Prince Amanda, hero is he, prince of Edmonton.

FC Edmonton defeated Pacific FC to close out their home matches of the 2019 season at Clarke Field, picking up a 3-1 win courtesy of a goal and an assist by 18-year-old Amanda, as well as a brilliant volley by Mele Temguia.

Amanda got the party started with a peach of a first goal in Eddies blue, as he ran toward Blake Smith at the edge of the box. A fleet-footed cut to the right, then to the left opened a sight at goal, which Amanda struck with his left foot, beating Mark Village on his near side for a 1-0 lead just 20 minutes into the match.

Five minutes later, Amanda played provider, using that same back-and-forth sway to dribble his way through the Pacific FC backline, before setting up Easton Ongaro for his ninth goal of the season. Amanda nearly added a second to his tally, though his shot skirted past the wrong side of the post, while Oumar Diouck also had a great look at goal from a free-kick, which forced Village into a save on the line, despite being struck from well outside the box.

A three-on-one opportunity for the Eddies was also cleared off the line by a Pacific defender, further pinning the Tridents onto the ropes as the game wore on. But, a Ben Fisk goal at the hour mark, struck delightfully to round out a charging run through the Edmonton backline, seemed to open the second half back up for Pacific, only for Temguia to knock home a sweet volley in the 79th minute off a series of crosses and passes initially stemming from a corner. It would be the final bit of action in this back-and-forth between two mid-table sides, as Edmonton bowed out of Clarke Field with a 3-1 win – their first victory ending a 10-match winless run.

The Eddies next travel to Calgary to take on Alberta rivals Cavalry FC in a match that will decide the Fall winner, as Cavalry needs a win to leapfrog Forge FC one final time in this last match day of action (Oct. 19 at 4:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. MT, available on OneSoccer). Meanwhile, Pacific FC will call it a season at Westhills Stadium on the same day as they host Valour to close out the 2019 Canadian Premier League regular season campaign (6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, available on OneSoccer).

Box Score

Goals
20′ – Prince Amanda (FC Edmonton)
25′ – Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton)
59′ – Ben Fisk (Pacific FC)
79′ – Mele Temguia (FC Edmonton)

Discipline
22′ Yellow – Edem Mortotsi (FC Edmonton)
28′ Yellow – Matthew Baldisimo (Pacific FC)
92′ Yellow – Bruno Zebie (FC Edmonton)

Three key performers

Prince Amanda (FC Edmonton)

“Who?,” you might be wondering, and for good reason; this particular player was a complete unknown coming into this match, having not played for the Eddies all season. But, with a goal and an assist – both of which featured some dazzling footwork by the 18-year-old, Prince Amanda has now introduced himself to Canada. “It’s only taken me 27 games to figure out I’ve got a winger,” says FCE head coach Jeff Paulus. That, you most certainly do.

Oumar Diouck (FC Edmonton)

Right beside Amanda up top, Diouck was feisty for 90 minutes, putting up six shots (four on target) to continually hound Mark Village’s goal. While he didn’t find the back of the net, the Belgian forward will still count this match as being particularly fruitful as his team ended a 10-match skid courtesy of his and his teammates’ positive attacking play.

Ajay Khabra (FC Edmonton)

With 61 total touches and 42 total passes (more than any other player on the field for Edmonton), Khabra was a bright spot in the Eddies midfield, directing traffic accurately enough – 85.7% accurately, to be exact – and providing an outlet to his teammates out wide and up top. It was a good, albeit underrated showing from a good, underrated player.