York United FC players celebrate after clinching Wednesday’s CPL playoff win 3-2 over the Halifax Wanderers at the Wanderers Grounds. Photo by Tim Krochak /Chronicle HeraldArticle contentThe goal was simple for the Halifax Wanderers on Wednesday – make club historyTHIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThey welcomed rival York United FC to the Wanderers Grounds for the franchise’s first-ever home playoff game and the teams went at each other hard on what turned out to be a wild night in downtown Halifax. The teams needed an extra 30 minutes after the usual 90, while also enduring lengthy lightning delays late in the evening, before York finally settled it 3-2 on penalty kicks.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“I think (the fans) deserve more,” said veteran Halifax midfielder Andre Rampersad. “They stayed here until 11 o’clock tonight and they’re going home disappointed, as they should be. I think it was another learning curve for us and we have to pick up and go again. It’s a club that’s growing and I know we have the fanbase…and I think moments like these are only going to make us stronger.”Article contentThe teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation time and then navigated the strangest extra 30 minutes in the CPL’s seven-year existence. Officials had to clear the field and stadium twice while they monitored nearby lightning bursts, only for the real fireworks to start once play eventually resumed.Article contentAfter the players and remaining fans returned after about a half-hour wait at 10:40 p.m., Halifax’s Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare stepped up to score an electrifying goal in the 114th minute that should’ve put the game to bed. But because there is no golden goal rule in the CPL, York still had a glimmer of hope and they somehow managed to equalize it again with just a couple of minutes remaining.Article contentArticle contentThat set the stage for the penalty kicks and a high miss by Gagnon-Lapare on Halifax’s sixth attempt brought the night to a gut-wrenching end.Article content“It’s very emotional,” Rampersad said. “We had it 1-0 for the majority of the game and then they score in, like, the 88th minute. Then we go back out and the lightning comes and we stop again when we have momentum. But I think the guys never shied away. I think we always believed that we probably would come away with a big victory, which we didn’t, so we were disappointed in that. But I don’t think we ever lost the mentality.”Article content Halifax Wanderers striker Tiago Coimbra connects on a bicycle shot on goal during the first half of Wednesday’s CPL playoff game against York United FC at the Wanderers Grounds. Photo by Tim Krochak /Chronicle HeraldArticle contentDespite the crushing disappointment, the Wanderers left the field knowing it was, on balance, a positive campaign. This was just the second time they qualified for playoffs in a full CPL season. The only other time they took the step was in 2023 when they lost in the opening round. They also appeared in the championship game of the abbreviated 2020 COVID-19 Island Games but most league followers place an asterisk on that season.
A wild night of soccer: lightning delays, marathon game ends with Wanderers heartbreak
