Valour FC enjoyed a perfect Saturday of football at IG Field, defeating FC Edmonton 3-1 to move to third in the Canadian Premier League’s Fall table down the final stretch of the 2019 campaign.

Goals from Dylan Carreiro, Michele Paolucci, and Marco Bustos on either end of an Easton Ongaro tap-in gave Rob Gale’s side a comprehensive victory and all three points against the Eddies, who they have gotten the better of three times over five league meetings, with one prior draw and loss.

Valour looked to have gotten on the board quite early, as Ali Musse found the back of the net just three minutes in, but his goal was adjudged offside. Instead, Musse would play provider in the 12th minute, bamboozling Edem Mortotsi before swinging in a perfect cross into the box; it was just too high for Michael Petrasso’s leaping head, but fell wonderfully to Carreiro, who smashed it past goalkeeper Dylon Powley on the volley to give his team a 1-0 lead.

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Ten minutes later, Powley earned a touch of redemption, denying Paolucci on a break, but the wiley Italian striker wouldn’t be held off the board forever, meeting a driven cross by Petrasso at the 40th minute and tapping home with ease to give his team a 2-0 lead at half-time.

The Eddies came into the second half flying a little higher, and earned a lead-cutting goal off a misplay by Valour goalkeeper Tyson Farago, who misjudged the angle of a cross by Oumar Diouck, and saw the ball land on Ongaro at the far post.

But, a Marco Bustos penalty slotted home with no fuss restored that two-goal cushion, giving Valour a 3-1 lead at the final whistle.

The result extends Valour’s good run of form against the Eddies and hands Jeff Paulus’ side their 10th straight match without a win, with their last victory coming on Aug. 10 in a 3-1 win over Pacific at Clarke Field.

Valour returns to action on October 16, returning to IG Field to host visiting York9 FC (8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT, available on OneSoccer). The Eddies also play that same day, hosting Pacific FC at Clarke Field (Oct 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. MT, available on OneSoccer).

Goals
12′ – Dylan Carreiro (Valour FC)
40′ – Michele Paolucci (Valour FC)
56′ – Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton)
72′ – Marco Bustos (Valour FC)can

Discipline
88′ Yellow – Michele Paolucci (Valour FC)
92′ Yellow – Federico Pena (Valour FC)

Three Key Performers

Dylan Carreiro (Valour FC)

Wearing the armband at IG Field on the day, Carreiro’s passing range and shooting acumen was on full display against the Eddies, with his incredible volley serving to put his name on the scoresheet … and straight onto our three key performers.

Easton Ongaro (FC Edmonton)

Ongaro was a bright spot in FC Edmonton’s attack, scoring one and nearly adding a second with his presence of mind and his touch in and around the box. He’s got eight goals to his name for a reason, folks.

Ali Musse (Valour FC)

We could have given this spot to Bustos, Paolucci, or Petrasso – all of whom were excellent on the day – but Ali Musse’s perfect cross on his team’s opening goal, coupled with a few dazzling runs, means he’s caught our attention for good reason.