For a third straight year, and the fourth time overall, Cavalry FC are heading back to the Canadian Premier League (CPL) Final.
The reigning champions defeated long-time rivals Forge FC 1-0 Sunday at the Hamilton Stadium in a fiercely contested semifinal, ending the Hammers’ remarkable run of six consecutive CPL Final appearances.
A second-half strike from German powerhouse Tobias Warschewski was enough to separate the two sides as Cavalry produced a disciplined and determined performance worthy of their championship pedigree.
The result not only sends the Calgary-based club back to the North Star Cup Final, but also reaffirms their growing reputation as possibly the CPL’s most resilient big-game outfit.
“It feels brilliant,” Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said after the match. “It was a professional performance and it needed to be, this has been the best team in the league this year..it’s a tough place to come, but we did it last year, we did it again and it’s nice to go to another final.”
Record-setting Warschewski strikes again
The night began at a frantic pace with both sides trading blows in the opening 20 minutes.
Forge nearly struck first in the sixth minute when Nana Ampomah chested down a cross from Daniel Nimick but blazed his shot well over the bar.
Minutes later, Cavalry responded through Caniggia Elva, who twice found himself in dangerous positions but was denied each time by Forge goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat.
Cavalry captain Marco Carducci then made the first of several spectacular saves, diving acrobatically to his left to push away a curling effort from Marko Jevremovic.
That stop set the tone for a night in which the Calgary keeper would again prove why he remains one of the league’s most reliable leaders.
After a goalless first half that saw chances at both ends, the breakthrough finally came in the 56th minute and it was a familiar face delivering yet again.
A misplaced touch from Forge defender Malik Owolabi-Belewu allowed Warschewski to pounce and calmly slot the ball past Koleilat to give Cavalry the lead.
It was the German playmaker’s third goal in as many playoff matches against Forge and his fifth in four postseason appearances overall — a record that now makes him the CPL’s all-time leading playoff goalscorer.
“Listen, he’s a player for big occasions,” said Wheeldon Jr. “He’s so entertaining to watch. Tobi loves a big goal and big moments, and again he’s going to tell me he’s undefeated in playoffs.”
Forge thought they had taken the lead earlier in the half when striker Brian Wright finished a through ball from Hoce Massunda, but the goal was ruled offside.
That close call seemed to wake up Cavalry, who seized control through Shamit Shome, while winger Goteh Ntignee tormented the Forge back line with his pace on the counter.
Ntignee nearly doubled the lead in the 80th minute after a blistering run from deep inside his own half, but Koleilat denied him with a strong save to keep the hosts in the contest.
Carducci’s command ensures another final
As the minutes ticked away, Forge threw everything forward in search of an equaliser.
Captain, Kyle Bekker, whipped in a series of dangerous crosses and corner kicks, but time and again Carducci and his backline stood tall.
In the 96th minute, with Forge’s season hanging by a thread, right back Rezart Rama rose highest to head a desperate cross toward goal, only for Carducci to make another superb stop and preserve the clean sheet to seal Cavalry’s passage to the Final.
“I thought Marco was superb today and he’s had some key moments here, he stood up on his head, kept a clean sheet,” said Wheeldon Jr. “It’s our trophy to defend and that was the incentive for these guys.”
The victory extends Cavalry’s remarkable dominance over Forge in playoff meetings and sets up a tantalising showdown with Atletico Ottawa in next Sunday’s CPL Final.
For Forge, it marks the end of an era. This will be the first time in league history that they will not feature in the championship match.
“I think it was a really gutsy performance from us, kind of back to our roots,” said Shome. “That’s three finals in three years all in different paths so we can show we can do it whatever way it takes and we can hopefully carry this momentum onto the final.”
