Dean Northover scored the lone goal as Cavalry FC beat USL League 2 side Calgary Foothills FC 1-0 at ATCO Field, the club’s new stadium at Spruce Meadows, Saturday. The match was Cavalry FC’s final preseason match before it kicks off its Canadian Premier League campaign next Saturday. The match was held as part of an open house event hosted by the club.
For Tommy Wheeldon Jr., Cavalry FC head coach and general manager, Saturday’s match was a final opportunity to get his players some competitive minutes before the club’s inaugural match against York9 FC next weekend.
“For the players to come through there and feel it, it’s now getting real,” said Wheeldon Jr. “We really enjoyed today.
“(The players are) chomping at the bit, to use a term that’s familiar around here. They’re like caged animals. We’ve been training. We’ve been inside. Now we’ve let them outside and they’re flying around and getting touches on the ball. You can see they’re ready.”
Weather plays a part
The match kickoff time was moved ahead three hours to avoid a snow storm but players still had to navigate poor conditions, which likely did have an effect on the match.
“We’ve got to be good at winning pretty and winning ugly,” conceded Wheeldon Jr. “And that’s how we’re going to roll with it.”
Cavalry FC vs Calgary Foothills FC in preseason match at ATCO Field Saturday. Photo: ©Stuart Gradon/Total Soccer Project (View more pictures from the game)
And the Cavs coach was pleased with the challenge his opposition provided Saturday.
“That’s why we wanted (Calgary Foothills FC) as our last game,” said Wheeldon Jr. of the club he managed prior to joining Cavalry FC. “We’re cut from the same cloth – won a championship last year. They’ve got a great culture about them. And that’s why we wanted it. We knew it would be a very good game and prefect preparation for York9 next week.”
Another clean sheet for Cavalry FC
Cavalry FC has now posted clean sheets in all seven of their preseason matches to date. And Wheeldon Jr. was again proud of his defensive core.
“You’ve got to look at the backline,” he said. “We didn’t concede a goal. Marco (Carducci) is always solid. I thought Jay (Wheeldon) and Mason (Trafford) was good. The fullbacks, ‘Deano’ (Northover) and Nathan (Mavila), were good. Elijah (Adekugbe) was solid in midfield. We’re industrious in the wide areas with (Nico Pasquotti) and José (Escalante).
Saturday afternoon’s game was also positive for Calgary Foothills FC, according to head coach Leon Hapgood. Foothills FC had just returned from a prison trip to Gonzaga University in Washington.
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“For us it was about making it has hard as we can for Tom and the Cavs, because they need a tough game before they go into their season next week,” said Hapgood, who was particularly happy with his club’s defensive work. “So we set up to be really hard to brake down. And maybe score a couple of goals on the counter attack. And make the game last as long as possible.”
New venue nearly complete
While there is still work to be done on the stadium – all the seating will be in place but the grandstand’s roof may not be completed for next weekend – both managers are impressed with how the new venue is coming along.
“We wanted a run through because we’ve got to train a couple times next week and get the feel of the length, the width, the bumps and things like that,” said Wheeldon Jr. “It’s not quite ready, but we’re going to have a great week.”
The Canadian Premier League is a new professional soccer league that kicked off April 2019. Cavalry FC is Calgary’s club and will play its home games at Spruce Meadows.
