It was a battle of the young Canadian B次元官网网址榢eepers Wednesday as the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked Pacific FC 1-0 in Canadian Championship semifinal action.

The Major League Soccer side now holds the lead in the two-game aggregate series, with Canadian Premier LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Pacific set to visit Vancouver for the second leg on Aug. 27.

WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 lone goal came in the 58th minute when Mathias Laborda sent a long cross into the penalty area, and Ryan Gauld leapt up to flick a glancing header into the back of the Pacific net.

Vancouver B次元官网网址榢eeper Isaac Boehmer preserved the victory with a series of saves as Pacific made a late push.

B次元官网网址淲e never thought it was going to be easy. But we just came, we did what we needed to do and weB次元官网网址檙e ready for the second leg,B次元官网网址� said the 22-year-old Boehmer, who stopped all-five on-target shots he faced to collect his first clean sheet for the B次元官网网址楥aps.

At the other end of the field, PacificB次元官网网址檚 Emil Gazdov made four saves, including a highlight-reel-worthy effort in the 49th minute.

Brian White sent a blistering header in from the top of the six-yard box, only to see the 20-year-old netminder dive sideways and poke the ball out of harmB次元官网网址檚 way. The American striker appeared to respond with disbelief, simply shaking his head in response.

Gazdov was circumspect about the play.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to say itB次元官网网址檚 routine, but I do it a lot in training. Just reading the situation B次元官网网址� ball comes across, header, react. Not much to really say about it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淗appy I got a finger on it to get it around the post.B次元官网网址�

Vancouver comes into the tournament having hoisted the Voyageurs Cup in both 2022 and 2023, but this yearB次元官网网址檚 campaign hasnB次元官网网址檛 been smooth.

The B次元官网网址楥aps faced Cavalry FC of the CPL in the quarterfinals and advanced on away goals after Cavalry took a 1-0 victory in the second leg to tie the aggregate score at 2-2.

Pacific earned a spot in the semifinals with a 2-1 aggregate win over fellow CPL team Atletico Ottawa.

The tournamentB次元官网网址檚 other semifinal Wednesday saw CPL side Forge FC upset struggling MLS club Toronto FC with a 2-1 scoreline.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini referenced the result in his pre-game speech.

B次元官网网址淚 used that as motivation,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 used that game and also the second leg that played Vancouver against Cavalry when, to be honest, our performance was so bad that we were at risk to get out (of the quarterfinals).B次元官网网址�

This year marks the third time Pacific and the Whitecaps have faced off in the annual tournament.

The first matchup saw Pacific stun Vancouver 4-3 in preliminary-round action back in 2021. The B次元官网网址楥aps went on to take a 3-0 victory in the semifinals last year.

Both teams return to league play this weekend, with the Whitecaps visiting St. Louis City and Pacific heading to Hamilton to face Forge.

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