TFC scores late to end Halifax's title hopes in Canadian Championship soccer

HALIFAX — The chanting and cheering could be heard blocks away Tuesday night, but the sounds of a sold-out hometown crowd couldn’t drown out the pain of a late 2-1 loss for the HFX Wanderers in their Canadian Championship quarterfinal match against Toronto FC.

It was the first meeting between the Canadian Premier League Wanderers and their Major League Soccer opponents.

The 6,500 fans who filled the Wanderers Grounds in the heart of downtown Halifax could perhaps take some solace, though, in the fact that Nova Scotia native Jacob Shaffelburg of Port Williams slid the winning pass to Jonathan Osorio, who fired his shot off the crossbar and then off of Peter Schaale into the Halifax net, lifting the Reds into the Canadian Championship semifinals.

Shaffelburg had been sidelined due to a lower-body injury for five matches but was brought in off the bench midway through the second half to bolster Toronto’s offence.

The Wanderers held their own against the established MLS club, with Toronto unable to get on the scoreboard until the 55th minute when Jordan Perruzza's header found net.

Halifax’s lone goal came 69 minutes in from forward Samuel Salter, who caught Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Wester off guard with a low shot into the corner to tie the game, bringing fans to their feet as blue smoke exploded on the exterior of the pitch.

The crowd remained standing as time ticked away, with both sides creating solid chances, but it was Osorio with the final goal of the night, putting it high past Halifax goalkeeper Christian Oxner in the 87th minute to advance Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship, a tournament featuring a combination of 13 professional and semi-pro teams.

“Halifax was obviously well-prepared and really motivated,”