History was once again made at Willoughby Community Park in 91原创 on Wednesday night.
And again, it was made by the Vancouver FC Eagles, who took the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals, with a convincing 3-1 victory over the visiting Atletico Ottawa.
In the national pro soccer quest for the Voyageurs Cup, the still relatively young Canadian Premier League team based out of 91原创 played host to Game 1 of the semifinals on Aug. 13. And much to the coach's liking, the Eagles emerged triumphant.
For Vancouver, this win feels like proof they belong in the final conversation, said interim head coach Martin Nash.
However, he noted the second leg in Ottawa is yet to come, and despite Vancouver's success this week, the battle is far from over.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be an easy task going there,鈥� Nash said post-match.
鈥淥ttawa鈥檚 a strong side 鈥� they put us under pressure at the end 鈥� and we know they鈥檒l do the same at home. But if we can pick our moments to counter. We鈥檝e got players who can hurt them, like we saw today," he added.
After a competitive opening hour Wednesday night at Willoughby Stadium, Vancouver pulled away late to claim their first-ever regulation-time victory in this competition 鈥� and their first home win in over a year.
The result also handed Ottawa just their second loss of the 2025 season across all competitions.
For Vancouver, which has reached this stage through three hard-fought draws 鈥� edging Pacific and Cavalry on penalties after 1-1 results 鈥� this win gives them a crucial advantage.
The match opened with Michel Cavalcante cutting inside and burying a low shot into the bottom corner in the 20th minute to put Vancouver up 1-0.
Ottawa equalized in the 58th through a sharp header from Sam Salter, but Vancouver hit back quickly.
In the 69th minute, Hugo Mbongue pounced on a defensive mistake and calmly finished to make it 2-1.
Nash applauded his teams efforts, noting they could have taken their foot off the proverbial gas after making it 2-1, but they didn't. They kept up the pressure and scored another. And in the final minutes, Nicolas Mezquida sealed the win with a composed left-footed strike to the bottom corner.
Following the game, Mezquida sat down with the coach to speak with media, and expressed how happy he and others on the team were feeling about the victory at home.
"I'm happy, because it's always important to win at home鈥� it's good to see the people happy," he said, crediting his teammates with playing well. "Today was a special game because to win the first game at home means a lot for the club and each player."
Nash echoed the significance of a hometown victory, especially in the championship competition.
"I think it's great for the group, for the fans, for the team, for everyone. It kind of gets that monkey off our back now," said the coach.
"Unfortunately, this competition is only at half time. We still have another half to play, at their place. But this was a good start," he said, again lauding the Eagles for staying organized and bringing home a win.
Ottawa's head coach Diego Mejia knew the game wasn't going to be easy for his players, but was disappointed with their results.
"We conceded three easy goals, so we deserved to lose tonight," he said.
These two teams will face off again, in the second leg of the semifinals, next month. That competition will be hosted at the TD Stadium in Ottawa, Ont. on Thursday, Sept. 18.
"It's a start," Nash reiterated, "and hopefully we can build on that for our league match on Sunday."
While gearing up for the rematch against Ottawa next month, Vancouver FC returns to regular season play with a late afternoon game in Calgary on the weekend. They face host Cavalry FC, on Sunday, Aug. 17, at ATCO Field.
