Game Report: Pacific FC

The rain didn’t dampen our fan’s spirits or the players' gusto on the pitch this past Wednesday! The Nanaimo United crew was incredibly excited to see such a supportive, umbrella-toting fan base out and ready to cheer. You could feel the Island energy buzzing through the heavy layers of GoreTex and coats!

Pacific showed their professional prowess in the first half and scored 3 goals right off the bat. Their captain, Josh Heard, gave our defense no time to breathe when the ball was in our end. Declan Brown - a local player who rose through the ranks of Nanaimo’s youth soccer system and was the captain of the first half of Wednesday’s match - said the speed and timing of Pacific’s movements was unlike anything he’s ever played against! “It forced us to adapt and was a very good learning experience,” he noted. A fourth goal was scored later in the first half despite a valiant blocking attempt from one of Nanaimo’s long-time goalkeepers, Marko Ilich.

The Captains, left to right: Declan Brown, Josh Heard

The teams are in the process of trialling players, so the second half offered an entirely new field of players. Nanaimo United had a few chances from just outside the box, and managed to wreak a bit of havoc in Pacific’s end. The second half ended nil-nil.

Pacific FC’s coach, James Merriman, said “it was a good game for us. We’re still learning about each other, it’s still really early. It was nice coming to Nanaimo…change of environment. We had an excellent first half.” 

Centre photo, left to right: Tristan Cornwell and Matthew Coburn in defensive pursuit.

And with that, preseason is in full swing! Three weeks remain until our home opener on April 12, and both of our squads are assembling and preparing for the whirlwind. Enjoyed Wednesday’s action and are itching for more? 

Buy your season passes or game tickets now!

On April 12 at the Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium, the women kick off at 1 PM and the men go at 3:30 PM. We can’t wait to see you there!