RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Vancouver FC vs. Pacific FC (April 26, 2025)

For the first time ever, the Salish Sea Derby finished without a winner, as Vancouver FC and Pacific FC battled to a 1-1 draw at Willoughby Community Park on Saturday.

Despite Vancouver playing down a player for over 40 minutes, a late Pacific push didn't yield a late winner even after cancelling out an early Vancouver goal with a 70th-minute equalizer, forcing both teams to share the spoils.

It took 18 minutes for Vancouver to open the scoring in this one, as Terran Campbell won the ball high up the pitch and immediately played it forward to Nicolás Mezquida, who did well to slot the ball into the bottom corner for his second goal in two games, having scored a similar goal vs. Cavalry last weekend.

From there, they did well to ride out that lead the rest of the first half, reaching the break still up 1-0.

After a quiet first half on their end, Pacific looked to find new energy in the second half, as they tried to get back into the game. They nearly found an equalizer in the 47th minute, too, as Vancouver's David Norman Jr. fired a clearance into Marco Bustos, and the ball nearly flew into Vancouver's goal from there, forcing a good save out of Callum Irving.

Then, however, the game changed significantly in the 51st minute, as Kunle Dada-Luke was issued a straight red card for violent conduct following a foul on Sean Young, putting Vancouver down a player for the rest of the game.

Looking to take advantage of the extra space, Pacific started to push for a goal. They had a good look in the 66th minute, as the ball fell to Marco Bustos inside the box on his right foot, but his low shot would be palmed away by Irving.

The Pacific pressure would finally pay off in the 70th minute, however. On a corner, Bustos managed to curl a perfect ball into the box, finding the head of Aly Ndom, who powerfully nodded the ball into the net to make it 1-1.

Pacific then nearly found a lead just minutes later, too, as Sami Keshavarz made a bursting run through the middle before teeing up Bustos, but Bustos's shot curled just wide of the goal.

Josh Heard nearly grabbed a dramatic winner in added time, lashing a dangerous volley towards goal, but he'd be denied by a nice stop from Callum Irving, keeping the game at 1-1.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Vancouver FC: Irving; Dada-Luke, Campagna, Norman Jr., Bah; Fry, Essoussi (Godbout 87'); Campbell (Tahid 64'), Mezquida, Fotsing (Gee 58'); Díaz (Batista 64')

Pacific FC: Melvin; Mukumbilwa (Young 46'), Machado, Ndom, Greco-Taylor; Chung, Browning-Lagerfeldt, Keshavarz (Toualy 78'); Bustos (Montejano 78'), Heard, Zanatta (Kratt 46')

Goals

18' — Nicolás Mezquida (Vancouver FC)
70' — Marco Bustos (Pacific FC)

Discipline

43' — Yellow: Pedro Machado (Pacific FC)
45' — Yellow: Josh Heard (Pacific FC
51' — Red: Kunle Dada-Luke (Vancouver FC)
56' — Yellow: Vasco Fry (Vancouver FC)
69' — Yellow: Nicolás Mezquida (Vancouver FC)
80' — Yellow: Lukas Browning-Lagerfeldt (Pacific FC)
81' — Yellow: Paris Gee (Vancouver FC)
90+1' — Yellow: Elage Bah (Vancouver FC)