VAN ISLE – Another day, another U-21 hero for Pacific FC. The Tridents edged FC Edmonton 1-0 at home on Saturday, courtesy of Kadin Chung’s first CPL goal, to move into third in the CPL’s Fall table.

Pacific was lively from the off, as they adopted a suffocating style of play to try and overwhelm the visiting Eddies. The first 20 minutes or so of the match saw both sides jockeying for position in midfield, and it was the hosts who got the better of the initial battle. After a few Pacific chances failed to properly test FCE ‘keeper Connor James, the ball bounced out of traffic to Chung at the top of the box in the 28th minute.

The right-back took an excellent touch to settle the ball and find himself some space before taking a left-footed shot that bounced off FCE defender Mélé Temguia and into the net. From there, the match’s back-and-forth momentum continued, with chances at both ends through the rest of the first half and much of the second.

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With the Eddies in search of a goal late in the game, coach Jeff Paulus turned to his bench, bringing in Ramon Soria, Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, and Easton Ongaro to try and spark his attack. FCE’s offence certainly did start to click better, as striker Tomi Ameobi in particular saw at least three golden opportunities miss the mark by a hair.

Although the visitors dominated the final half-hour of the afternoon, they were never able to find the net as a new-look Pacific backline held on (with some serious help from Mark Village in goal) to preserve the clean sheet. The Van Isle-based club now move ahead of FCE by one point, as their total increases to 15.

Neither of these sides will feature in the CPL’s upcoming midweek games, so they’ll both have a few welcome days off. FC Edmonton will return home for a crucial mid-table clash with York9 FC next Saturday, September 21st (3:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer). Pacific will also be in Alberta, as they take on Cavalry FC at Spruce Meadows the following day (3:30 p.m. ET, 1:30 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer).

Box Score

Goals
28′ – Kadin Chung (Pacific FC)

Discipline
52′ Yellow – Allan Zebie (FC Edmonton)
79′ Yellow – Tomi Ameobi (FC Edmonton)

Three Key Performers

Zach Verhoven (Pacific FC)

In just half an hour of work, Verhoven showed why he’s become one of the most-discussed youngsters in the CPL in recent weeks. He injected the match with energy, demonstrating his sky-high confidence by taking on defenders and making blistering runs through the middle of the park. He found three shots for himself in a stretch of the game where Pacific was often hemmed into their own half.

Tomi Ameobi (FC Edmonton)

Although he wasn’t able to beat Mark Village, Ameobi looked destined to score at times. He hit the post with a long-distance effort late in the game, and he pressed the Pacific defence all afternoon. Even without the ball at his feet, Ameobi made himself useful in attack by pulling defenders toward him to open up space for his teammates, who weren’t quite able to capitalize.

Noah Verhoeven (Pacific FC)

The Surrey native was thrust into a new position on Saturday, deployed at left-back in Michael Silberbauer’s defensive shakeup. He did well in the role, playing up and down the sidelines more than he’s used to. Verhoeven sent five crosses into the box, and he led his side with 71 touches. He also held his own defensively, making two tackles, two interceptions, and two clearances.