The Cape Breton Capers advanced to the semifinals of the U Sports men’s soccer national championship after a thrilling 3-2 win against the Laval Rouge et Or in overtime Thursday, setting up a clash with the Carleton Ravens on Saturday.
The Capers started strong, controlled the pace and handily won the possession battle in the first half using excellent passing and ball control. They consistently found holes in Laval’s defense and spent the majority of the first half in their opponents’ end.
Capers’ head coach Deano Morley said they started the game the way they wanted to but ran into trouble at the end.
“We came out sharp with an early goal, and then after [the first half], we kind of just stopped playing the way we wanted to,” Morley said.
The Capers first got on the board with a penalty kick from Charlie Waters that found the top right corner of the net in the fifth minute.
Laval had plenty of chances to tie the game in the first half, including two missed free kicks and a handful of shots on target, but Capers’ goalkeeper Daniel Clarke didn’t let anything through.
Laval keeper Horace Patient Sobze Zemo also made many key saves to keep the game close, especially in the first half.
The Capers continued to attack in the second half, going up 2-0 with a second goal from Waters in the 55th minute. The game looked over but Laval had other ideas.
Laval’s fifth-year midfielder Jonathan Vallée said the message when the team was trailing was to keep going.
“When you’re down 2-0, you really have nothing to lose, so just go all in,” Vallée said.
Laval head coach Samir Ghrib said his team’s mentality played as big a role as their tactical decisions in erasing the deficit.
“Once they scored the first goal, momentum was on their side,” Vallée said. “But we kept pressing and we knew if we scored a goal, momentum would be on our side and that’s what happened.”
Laval tightened up defensively and began to generate more offensive chances. They took possession from the Capers and forced takeaways. Laval moved the ball well and generated high-quality chances against a talented Capers’ defense.
Laval midfielder Baptiste Toussaint scored in the 74th minute to cut the Capers’ lead in half. In the last minute of injury time, Laval scored to complete the comeback and send the game into overtime.
“I thought during the whole game, we were the better team. We played well, put them under pressure, and that was the game plan,” Vallée said.
Morley said a defensive collapse led to Laval’s comeback.
“They were chasing the game, so they had to throw bodies forward, get guys in the box … and that’s what happened,” Morley said. “They got chances … and capitalized on our poor defending.”
Morley said overtime was a fresh start.
“It’s a chance for us to reset, try to get quality back and settle down,” Morley said. “You’re dealing with an opposition that is desperate … and throwing everything at you. We’ve got to just calm down.”
Laval had several chances to take the lead in overtime, but the Capers’ defense held strong. In the 118th minute, Capers’ forward Kairo Coore scored to deliver Cape Breton its victory
With the win, the Capers advanced to the semifinals and will face the Ravens at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
