Halifax pro soccer teams down to the wire as Tides and Wanderers push for playoffs

Both the Halifax Wanderers and the Halifax Tides hope to grab the fourth and final spot in their respective league paly offs.

It’s a battle of the coasts for the fourth and final spot of playoff contention in both the Canadian Premiere League (CPL) and the Norther Super League (NSL).

“It’s pretty simple, the job. At least we know what we have to do. Because in case we win all the games, we will go to the playoffs,” said Vanni Sartini, head coach of the Halifax Wanderers. “It’s not going to be easy for sure. But we are here to weather the dance. So, we’re going to dance.”

“We are at that stage where I guess the next three games in particular are the most important game in this club’s history. And I think there’s an element of pressure that I’m sure we all feel and we all want to get the job done, but we’re privileged to be in the position that we are,” said Katie Barrott, assistant coach with the Halifax Tides. “Last year, you know, we were playing for pride and not for playoffs. And we’ve got a great opportunity here.”

For the Halifax Wanderers, the road ahead is not an easy one.

With four games left in the regular season, they are seven points behind Vancouver FC but have one game in hand as Vancouver is on a bye week.

“With the Wanderers it’s honestly such an uphill battle because if they got some points against Atlético Ottawa this past weekend, we would be talking a little bit differently about this team,” said Jordan Wilson, analyst and broadcaster with OneSoccer. “But the fact that they’ve got to make up seven points, it’s win. And the thing is everyone’s like, ‘Okay, that’s easy to do.’ But the fact that they haven’t, they’ve only one once this season back-to-back. And that was recently, it’s very difficult for any team.”

They head into Hamilton this Saturday to take on the Forge, who sit second in the league.

“We’re taking one game at the time with the idea that we are basically in a playoff mode. It’s kind of a do or die every game now,” Sartini said. “We need to go there and be on top of our game because you know they are very good team. They are very experienced. But at the same time in the last two games that we played them, I think we played better than them. So there’s a lot of confidence there. We need to go there, focusing a lot on ourselves and trying to be on top of our game.”

After Hamilton, they come back to Wanderers Grounds to face off against the number one team in the league in Calgary Cavalry on Thanksgiving Monday, before heading to Vancouver to face them in a short week the same Friday.

“This weekend we just focus on us. They don’t play. So, if we win we’re going to get three points closer to them,” Sartini said. “But then the next one for sure is going to be a big one. Because I would say the result if they if they give us a hand and they don’t win, we can arrive at the game that we have in Vancouver that is going to be the game with the capital G and try maybe to catch them or even overcome them.”

Having moved across the country this past off-season to take the coaching job in Halifax, Sartini knows that the East Coast will get some love on the West Coast on Oct. 16.

“I still have a ton of friends in Vancouver. Even if we’ll play there away, we will have a little contingent of fans,” he said. “Even if we are so far away, they’re going to root for the Wanderers and try to give us a push and win.”

The Wanderers sit 7-5-12 with 26 points.

“The season, to be honest, didn’t start very well. We were almost a completely new team with a lot of young players, and I think we paid a little bit at the at the beginning of the season, a little bit of an experience, a little bit of getting to know each other and how to play,” said Sartini. “But to be honest, after the break for the World Cup, I think we did very well. In terms of quality of the game, we are probably on the top three. The fact that of course we had to play catch up in terms of results, in terms of points, put us in this situation that we’re still in, we’re still fighting.

“But I’m very happy and I think we’re trending in the right way. And of course, the objective is trying to get to the playoffs. But even if we look at the bigger picture, we’re trending in the right way, even to go for the next season.”

On the Halifax Tides side, they sit just one point behind the Vancouver Rise, with three games left in the season.

“I think being able to have the first two of these three games at home that matter so much is a really exciting moment,” said Barrott. “And I know that the core players are excited to give this opportunity to the fans and themselves that they didn’t have last year and for the for the new players. I think it’s just building off that and being able to come into the club and create history as well.”

They face off against the Calgary Wild on Saturday, the team who sits in last but has been giving the league a run for their money.

“Full credit to Calgary. I think they’re in a position similar to where we were last year, and I think they’re just playing football and enjoying themselves. And you see that in the way they play,” said Barrott about losing their last match on the road to Calgary. “For us, it’s really important that we respect the situation that we’re in and we show up being a team that needs to score goals and needs to win games, and I think being able to have the crowd behind you while you do that is already going to add that little bit of edge. But for us, it really is going to be about winning individual battles and player standing up in these big moments.”

While the Tides boast the lowest goals against in the league, they also have the least amount of goals for.

“I think whenever you have 21 goals for and 21 goals against, you’re like, ‘Okay, well defensively we’re solid, but obviously scoring is scarce, we can’t put the ball in the back of the net,’” said Wilson. “It has to be a situation where this team kind of comes to life. But when you think about that tack, the biggest thing that sticks out to me about the Tides is that Jordyn Rhodes is a baller. Nice player, but only five goals. And when you think about it, nearly half of their goals are from corners as well. They can play centrally but just allergic to scoring and scoring big goals. I really hope they use a 12th man, the 12th teammate in those fans at the stadium because East Coast has such a different vibe.

“We don’t want to walk away thinking, ‘What if we did this?’ But we’re in a league where anyone can beat anyone and we’ve seen that. The biggest thing is just focusing on what we can control. And if we get points and put pressure on them, they play after us.”

For the Tides, big games call for big moments.

“We know that in a playoff push, it’s going to come down to players coming up big in moments that’s required. But in both boxes, Anika (Toth) did that for us in that game. She also did it the time we beat Montreal away, which was a huge points for our season,” said Barrott of their nil-nil draw against Montreal last Sunday.

“I think it’s a little bit of that. It’s a little bit of knowing that we can compete with everyone, but really the reality is we have to score goals. I think we still walked away from that game. Yes, we picked up a really valuable point, but we also walked away knowing that that was a team we can beat.”

After facing Calgary, they will host Montreal one last time at home this regular season before hitting the road to Toronto for their final match on Oct. 26.

And while they both fight for their playoff lives, the Halifax teams have improved from last season, but also throughout this season, something neither coach has overlooked.

“I would say they are more mature and play even under pressure,” said Sartini of his squad. “And that’s what impressed me the most in the second part of the season, I would say on a team level, on the individual level, a lot of the young guys that were at their first year as a pro, they grew immensely from a new player then now became established player in the in the team.”

For Barrott, growth would also be the impressive factor.

“I’ve just been really impressed with that professionalism from the group,” she said. “The willingness not only to improve but to improve each other, I think has really put us in a good position. I think, look, we’re building off a lot of solid performances. But again, I think what you’ll hopefully see in these last three games has just that edge and that desire to do what it takes to win, regardless of the style of football you play.”

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page