Whitecaps use late goal to defeat Valour FC, advance to Canadian Championship semis

Valour FC goalkeeper Eleias Himaras allows the winning goal to Vancouver Whitecaps' Bjorn Inge Utvik, not seen, during second half Canadian Championship quarterfinal soccer action, in Vancouver, B.C., Wednesday, July 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — Defender Bjorn Utvik chose a great time to score his first-ever goal for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Utvik leaped above a crowd to head in a shot in the 90th minute to give the Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Valour FC to win their Telus Canadian Championship quarterfinal series Wednesday night.

“It’s special the way that it happened,” said Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen. “He was on the front foot all the time.

“He was all the time in the right position. I’m very happy for him.”

The Whitecaps, who play in Major League Soccer, were favoured over Valour. But the Canadian Premier League team from Winnipeg pressed Vancouver until the end.

Even though the Whitecaps swarmed the Valour net most of the night, the game’s three goals came in the final 11 minutes of regulation time.

“They did everything they were supposed to do to make it very hard for us,” said Sorensen. “That’s how cup football is. It can be difficult at times.”

Forward Emmanuel Sabbi, a second-half substitute, gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 79th minute with a shot from the top of the box. He celebrated by doing backflips. Defender Ranko Veselinovic assisted on the play.

Valour battled back, tying the match in the 86th minute when Jevontae Layne’s header off a corner kick snuck into the net.

Utvik, playing in his second season with Vancouver, won the match when forward Jayden Nelson looped a shot into the box. Utvik went high into the air and directed it past goaltender Eleias Himaras, bringing a roar from the crowd of 14,536 at BC Place Stadium.

Nelson said the Whitecaps refused to crumble.

“This group has been together for a very long time,” he said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why we can come back in these games. We know that we’re able to bounce back.”

Vancouver will face Hamilton’s Forge in a two-match semifinal with the opening game in August.

Himaras said that despite the loss, Valour left the pitch feeling good about themselves.

“As a team, we can’t be prouder of the commitment and the effort we put in today,” he said. “To come here and stay in this game until the last minute . . . we have to carry this into the season moving forward.

“We’re a little bit upset, it’s a tough pill to swallow, but we will continue.”

Valour coach Phil Dos Santos said his player refused to quit.

“I can’t ask more for our guys,” said Dos Sanots, a former Whitecaps assistant. “The biggest was the passion and focus the guys had in these matches.”

The Whitecaps are seeking their fourth consecutive Canadian Championship.

Vancouver and Valour tied 2-2 back on May 20 in Winnipeg during the opening of the two-match aggregate series.

Earlier Wednesday, Hamilton’s Forge defeated CF Montreal 3-2 in another quarter-final match. That left Vancouver the only MLS team left in the competition.

The other semifinal will feature Athletico Ottawa against Vancouver FC in a battle of CPL teams.

The Whitecaps came into the match 2-3-0 in their last five MLS games. Vancouver is second in the MLS Western Conference with a 11-4-5 record and fifth overall in league standings.

Valour (2-8-2) are seventh in the CPL and came into the match with three straight losses.

Valour earned its way into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over semi-professional side TSS Rovers in the preliminary round. As defending champions, the Whitecaps had a bye through the tournament’s first round.

UP NEXT:

The Whitecaps head out on the road for MLS games against Colorado Saturday then play in Houston July 16 and San Diego July 19.

Valour hosts York United on Sunday in CPL play.

This report by Jim Morris, The Canadian Press, was first published July 9, 2025.