HIGHLIGHTS: York United vs. Vancouver FC | April 22, 2023

Vancouver FC are in the win column for the first time ever, as they secured a 2-1 result at York United on Saturday afternoon thanks to a pair of early goals from Shaan Hundal and Gael Sandoval.

After going scoreless in their first two games as a club, Vancouver FC wasted no time in making history on Saturday. As York’s Mo Babouli dropped back to receive a pass from his goalkeeper in the sixth minute, VFC striker Hundal stepped in to pick Babouli’s pocked at the top of the box, finishing coolly past Niko Giantsopoulos for the first goal in club history.

With that weight lifted off their shoulders, Vancouver continued to press forward, and they were rewarded again soon after. Kadin Chung stole the ball off Babouli near the wing and played forward, as Hundal and Gael Sandoval combined to play Gabriel Bitar through on goal. Gianstopoulos rushed forward in the box to stop Bitar, but he mistimed his lunge and took out the VFC attacker’s legs, prompting referee Ben Hoskins to award a penalty.

Sandoval, who has scored a spot kick previously at the Club World Cup, made no mistake slotting it effortlessly to the keeper’s right to make it 2-0.

York clawed one back 10 minutes before halftime, as Vancouver’s Ibrahim Bakaré cleared a cross but only as far as Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy at the top of the box. The 19-year-old — who’d only come into the match 10 minutes prior for Clément Bayiha — took a touch before firing it through traffic into the back of the net.

The pace of play remained vigorous in the second half, as York desperately sought an equalizer and Vancouver looked to go the other way on the counter-attack. Both managers turned to their benches a few times — Vancouver’s Afshin Ghotbi was forced to take out Kadin Chung with a minor injury as well — and as the rain resumed in the last 15 minutes York continued looking for a way through.

Despite York throwing all they had at the visitors in the dying moments, but an exhausted Vancouver backline held firm to secure the expansion club’s first three points.

BOX SCORE

Goals

6′ — Shaan Hundal (Vancouver FC)
18′ — Gael Sandoval (Vancouver FC) (Penalty)
35′ — Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy (York United)

Discipline

42′ — Yellow: Shaan Hundal (Vancouver FC)
50′ — Yellow: Nima Moazeni Zadeh (Vancouver FC)
70′ — Yellow: Ameer Kinani (Vancouver FC)
81′ — Yellow: Minjae Kwak (Vancouver FC)
82′ — Yellow: Rocco Romeo (Vancouver FC)