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Cavalry 1-1 Forge: Hamilton Steals A Point At The Death
By In what many consider to be the greatest rivalry in the Canadian Premier League, Forge took the trip out to Calgary to face Cavalry on Saturday. It turned out to be another dramatic gam as a stoppage time goal from substitute Jordan Hamilton cancelled out Ali Musse’s early strike. The match ended 1-1.
Coming off a 1-0 defeat at York United last weekend, coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr opted for just one change in his starting eleven. Mikael Cantave was replaced in the lineup by Bradley Kamdem Fewo.
As for Forge, who also lost their most recent game against York, made four adjustments to their midweek clash. The majority of their changes came in the attack, as Tristan Borges and Jordan Hamilton made way for Terran Campbell and Woobens Pacius.
While the first several minutes were pretty quiet, Cavalry got their noses in front in the ninth minute. A cross from Jose Escalante initially fell to Myer Bevan, but the striker could not control the ball. Fortunately for him, Ali Musse was right behind him, as the winger hit a strong shot past Triston Henry to give his side the lead.
Forge was quiet for the first 20 minutes of the game. Despite having more possession in that phase, they did not do anything of note. In fact, their first shot did not come until the 21st minute, where captain Kyle Bekker fired a wild shot over the bar.
The Forge skipper also got his side’s first shot on target in the match. Getting some space just outside of the box. Bekker’s shot was deflected, making it an easy gather for Cavalry keeper Marco Carducci.
Musse looked lively for the hosts throughout the opening half, and created a half chance to score another. After driving past a couple of players, Musse hit well wide of Henry’s goal. Moments later, Escalante found himself in some space after a corner came out of the box. His effort, however, went well over the bar.
The Cavs had the first chance of the second half, as Escalante picked out Musse with a cross. Unfortunately for the latter, he could not direct his ball on target, ultimately failing to test Henry.
Carducci was finally called into play ten minutes into the second half. A cross that was not fully cleared came to Bekker, who fired a low shot towards the bottom corner. However, Carducci dove to his right, denying the away team’s captain from leveling.
In the 66th minute, a Bekker free kick missed everyone, but dangerously curled in to the goal. Once more, Carducci was equal to it, diving to his left to maintain the clean sheet. Minutes later, David Choiniere cut in, sending his marker to the ground. The Forge winger got himself in the box, but his shot just missed the target.
Ten minutes before the end, Forge hit the iron. A Borges corner went through a few bodies, with Carducci getting a piece of it. It would fall out to a back-tracking Manjrekar James, who went for the acrobatic just outside of the box. Remarkably, the ball hit the post and stayed out.
Moments after Goteh Ntignee got in the way of Cantave’s shot, Forge equalized. The ball came to Bekker, who whipped in a dangerous ball, which was touched in by substitute Jordan Hamilton. For the second away game running, Forge finds a late goal.
It would turn out to be the last meaningful chance of the game, as the pair ended up splitting the points. That is a first between the two at Spruce Meadows all-time. The result sees Forge hold on to top spot, one point over Pacific, who hit six last night against Vancouver FC. The Hammers will welcome Pacific next Saturday in what wil be another thrilling game.
As for the Cavs, they once again gave up another lead. In what is now their sixth draw in eight league outings, they fittingly sit in the middle of the pack, with nine points. They will be back in action next Sunday as Vancouver FC will make the trip to ATCO Field.