Fairytale beginning on historic night for Valour FC

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This article was published 01/05/2019 (2073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a storybook ending for Valour FC in their first game in franchise history.

A Winnipegger comes off the bench and scores the game-winning goal for his city’s newest professional soccer team in their first ever match.

You couldn’t write a better ending than that.

Winnipeg native Dylan Carreiro played the role of hometown hero, as he scored in the 78th minute to give Valour FC a 2-1 road victory over Pacific FC at Westhills Stadium in Victoria, B.C. in front of an announced crowd of 2,360 on Wednesday night. Carreiro, 24, drilled a shot just outside the box and it was deflected into the top left corner of the net.

“It means a lot,” Carreiro told the Free Press in a phone interview after the match.

“It’s very indescribable. It means a lot to me to score and help the team win it especially. But the big thing is obviously getting those three points away from home and bringing it home for Saturday.”

Carreiro replaced English-born forward Stephen Hoyle in the 65th minute with the scored tied 1-1. Before Carreiro entered the match, Valour FC head coach and general manager Rob Gale gave him a vote of confidence.

“He told me, ‘You’re going to score the game winner.’ Pretty much said, ‘I know you’re going to make the difference,’” Carreiro said.

“It’s always good to have a coach that has faith in you and knows you’re going to help the team and do well.”

Hoyle, who was named the Man of the Match, cemented his name in the history book in the 22nd minute, scoring the first goal in Valour FC history. Midfielder Michael Petrasso snuck the ball through a couple defenders to set Hoyle up in front of the net where he beat Pacific goaltender Mark Village to open the scoring.

Valour didn’t enter the half with the advantage, as Pacific FC’s 19-year-old midfielder Jose Hernandez put a header past Winnipeg native and Valour goalie Tyson Farago to tie the game 1-1 in the 45th minute. A minute later, Pacific nearly took the lead, as forward Marcus Haber, a former Canadian national team member, struck the post twice in a matter of seconds. Farago was one of two Winnipeggers who started the game for Valour, as midfielder Dylan Sacramento was also given the start from Gale. 17-year-old Winnipeg native and River East Collegiate student Tyler Attardo also saw game action, as he came off the bench in the second half for Valour.

Pacific FC had possession of ball for 57% of the game, and outshot Valour 17-13. With the loss, Pacific FC drops to 1-1-0 after they opened their season on Sunday with a 1-0 win over HFX Wanderers FC. The Canadian Premier League began its inaugural season on Saturday with Forge FC and York 9 FC playing to a 1-1 draw. “I think it’s massive,” Carreiro said on starting the season with a win. “It shows we can fight and we can work hard as a team and grind out results like this. We’re all happy, we’re all ecstatic and we’re buzzing to go for Saturday already.”

Valour defenders Louis Béland-Goyette and Jordan Murrell, and midfielder Diego Gutiérrez were all given yellow cards on the night. Scottish-Canadian forward Calum Ferguson, and Canadian midfielders Ali Musse and Glenn Muenkat were unavailable for the season opener as they were out with injuries. Valour FC returns home today and will practice on Friday before playing their home opener at Investors Group Field on Saturday at 5 p.m. against FC Edmonton.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31