Cavalry FC and Atlético Ottawa split the points in a back-and-forth match at ATCO Field on Sunday, as neither side was able to make up significant ground at the top of the CPL table.
In his first match back after almost a month away with an injury, Tobias Warschewski didn’t take long to test Nathan Ingham, hitting the target with a low shot in the second minute, but the Ottawa goalkeeper was able to make a comfortable save. Two minutes later Ballou Tabla tested Marco Carducci at the other end of the pitch, but the Cavalry captain was able to make the save before Bradley Kamdem cleared the ball away.
From the ensuing corner, Manny Aparicio gave Ottawa an early lead. Dani Morer curled a cross into the box, which Aparicio was able to meet with his head and redirect into the far side of the net to open the scoring.
GOAL 🦖@AtletiOttawa opens the scoring early vs. @CPLCavalryFC as Manny Aparicio gets his head on a corner for his fourth of the season 😎
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/Dg5BMWd18m
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2024
Cavalry knocked on the door a couple of times after Aparicio’s opener, and finally found their breakthrough in the 16th minute on a moment of magic from Ali Musse. After receiving the ball from Daan Klomp on the right flank, Musse inched forward slowly, before suddenly lunging to his left to open up some space to shoot. He unleashed a powerful shot that dipped into the top left corner of the Ottawa net, past Ingham, to tie the match.
GOAL 🐎@CPLCavalryFC tie it up at 1-1 vs. @AtletiOttawa as Ali Musse hits a SCREAMER 😱
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/QScqJGVZCN
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2024
Cavalry dominated possession after equalizing, and had a chance to take the lead through Jesse Daley in the 29th minute. Musse floated a cross to the back post for the Australian midfielder, whose volleyed effort went wide of the mark.
Matteo de Brienne sent a low shot wide at the other end of the pitch moments later, as Ottawa started to gain some momentum toward the end of the half. Golden Boot leader Ruben del Campo and Aparicio had shots blocked, while Aboubacar Sissoko missed the target twice — with one of his attempts an audacious volley from distance in the 41st minute after a corner kick into the box was headed away by a Cavalry defender. After Tobias Warschewski had a shot blocked later in the half, the final attempt belonged to de Brienne, who again missed the target.
The visitors outshot the hosts ten to six in the first 45 minutes, but only two each hit the target as both sides battled hard for an important victory.
Fifteen seconds into the second half, Warschewski was already creating opportunities, weaving his way through a couple of defenders before curling a shot toward the far bottom corner — forcing Ingham to dive to the left to make the save.
Just like the first half, though, it was Ottawa scoring early to take the lead. Running onto a pass forward from Tabla, del Campo took a couple of touches before smashing a shot that deflected off Fraser Aird on its way into the back of the net. It was del Campo’s eleventh of the season, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race to two goals over York United’s Brian Wright.
GOAL 🦖🦖
Ruben Del Campo makes it 2-1 for @AtletiOttawa vs. @CPLCavalryFC with another early goal to kick off this half in our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW 😎
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/zU7RHe47WN
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2024
Cavalry battled back to tie the game again in the 66th minute, with Musse again front and centre. The Cavalry attacker fired a free kick into the box, right onto the head of Daan Klomp, who redirected it into the back of the net to equalize at 2-2.
GOAL 🐎🐎@CPLCavalryFC find ANOTHER equalizer for 2-2 vs. @AtletiOttawa as Ali Musse finds Daan Klomp with the free-kick + header combo 👀
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/TCoPczol6R
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2024
Tabla had a chance to give Ottawa the lead again shortly after but couldn’t take advantage, taking a handful of touches in the penalty area to set his feet before skying his shot high over the net into the stands. Sam Salter, moments after coming off the bench, had a shot that met a similar fate as he too sent the ball soaring into a crowd of Cavalry fans, from the edge of the penalty area.
Both sides battled hard for a winner, but neither would find one, and the match ended 2-2. Not losing was important for both sides, but it was also a missed opportunity to make up some ground on the teams ahead of them in the standings after York United and league-leaders Forge FC both dropped points this weekend.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird (Harms 58′), Klomp, Field (Montgomery 80′), Kamdem; Gutierrez, Daley (Wähling 58′), Shome; Musse, Warschewski, Camargo (Herdman 90′)
Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Morer (Twardek 73′), Didic, Walker, Iliadis (Tissot 87′), de Brienne (del Amo 73′); Sissoko (Salter 73′), Aparicio, Torres, Tabla (Dos Santos 81′); del Campo
Goals
5′ — Manny Aparicio (Atlético Ottawa)
16′ — Ali Musse (Cavalry FC)
48′ — Rubén del Campo (Atlético Ottawa)
66′ — Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)
Discipline
8′ — Yellow: Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)
55′ — Yellow: Bradley Kamdem (Cavalry FC)
55′ — Yellow: Amer Didic (Atlético Ottawa)
65′ — Yellow: Ilias Iliadis (Atlético Ottawa)
74′ — Yellow: Diego Gutiérrez (Cavalry FC)