Valour FC just can’t stop winning.

Rob Gale’s side claimed sole possession of first place in the CPL on Saturday, seeing out a 2-0 win over Atlético Ottawa — the last goal coming on the edge of full time — to improve to a perfect 3-0 on the season (without conceding a goal).

Heading into the match, both sides managed to keep their lineups fairly consistent with previous contests, each manager making three changes — Tony Mikhael and William Akio earned their first professional starts for Valour and Daryl Fordyce drew back in, while Ottawa inserted Brian Wright up front, adding Chris Mannella in midfield and Milovan Kapor at the back.

After a few moments feeling out the conditions, both sides began settling into the game the way they wanted to play. Ottawa formed its organized lines and began looking for possession, while Valour waited for opportunities to strike with pace and break through the opposing block. The Winnipeg side, playing with a three-man backline for the first time this season, had a few lively bursts of energy with the ball — including one run from centre-back Stefan Cebara all the way to the opposing box — and they, for the most part, seemed to keep their opponents away from dangerous areas.

The one time Ottawa really troubled Valour in the first half, though, it looked as though they’d scored; Keesean Ferdinand’s back-post header into the net looked to have put Atlético up 1-0, but referee Ben Hoskins called a foul on Ottawa’s Kapor and disallowed the goal.

Instead, it would be Valour who got on the board first. With almost the final kick of the first half, Cebara took a pass from Andy Baquero out on the right flank. He found Ohin drifting between the Ottawa centre-backs, and the midfielder turned and finished with a powerful strike off the keeper’s gloves and in at the near post — Ohin’s first goal for the club.

The second half turned a little sloppier as the sides began to tire under the lights. A few Ottawa substitutions early in the second frame sought to add life to their attack that had, to that point, struggled to create much going forward, but Valour was content to soak up the pressure and threaten a handful of times on the counter.

In fact, it was one of those counter-attacks that put the nail in the coffin: Jared Ulloa, streaking up the right flank after winning the ball, cut into the box and went to ground after a push from Ottawa’s Vashon Neufville, earning a penalty for Valour. Moses Dyer, having come on recently as a substitute, buried the spot kick in the left side of the net to make it 2-0.

Ultimately, Valour succeeded in stifling the Ottawa advance, keeping them to just four total shots in the game (two of them on target), despite Atleti having 51.9% of possession. Having held their opponents mostly out of the attacking third for 90 minutes, Valour sailed on to a third straight win.

BOX SCORE

Goals

45′ — Raphael Ohin (Valour FC)
90+2′ — Moses Dyer (Valour FC)

Discipline

40′ — Yellow: Miguel Acosta (Atlético Ottawa)
70′ — Yellow: Austin Ricci (Valour FC)
82′ — Yellow: Vashon Neufville (Atlético Ottawa)