York United reached the halfway point of their 2023 CPL campaign in style on Sunday, as they defeated Vancouver FC 2-1 to climb back up to second in the table.

Thanks to a late Osaze De Rosario goal, York also snapped a three-game winless run, as they returned to victorious ways following a tough stretch.

While things got exciting late on, however, it wouldn’t take long for York United to open the scoring in this game, as they got themselves on the board inside just four minutes. After a great ball over the top from Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé, Oussama Alou did well to slide the ball past an onrushing Callum Irving, before slotting it into an empty net to make it 1-0.

Yet, that lead wouldn’t last long. Just two minutes later, Vancouver’s Anthony White would find Shaan Hundal with a perfect ball over the top, and Hundal would make no mistake in slotting home his sixth of the season to make it 1-1.

Continuing a frantic start to the game, Vancouver nearly made it 2-1 a minute later, as Gabriel Bitar unleashed a powerful strike from distance, forcing a solid save out of York’s Niko Giantsopoulos.

Then, five minutes later, Bitar nearly scored again, as he lined up a dangerous shot from the edge of the box following a nice lay-off from Hundal, but his strike would graze the wrong side of the post and slide out of play.

At the other end, York started to grow back into the game, after getting caught by surprise with Vancouver’s surge of energy.

First, Max Ferrari had a good look on his left foot from distance, but sent his shot well over the goal. Then, Clément Bayiha did well to find Kévin dos Santos with a great cross into the back post, but Santos’s header would hit the outside of the net and stay out.

Eager to grab a lead in front of their home fans, however, Vancouver continued to push. As a result, they nearly scored in the 25th minute, as Hundal did well to generate a shot out of a 1v1 with defender Tass Mourdoukoutas, but his left-footed attempt would be denied by Giantsopoulos.

York would do well to respond to that just minutes later, though, as Brian Wright then had a flurry of chances around the 30th minute. All coming off wide balls, he’d send one back-heeled attempt wide, one chipped aerial ball over the goal, and then a powerful header just past the post, as he looked to nab his first goal of the CPL season.

Wright would then come close to scoring the first goal in the 36th minute, doing well to unleash a strong shot inside of the box after a dangerous Alou ball, but his attempt would be kept out by the strong hands of Irving in Vancouver’s goal.

From there, however, the game would finally slow down, allowing both teams to reach half time with the score still knotted at 1-1.

On the other side of half time, Vancouver nearly started the half perfectly, as Ibrahim Bakare found Hundal with a great through ball in the 46th minute, but despite finding himself all alone with Giantsopoulos once again, it’d be the York goalkeeper who’d get the better of their second duel.

Then, in the 59th minute, Vancouver had a good look through Bitar, who’d do well to unleash a dangerous shot from a tight angle, narrowly missing the top corner with his attempt.

York almost made Vancouver regret those missed chances in the 61st minute, as Bayiha managed to find Wright with a tidy through ball. Still, despite finding himself alone with Irving, it’d be the Vancouver goalkeeper who’d get a leg to the attempt.

Not long later, however, Irving would have no answer for the next shot that’d come his way. There, second-half substitute, Osaze De Rosario, managed to pounce on a loose ball in the Vancouver attack, where his attempt would strike the leg of Min-Jae Kwak and loop just past a diving Irving, who could do nothing but watch the ball sail past his outstretched arms.

Much like when York scored their opener, though, Vancouver would wake up after that. Firstly, Nathaniel St.Louis just missed the target from outside of the box in the 79th minute, before Ameer Kinani sent a dangerous header wide in the 82nd minute.

With the game opening right up, York nearly put an end to proceedings in the 86th minute, as Michael Petrasso had a great look from outside of the box, but his top corner bound shot would be denied by a strong dive from Irving.

To end the match, however, things opened right up, as Vancouver nearly grabbed an equalizer off a dangerous James Cameron header at one end, before De Rosario overhit a great chance to complete his brace on the ensuing counter-attack.

From there, however, York would manage to see the win over the line, allowing them to leave Langley with all three points in their back pocket.

BOX SCORE

Goals

4′ — Oussama Alou (York United)
6′ — Shaan Hundal (Vancouver FC)
79′ — Osaze De Rosario (York United)

Discipline

68′ — Yellow: Ibrahim Bakare (Vancouver FC)
88′ — Yellow: Elijah Adekugbe (York United)
88′ — Yellow: Nicky Gyimah (Vancouver FC)
90+1′ — Yellow: Matthew Baldisimo (York United)