The long-awaited return of Pacific FC to Langford on Friday night also saw the return of large crowds filling the stands for live, major sports in Greater Victoria.
After 16 months of enduring shuttered or bubble seasons, more than 2,500 fans wearing the Pacific purple filled the Starlight Stadium bleachers to witness the hometown side earn a 2-0 win.
When the pandemic hit, raucous crowds were non-existent, and instead, cheers belted out from balconies and backyards to applaud front-line workers.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been tough and weB次元官网网址檝e got to give credit to the health-care workers and all the humans who have been affected by this pandemic,B次元官网网址� said PFC coach Pa-Modou Kah.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very easy to get lost because youB次元官网网址檙e not doing what you love, but then (think of) the people who have been lost to the pandemic. So, my focus was to make sure that we understand that weB次元官网网址檙e privileged to do what we love.B次元官网网址�
LangfordB次元官网网址檚 mayor echoed the support for essential workers while addressing the crowd pre-game.
B次元官网网址淚 just want to recognize all those front-line workers who made this possible B次元官网网址� without their hard work we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 be sitting here today,B次元官网网址� said Mayor Stew Young.
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Fans made themselves heard in the stadium for the first time in 689 days, as they took over to sing the national anthem.
At the three-minute mark, all 2,661 in attendance erupted in unison when the Pacific opened the scoring. Team-leading goalscorer Marco Bustos stripped the ball from the Cavalry defence and, after a slight stumble, managed to stay on his feet before punching one past the Calgary keeper.
GOAL 馃敱 get on the board first vs. , via... who else?
B次元官网网址� OneSoccer (@onesoccer)
Marco Bustos! 馃ぉ | 馃敶
Cavalry keeper Marco Carducci thwarted several attempts by the West Shore team in the first half, with many coming from prime scoring areas. His best came in the halfB次元官网网址檚 final minutes when a Bustos corner kick was headed into the air in front of the net. Jamar Dixon picked the ball out of the air with a left-footed strike B次元官网网址� bound for just below the bar B次元官网网址� before a leaping Carducci deflected it up and out of play.
After outshooting Cavalry in the first, Pacific sustained offensive pressure in the second half, but the Calgary keeper shut down their multiple strong chances.
It remained a 1-0 match until the waning minutes, when Pacific attacker Gianni dos Santos ran down an overhead pass and broke free on the right side in Cavalry territory, sending a bullet strike into the top right of the net.
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