YORK REGION – Cavalry FC has clinched the Spring portion of the 2019 CPL season, after defeating York9 FC 2-0 on Wednesday to earn an unreachable 24 points at the top of the table.

Goals from Dominique Malonga and Julian Buscher proved the difference on the evening, as Cavalry rode away with the victory in what was a relatively hard-nosed affair at York Lions Stadium.

Malonga opened up the scoring in the 24th minute from a lovely sequence that began from Cavalry’s backline, with the French striker firing into the top left corner with his right foot.

It only took a little over 10 minutes later for the Cavs to tally their second goal – this time, it was Buscher who took advantage of a free kick just outside York9’s 18-year box. Making it look effortless, Cavalry’s No. 8 curled the ball far side, slipping it past the outstretched gloves of Nathan Ingham.

A chippy second half saw York9 test Marco Carducci’s goal on a couple of occasions, but Jimmy Brennan’s side couldn’t find the breakthrough and, thus, finished the match without a tally on the board once again. With the win, Cavalry has secured the first of two berths in the 2019 CPL Championship, having won the Spring table with a game in hand. They’ll round out their campaign on Canada Day against Pacific FC.

Box Score

Goals

24′ – Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)
35′ – Julian Buscher (Cavalry FC)

Disciplinary

14′ – YELLOW: Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)
22′ – YELLOW: Manny Aparicio (York9 FC)
65′ – YELLOW: Nico Pasquotti (Cavalry FC)
69′ – YELLOW: Joe Di Chiara (York9 FC)

Three key performers

Julian Buscher (Cavalry FC): Simply for his sublime free kick. Buscher displayed all the traits of a traditional no. 8 – fitting to the number on the back of his kit – helping his team move gracefully at times from one end of the pitch to the other.

Ryan Telfer (York 9 FC): Despite his side’s defeat, Telfer was the continuous creative mastermind behind a number of the Nine Stripes’ chances. His ability to make positive runs, play from deep, and use his dribbling to dance past Cavalry when he could was always effective.

Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC): Opening up the game after a beautiful team goal, Malonga got his chance and took advantage, shoving past a defender with just enough space to find the back of the net and set the tone for Cavalry.