After overwhelming their preliminary round opponents 7-0 a week earlier, Atlético Ottawa found themselves in a much more tightly contested match where defence ruled the day, with “Ottleti” drawing 0-0 against Pacific FC. Just shy of 2000 fans took in what was the first leg of their home-and-away Canadian Championship quarterfinal matchup, with the second leg set for May 29 in Langford, BC.
The draw means Ottawa remains undefeated in their first 6 matches of 2024 across all competitions. The CanChamp uses the away-goal rule, so Ottawa has a slight advantage heading into the second leg, as they did not concede a goal at home. As long as Ottawa scores at least one goal next time, a win or a draw will put them through to the semi-finals.
While the first half was an extremely tentative one by both sides, with neither team eager to take many chances, the second half was feistier, and fans were far more engaged in the later stages. A Max Tissot shot in the second half that rung off the crossbar was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock.
Fans will be able to catch the second leg of the quarter final on OneSoccer. After the game, coach Carlos Gonzalez said he was preparing for a less defensive Pacific side next time, and they’ll be prepared to match that.
“I don’t expect the same type of game, because they have to go in front of their fans and try to propose… more offensive situations. We have to improve on things. Learning how to break down opponents defending in a low-block with a lot of numbers. We still have a lot of months to work and we’re just getting started.”
Catch Atlético Ottawa’s next home match May 25 at 3pm against perennial powerhouse Forge FC. Single-game tickets for that match, and any 2024 regular season CPL match are available online or at the TD Place box office.
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