Thanks to two goals scored in the first half of the game and a solid defensive performance, CF Montreal ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC in front of another sold-out crowd at Stade Saputo on Saturday night.
Caden Clark, with his first goal of the season, and Bryce Duke scored in about three minutes of the first half against goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
Tim Ream hit back at Jonathan Sirois’ expense, also in the first half, with what was the visitors’ only shot on target during the first 90 minutes of play, plus the seven minutes added at the end of regulation time.
In return, CF Montreal players tested Kahlina nine times, mainly in the first half.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Caden Clark (23) celebrates his first goal of the season
CF Montreal will resume action on Wednesday against the New England Revolution, the same club that thrashed the Montreal team 5-0 at Stade Saputo on August 24.
Next Saturday, CF Montreal will return home to host the Chicago Fire.
CF wins from the start
On Friday, Laurent Courtois said he wanted to see his teammates have fun on the field, play with heart and discipline and not doubt. For the vast majority of the first half, they fulfilled their head coach’s wish.
Facing the team with the best defensive average in the Garber circuit before the weekend’s games, the CF Montreal players took control of the ball and enemy territory from the first moments of the duel.
If the first forays to the edge of the penalty area seemed a little timid and did not succeed, the perseverance of the Montrealers allowed them to hit the net twice before the match reached the half-hour mark.
Clark broke the tie at 23e minute during a sequence which saw CF Montreal unleash four shots in quick succession towards the opposing net.
Somehow, Kahlina stopped the first three, all at close range. But because he was out of position and his defenders were overwhelmed, Clark completed the sequence without too much difficulty.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
CF Montreal forward Josef Martinez (17) tries to get around Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina (1).
Then, at 26e minute, Duke doubled Montreal’s lead with a precise shot from the center of the box that deflected off Ream after he received a back pass from Raheem Edwards.
However, it was Clark who started the sequence by slipping a precise pass to Edwards, who was left free along the left flank.
Ream corrected his blunder less than 10 minutes later by deflecting a free-kick by Ashley Westwood from a tight angle behind Sirois.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Bryce Duke, left, and Liel Abada.
The first half hour of the second half did not see many good scoring chances from either side.
There was only one, in fact, when the ball ended up on the left foot of Samuel Piette, who was posted right in the heart of the penalty area.
Her shot, however, lacked a little vigor and Kahlina managed to block the ball by diving to her right.
During the seven additional minutes at the end of the second half, largely attributable to a large cloud of smoke that formed around the Charlotte FC net around the 70th minute,e minute, the visitors had only one genuinely good chance to score.
However, Jamie Paterson’s header deflection rolled to Jonathan Sirois’ right.