THUNDER BAY — It's probably a stretch to describe the third match of a 12-game season as a must-win.
But for the Thunder Bay Chill, after having only secured a single point through their first two games, that very well could have been the case.
Weathering howling winds, the threat of lightning, and a team above them in the USL League 2 Deep North Division standings, the Chill scored an emphatic 3-0 win over the St. Croix Legends at Tbaytel Field at Chapples Park on Friday night.
Those three points are hugely important, said Chill attacking midfielder Jordan Alonge, who struck in the first half to give Thunder Bay their first lead of the league campaign.
"There's not many games in the season, so every game counts," he said. "The first win, it feels good and it's a relief."
Thunder Bay head coach Tony Colistro said the win positions the squad for their next stage of the season, which features a two-game road trip next week.
"We're going in confident with a win and we know we can get the job done," Colistro said. "That was one part of our game that we needed to improve. We did a lot of that in practice — finishing. Being patient, we know we have a good team out there. We kept possession for most of the game again. That's what we've been doing.
"We have a lot of talent on the team."
The Chill's opening goal, their first of the regular season to come before second half stoppage time, could very well have never happened.
A flash of lightning during the latter stages of the first half appeared to have one of the linesmen attempt to alert the referee, which could have resulted in a pause in the action, but the match continued.
Just a few minutes later, the continuation of play after a Chill corner kick ultimately led to the ball finding winger Karim Pare with space in the penalty area. Staying composed, Pare played a pass to Alonge, who was able to direct the ball into the goal to pull the home side ahead in the 42nd minute.
"Super important, vital in fact," Alonge said of being able to get the goal before the halftime break. "Sometimes you just need to get that first goal to break into the game and then more will come."
With dark clouds hovering and intense winds whipping, both sides came out of the locker room for the second half. The Legends, playing from behind, were also faced with a direct head wind.
The Chill doubled their advantage in the 56th minute, after heralded striker Brandon Bermingham won a penalty kick and then converted from the spot for his second league goal of the season.
The lead later grew to three, when pressing from second-half substitutes Sullivan Silva and Jamie Wynn forced a St. Croix turnover, which led to Pare having an opportunity. Although Legends goalkeeper Wesley Sanders stopped the initial shot, Pare followed up and scored on the second chance to notch his first goal of the regular season.
Without having had the luxury of playing with a lead to defend yet this season, Colistro was encouraged that his side was able to hold it and expand the advantage in the second half.
"That's what we wanted to see. If we get a lead, that tends to open teams up," he said. "I think we saw that St. Croix opened up after that first goal. That's going to work to our advantage, with the speed we have and the skill we have."
Colistro is optimistic those goals could boost a Chill attack that had struggled to put away their chances during their first two league contests.
"It's going to help us a lot," he said. "From a confidence perspective, it does a lot for the players. They're finding the net, they know they can score."
Chill goalkeeper Nathaneal Sallah was rarely pressured as he kept the clean sheet. The centre-back duo of Thomas Gray and Pierre Lurot, along with starting fullbacks Edoardo Calzola and Moses Kafeero, put in a strong performance as they stymied Legends striker Nathan Donovan, who entered the match netting four goals in three games.
"That was important for us because we hadn't really been tested in the back," Colistro said. "We were happy with the way we defended."
Thunder Bay (1-1-1) will travel south of the border next week to take on RKC Third Coast and Bavarian United.
