HFX Wanderers FC came out swinging but also came up short on Wednesday, dropping their Canadian Championship Qualifying Round 3 tie with Ottawa Fury 2-2, 5-4 on aggregate, ending their Voyageurs Cup run short of the Semi-Final and a date with MLS side Toronto FC.

The Wanderers slowly grew into the first half, as they continue an extended road swing, as the Fury’s large swaths of possession were counted with chances for the visitors.

Tomasz Skublak converted one of several decent first-half chances in the 31st minute when the centre-forward out-muscled his Fury marker before smashing a left-footed chance off the far post and in.

But the Wanderers weren’t done there against their higher-ranked opponents. A series of chances culminated in Luis Alberto Perea’s attempt in the 43rd minute. The veteran bundled home a second at the back post after a header from Peter Schaale, giving the Wanderers a lead in the tie.

However, the Fury were quick to respond. Onua Obasi’s near-side glancing header sailed past Jan-Michael Williams in first-half injury time, handing the aggregate advantage back to the home side heading into halftime.

A knockout first half led to a more subdued second frame, with the home side looking in control, eventually making due of their possession with a ball over the top for Christiano François, who finished his chance past Williams for a second goal

Despite only being a goal away from matching the first leg result, ultimately forcing penalties, the Wanderers were unable to find the chances they did in the first half, keeping the match level and dropping out of the Voyageurs Cup.

The Fury will now take on Toronto FC in the Semi-Final, with a first leg set for Wednesday, August 7th. The Wanderers will remain in Ontario, heading south to take on York9 FC on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET/OneSoccer) in a return to league action.

Box Score

Goals

31′ – Thomasz Skublak (HFX Wanderers)

42′ – Luis Alberto Perea (HFX Wanderers)

45+1′ – Onua Obasi (Ottawa Fury)

66′ – Christiano François (Ottawa Fury)

Disciplinary

73′ Yellow – Peter Schaale (HFX Wanderers)

73′ Yellow – Kévin Oliveira (Ottawa Fury)

79′ Yellow – Carl Haworth (Ottawa Fury)

86′ Yellow – Thomasz Skublak (HFX Wanderers)

Three Key Performers

Tomasz Skublak (HFX Wanderers)

HFX’s young bustling centre-forward scored a thing of beauty, but his day was much more than a decent finish. His pressure of Ottawa’s backline caused troubles, including just before his opening goal, where his interception nearly gave Perea an opening goal.

Carl Haworth (Ottawa Fury)

Fury skipper Haworth paraded up and down the right flank all night, stretching the play and creating chances with slicing passes. A match-high seven crosses led to his two assists on the night.

Onua Obasi (Ottawa Fury)

Haworth’s opposite fullback converted on one of those crosses well, with a glancing, well-contested header on the near side somehow made its way to the back of the net. Obasi was strong defensively on the left, nullifying the CanChamp standouts of Mohamed Kourouma and Andre Bona with team-high six tackles and three interceptions.