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Waterfall: Pacific Rain Down Goals In Big Concacaf League Win
By Pacific FC has procured the biggest continental victory ever made by a CPL club after demolishing Waterhouse FC 6-0 at home.
The Jamaican visitors had entered Starlight Stadium on even footing after securing a nil-nil draw at Sabina Park last week, but Pacific’s trademark counter-attack mentality saw the hosts inflict one-way traffic to secure passage to the Concacaf League Round of 16.
It becomes perhaps the most historic win at the club’s Langford-based home since a cupset over the Whitecaps in 2021.
It only took a few seconds for the Tridents to threaten down on the Waterhouse end of the pitch at kickoff, with Kunle Dada-Luke trickling a ball across the face of goal just about a half-minute in to proceedings.
Pacific would open the scoring in the twelfth minute, with a brilliant touch from Gianni Dos Santos launching him away from his marker before his cross met Alejandro Diaz, who knocked it home to become Pacific’s first-ever goalscorer in continental competition. It was a fitting moment for the lethally in-form striker.
The home side would continually threaten, with Waterhouse FC looking increasingly uncomfortable on Starlight Stadium’s turf pitch. While Bustos would miss an opportunity in the 21st, the creative midfielder would bag his second goal of the season after a sharp run saw him clear to leap into the air and finish a tidy cross from Josh Heard:
The second half, however, is where things got exponentially worse for the Jamaican visitors: it took just a few minutes for the hosts to open the scoring, with Marco Bustos and Josh Heard combining up top to split the defense before finding Alejandro Diaz unmarked. The Mexican forward was good for his fifteenth of the season across all competitions:
After setting up two goals himself, Josh Heard would put his own name on the scoresheet just a three minutes later. A smart interception from Kunle Dada-Luke saw the full-back involved in play all the way to the opposite end of the pitch, where a one-two with Heard saw the forward slam a left-footed shot beyond the Waterhouse keeper.
Amazingly, Heard would make that a brace in another three minutes, finding himself completely unmarked at the tip of the box before poking him a nice ball from Dos Santos.
With just under twenty minutes to go, the hosts continues to ply on the pain to make it 6-0: Heard slotted in a ball to Aparicio, who knocked it forward to a well-positioned Alejandro Diaz. Just like that, the Mexican forward – who is also leading the CPL’s golden boot race – had secured the first hat trick by a CPL player in Concacaf League history.
The Tridents would comfortably see out the remainder of the game in front of a rapturous crowd at Starlight Stadium, securing a hearty second leg win that now sees the club advance to the 2022 Concacaf League Round of 16. It’s here that they’ll come in as underdogs against Costa Rican side CS Herediano, but after tonight’s performance the high-flying team will believe anything is possible.
The west coast side had qualified for continental action by virtue of being the reigning league champions, and seek to emulate the success paved by Forge FC in the continental competition. They’re only the second team after Forge to qualify for the competition, though the continental competition will make way for the Champions League in future seasons.
Pacific FC will now enjoy a nice period of rest before hosting Atletico Ottawa at home on August 13.
See Also: Pacific Captain Jamar Dixon Talks About Being ‘Dialed In’ For Concacaf League