It was yet another tightly contested derby match on Thursday against Pacific FC when Vancouver FC visited Starlight Stadium for the first time in 2024. VFC earned a 2-1 victory over the Tridents for the fourth consecutive win which set a new franchise record for the longest winning-streak against another Canadian Premier League (CPL) club.
Veteran goalkeeper Callum Irving was the pinnacle piece of VFC’s puzzle against his former team who single-handedly helped to keep Vancouver to claim the full three-points. His efforts on Thursday not only awarded the keeper performance of the match and a spot on the CPL’s Team of the Week, but Irving is now the League’s Player of the Week for Matchweek 12.
The native of Vancouver had a tremendous game between the goalposts, putting up five saves in the match including registering his first penalty save in his VFC career. The tension-filled moment began in the 55th minute when PAC’s Josh Heard was tackled in the box and was awarded the penalty. Sean Young stepped up to the spot with an opportunity to take the lead and bring Pacific one step closer to breaking the three-game losing streak.
The @AllstateCanada Save of the Match is this crucial penalty stop by @vanfootballclub's Callum Irving 🧤#CanPL I 📺 @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/dAzUlVzgh0
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) June 28, 2024
Irving faced one of his former-teammate-turned-enemy in that moment and decided to trust his instincts and direction of goalkeeper coach Mark Village, who is also a former-PAC player. As the whistle blew and Young took his first steps toward the ball, Irving read his intentions perfectly and executed a diving save to his right to keep the match tied at one. That play shifted momentum in the game and brought a liveliness to the squad which eventually paid off with Elage Bah scoring the game-winner in the last ten minutes of play.
In addition to his game-saving penalty stop, Irving recorded three clearances, a team-high of 17 passes into the final third, and tied fourth on the squad for touches with 55. The veteran’s calmness and experience boded perfectly in the difficult Salish Sea Derby, guiding his team to victory and leapfrogging back into second place in the CPL.
Now Irving and Vancouver are looking to carry this momentum in their next match against Forge FC on Friday, July 5th. Then the Eagles land back at Willoughby Park for a three-game homestand in July to secure nine valuable points with the fans in attendance on July 12, July 20, and July 26. Fans can get their tickets to any of those matches, and the remaining home matches for VFC, online here.
