The key to winning a two-game, total-goal series is not conceding goals at home.

On Wednesday, FC Edmonton gave up three to the Ottawa Fury at Clarke Stadium, and in a sense, gave the series away with a game still left to play.

Defender Fernando Sanfelice scored in the first half while Carl Haworth and Idan Vered added the others in the second half for the Fury in a 3-0 victory to take a stranglehold in the series. The second game takes place next Wednesday in Ottawa.

“It’s very disappointing, take nothing away from Ottawa, they took their chances well,” said FC Edmonton head coach Colin Miller. “I think I could have played on our back four the way we defended. The second goal rips the heart out of the team, I thought we started well in the second half and were on the front foot and looked a bit dangerous, but to give away a goal like that, at this level of football is absolutely criminal.”

In the event of a tie after two games, goals scored on the road are used as a tiebreaker, but FC Edmonton will be hard-pressed to take the series to that point, needing at least three goals next week.

The winner of the two-game series moves to face the defending national champion, Vancouver Whitecaps, in the next round.

“I thought it was an effective performance,” said Fury head coach Paul Dalglish. “I think we can even play better in terms of ball possession and moving the ball quicker. But in all honesty, it doesn’t really matter, the most important thing in football is defending your penalty box and attacking the other team’s penalty box. I thought it was a very, very effective, a very professional performance by us.”

The Fury started the game strong, looking for the all-important away goal. They pressed high up the field and kept Edmonton pinned in their own end. Eventually, Ottawa earned themselves a free kick along the left wing, 10 yards outside of the penalty area.

Fury midfielder James Bailey whipped a ball into the box, which Sanfelice was able to get a glancing header on and direct it into the bottom corner of the net past Edmonton goalkeeper Matt VanOekel.

The goal changed the complexion of the game for FC Edmonton, who were then forced to push forward in search of an equalizer.

Edmonton came close to equalizing two minutes from the end of the half as midfielder Shamit Shome got to the end of a Dustin Corea cross and headed a ball that appeared to be going up and over goalkeeper Marcel DeBellis. However, DeBellis was able to reach back and get a fingertip to the ball to deflect it over the net.

“That’s a good as a goal for us when your goalkeeper makes a save like that,” Dalglish said. “Sometimes you place more importance in events that happened than events that prevent something happening. I think when you see the goal everyone knows the importance, but people will forget about that save that Marcel made, but that’s as good as a goal.”

Early in the second half, VanOekel kept Edmonton from going down 2-0, with his best save of the game.

VanOekel was able to get down to stop a shot from Fury striker Carl Haworth, who did well to take a pass in the box, turn his defender and get a low shot off.

VanOekel, however, undid the save later in the half when he handed the ball to the Fury and was soon then after picking the ball out of his net.

Centre back Albert Watson played the ball back to his goalkeeper, but instead of clearing it, VanOekel attempted to play it up through the heart of his penalty area and it was intercepted by Ottawa midfielder Lance Rozeboom who slid it over to Haworth for an easy tap-in.

“It was just a sequence of nothing and the ball ends up in the back of our net,” Miller said. “There is just no grey areas for that. If in doubt, give it a clout and we’re taking chances where we don’t have to take chances. Matt has been terrific for us this season and there are a few players involved in that sequence and it doesn’t look clever, that’s for sure.”

This past Saturday, VanOekel had made similar error in a 1-1 tie at the Indy Eleven, but was able to bail himself out.

On this occasion, the mistake put Edmonton in a huge hole, which got even bigger five minutes later when Vered beat defender Adam Eckersley to a cross at the far post to put Ottawa up 3-0.

Vered was able to steer in a header off an excellent cross, whipped in by Ottawa midfielder Marcel de Jong, which bounced in front of goal freezing VanOekel.

After going down three goals, Edmonton pushed forward desperate to pull at least a goal back, but were unable to find a way past DeBellis.

Dvandiest@postmedia.com

twitter.com/DerekVanDiest

GAME REVIEW

Ottawa Fury 3, FC Edmonton 0

MAN OF THE MATCH

Fernando Sanfelice

Scored the opening goal of the game, which changed the complexion of the contest and forced Edmonton to chase the game and leave themselves exposed at the back, where they were eventually punished.

GAME GRADES

Offence D

Defence D

Goalkeeping D

Toughness D

Effort D

WHY THEY LOST

They fell behind a goal early and then gave away a second, putting them in too big a hole to lift themselves out. While they were still lamenting conceding a terrible second goal, they gave up a third, which pretty much has put the series out of reach heading for the second game in Ottawa next week.

BIG PLAY

Ottawa midfielder James Bailey swings a free kick into the FC Edmonton penalty area, where Fernando Sanfelice is able to climb above the FC Edmonton defenders and flick a header into the bottom corner of the net for the opening goal of the game.

BIG SAVE

FC Edmonton midfielder Shamit Shome is able to get to the end of a Dustin Corea cross and head the ball that appeared to be heading up and over Ottawa goaltender Marcel DeBellis, who had come off his line. DeBellis, however, was able to reach back and tip the ball way.

UP NEXT

FC Edmonton vs New York Cosmos, Sunday (2 p.m.) Clarke Stadium.