Final Score: HFX Wanderers 0-0 Cavalry FC
Goalscorers: N/A
Game of the 2022 season: 91
CPL match: 341

Match in a minute or less

Cavalry had a chance to climb to the top of the table at Wanderers Grounds on Monday afternoon, but were unable to pick up the three points necessary.

Both Cavs shotstopper Marco Carducci and his Wanderers counterpart Kieran Baskett were sharp in this game, and their standout performances combined with some missed opportunities from both sets of attackers were the perfect ingredients for a 0-0 draw in the Nova Scotia capital.

As a result, Cavalry FC remains in second place with 38 points through 23 of 28 regular season matches — two points back of Atlético Ottawa, two up on Forge FC and Valour FC, and three up on fifth-place Pacific FC. While not officially eliminated, HFX Wanderers remain some distance back in seventh place on 25 points through 23 matches, one back of sixth-place York United and nine up on last-place FC Edmonton.

Three Observations

Both sides fail to beat in-form goalkeepers

Monday’s match ended up being the battle of the goalkeepers, as HFX Wanderers’ Kieran Baskett and Cavalry FC’s Marco Carducci tried to outdo one another with save after save to keep their respective sides in the match. Carducci made arguably the most important two, stopping Wanderers attackers from point blank range, once in either half, while Baskett made five in his second home clean sheet in a row.

The first of Carducci’s crucial stops came less than ten minutes into the match when Wanderers right back Zach Fernandez was in alone on goal. As he was setting his feet and lining up his shot after getting in behind the Cavalry backline, Carducci came charging out of his goal to try and make his body as big as possible and shut down any spaces to aim, and Fernandez’s shot struck the goalkeeper.

?? @CPLCavalryFC keeper @mcarducci96 had himself quite the day in Halifax as he also earned the @VWcanada Moment of the Match for another big stop ?#CanPL | ?: @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/GKEyZHWiPm

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 5, 2022

Nicknamed the Roman Wall by some, Carducci made another impressive stop in the second half, denying Wanderers forward Sam Salter a headed goal. After stopping the initial effort with a reaction save, he was able to dive forward and swat the ball away from the immediate danger and somehow keep it scoreless.

A big first save and then taking care of the rebound ?@CPLCavalryFC keeper @mcarducci96 with the @AllstateCanada Save of Match ?#CanPL | ?: @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/s260lM3IrW

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 5, 2022

Carducci has been solid all season long, and it’s hard to make a case against him being the 2022 Goalkeeper of the Year winner, an award he won in the inaugural 2019 season. Given everything he’s gone through off the pitch this year as well, it’s been one of the standout stories of the year.

“That’s what he’s for, right? When he’s called upon we’ve got that insurance,” Cavalry boss Tommy Wheeldon Jr said after praising his goalkeeper’s performance.

“He has to be in the conversation [for Goalkeeper of the Year]. His professionalism through the things he’s faced this year, where he’s fought off cancer as well as coming out shining, and he gives us that strength. The players in front of him see that strength of character and he’s a shining light in our organization, that’s for sure.”

In the other net, Wanderers youngster Kieran Baskett was back between the sticks for the third match in a row as Christian Oxner continues to miss out through injury, although Oxner was back on the bench for this one. For the second time in those three matches, Baskett leaves his home pitch with a clean sheet, after also backstopping Halifax to a 1-0 win over Pacific FC.

In between came a difficult 3-2 defeat to FC Edmonton, but now that Halifax are back in the clean sheet column, Baskett is eager to build on it against Valour FC in their next match.

“As a goalkeeper the first thing you want is always clean sheet,” Baskett said after the match. “I love playing at home, that’s my second clean sheet in a row at home, this is a fortress for us. The Edmonton game was really frustrating but I hope to build off this one and continue to get clean sheets and hopefully three points.

“We had our chances today but credit to Marco Carducci, he made a couple of really big saves. We’ve got to be clinical and take our next chance as it comes.”

Hart challenges his players to take advantage of their chances for rest of the season

HFX Wanderers head coach Stephen Hart said after the match that he probably sounds like a broken record due to the number of times he’s said the same thing in his press conferences — that Halifax are putting the work in, but they just aren’t taking advantage of their opportunities to put games to bed.

While acknowledging that Marco Carducci made a pair of big stops to deny goals to the aforementioned Zach Fernandez and Sam Salter, Hart was also frustrated by his team’s lack of finishing. Hart also mentioned Salter by name specifically, who along with his header in the second half, also sent a header just wide in the opening period of play.

“If you take one of those chances you put them under pressure,” he said. “Simply, we need too many chances to score. The Sam Salter header comes to mind. If he wants to be a top attacker he has to bury those. He will keep working at it.”

Hart says that with just five matches remaining in their 2022 season, he’s challenged his entire side to finish the regular season on a high note.

“The average age of our team is 22, it’s a very young team,” Hart started. “I challenged them to try and get to ten or eleven wins after this period here (they currently have seven).

“They put everything into it today, and sometimes when you miss a chance you tend to take less risk with the next one because you’re still upset. They have to be brave and take the game to the team when they’re at our field.”

FULL HIGHLIGHTS: Plenty of big stops at both ends as @HFXWanderersFC and @CPLCavalryFC play out a 0-0 draw in Halifax's 100th game #CanPL | ?: @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/LrVRO7pOsY

— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) September 5, 2022

Wanderers lose Gagnon-Laparé and Mwandwe to first-half injuries

Stephen Hart’s side were dealt two pretty significant blows in the opening half of Monday’s match, as Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé and Fumpa Mwandwe were forced out during the first half with injuries. Gagnon-Laparé left the match in the 28th minute, while Mwandwe picked up a knock a few minutes before halftime and was able to hang on until the 45 minutes were up.

Hart didn’t have any concrete updates after the match about what was troubling, with some evaluations still being done, but said that losing the important duo impacted how his team played.

“Both are injured,” Hart said immediately after the contest. “Fumpa, something above his knee, I haven’t spoken to the medical team yet. [Gagnon-]Laparé felt something go in the groin, which is unfortunate because it takes something away from our attack.

“We needed to be better with the ball in the second half, braver with the ball, and losing those two, sometimes you lose a little concentration.”

Before exiting the pitch, Gagnon-Laparé completed 16 of his 18 attempted, created one chance, and made one interception. Mwandwe won three of his six duels and completed four of five passes, but was caught offside twice in a frustrating opening half.

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Marco Carducci, Cavalry FC

The Cavalry goalkeeper made a pair of huge stops, one in either half, to keep the match scoreless and give his team a chance to win.

What’s next?

Both teams are next in action on Saturday, September 10. First up, HFX Wanderers host high-flying Valour FC at Wanderers Grounds (3 pm AT/1 pm CT), while Cavalry head to Ontario for another match against Forge FC (5 pm ET/ 3 pm MT) later that afternoon.