.
Now, having missed out on playoff football, both clubs will have plenty of time to make plans for next year. Their seasons have come to an end.
What They Said
"This is a group that’s talented. There’s potential. These young players have quality so they just have to keep pushing and understand that the game is short-lived so every little element matters and that’s what they need to be focusing on." — Valour FC head coach Phil Dos Santos
"We need to take time. We need to get very clear on what we’re doing and the way we’re going to move forward. We know it’s not been good enough this year. We know we’ve dealt with a lot of adversity, on and off the pitch. We need to come together, these are times where you really need to come together . . . We need a really, really strong, important off-season and a massive response, obviously." — Pacific FC head coach James Merriman
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Myles Morgan, Valour FC
Morgan embodied Valour's game plan from the first minute, playing with speed and determination in wet conditions at Starlight Stadium. His brace firmly secured him as Valour's leading scorer of 2025 and he finished the match with four shots, 18 completed passes and 41 touches.
What’s next?
The CPL Playoffs begin on Wednesday, Oct. 22 when the Halfiax Wanderers host York United in the fourth-versus-fifth kockout match.
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