MONTREAL – FC Montreal won its first USL game by a score of 1-0 over the Charleston Battery on the synthetic field at Stade Saputo on Thursday afternoon.
In the 28th minute, winger Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle passed the ball deep down the left side to Impact forward Romario Williams. He moved forward with the ball before passing back to midfielder Louis Béland-Goyette. Without hesitation, Béland-Goyette shot low to beat the goalkeeper and score the only goal of the game, leading to a first win.
“Like my first USL goal, the winger did well to beat his defender before passing it back to me,” said midfielder Louis Béland-Goyette. “I've been working hard on my finishing.”
FC Montreal had a few other chances to score in the beginning of the game. In the 5th minute, midfielder Philippe Lincourt-Joseph in midfield played a through ball to Lajoie-Gravellle, forcing the keeper to make a big save.
Charleston midfielder Sebastien Thuriere also had a good chance to score in the 8th minute. Taking advantage of confusion on Montreal’s back line while Impact goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau charged out of his net, Thuriere had an open net but hit the post with his shot.
In the second half, Williams continued to create opportunities for the Bleu-blanc-noir. In the 65th minute, on a clearance from Maxime Crépeau, he controlled the ball before sending it deep. Lajoie-Gravelle, who was breaking in alone, fired a shot directly off the keeper.
The team fought hard defensively at the end of the game to close the door on the Battery’s forwards and got a first clean sheet on top of the three points.
“It represents a lot for us defensively against a top tier team,” said defender Mélé Temguia. “All the players were involve in a strong performance defensively, while respecting our attacking principles. We are pleased for the result, but also for our fans have supported us.”
“This victory is the result of hard work,” explained head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. “The players were rewarded and are happy with the performance. A win against a strong, undefeated side, who is in second place, shows the effort that was put in during the first month and a half."
The next FC Montreal game will be played away on Sunday, May 24, against the New York Red Bulls 2 at Red Bull Arena.
LINEUPS
FC Montréal : Maxime Crépeau ; Jonathan Grant (JanoukCharbonneau 73’), Chakib Hocine, Mélé Temguia, Zachary Sukunda ; Louis Béland-Goyette (Marco Dominguez 70’), Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé ; Romario Williams, Philippe Lincourt-Joseph (Nazim Belguendouz 86’), Frédéric Lajoie-Gravelle (Fabio Morelli 73’) ; Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Victor Omar Ndiaye 56’)
*Montreal Impact Players
Charleston Battery : Michael Linch ; Zachary Prince, Shawn Ferguson, AJ Cochran (Justin Portillo 72’), Taylor Mueller ; Sebastien Thuriere (Forrest Lasso 80’), Jarad van Schaik, Dante Marini, Jose Rodriguez (Austin Savage 66’) ; Ricardo Garbanzo, Dane Kelly
GOALS
MTL : Louis Béland-Goyette 28’
CAUTIONS
MTL : Anthony Jackson-Hamel 54’
MTL : Louis Béland-Goyette 68’
CHS : Zachary Prince 78’
MTL : Mélé Temguia 82’
MTL : Chakib Hocine 93’
