Cavalry FC will head into the weekend in a familiar spot: atop the Canadian Premier League standings. Their 3-1 home win on Wednesday over York9 FC allowed the Cavs to leapfrog Forge FC in Fall competition, putting the Spring champions back on top.

The home side demonstrated right from the off that they were keen to break a two-game goalless drought. Sergio Camargo put the ball in the net in the second minute (only to see the offside flag go up), and his teammate Dominique Malonga scored a tap-in not long after, the latter of which actually counted.

It wasn’t long before York9 responded, as ten minutes later right-back Morey Doner used his speed to create space for himself and feed a perfect cross to Kyle Porter for a headed equalizer. From there, both attacks cooled off briefly, as the match’s physicality took centre stage between two sides trying to dispel their frustrations of recent weeks. Between them, the sides committed 35 fouls in a game that saw tempers simmering throughout.

The Cavs took the lead for good on the brink of halftime. Julian Büscher, standing over a free kick near the corner of the box, curled his strike inside the near post to beat Y9 keeper Nathan Ingham and put his side ahead just before the break. The highlight-reel goal marked a major turning point in the flow of the match, as York9 returned for the second half lacking some of the attacking spark they’d had before.

Before the visitors had much chance to look for a tying goal in the second half, Cavalry dug the hole even deeper. Malonga scored his second of the night, another tap-in, as Nico Pasquotti made an incisive pass across the six-yard box to exploit a gap in the defence. Malonga nearly completed the hat-trick later in the half, but his third netted ball was called back for offside, as the Cavs saw out the match by sending wave after wave of attacking threats at the York9 defence.

Both these clubs will return on Sunday in a CPL doubleheader. Cavalry heads to Ontario for a showdown with Hamilton side Forge FC (3:30 p.m. ET, on OneSoccer), while York9’s Alberta road trip continues as they head northward to play FC Edmonton (6:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. MT, on OneSoccer).

Box Score

Goals
5′ – Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)
15′ – Kyle Porter (York9 FC)
45′ – Julian Büscher (Cavalry FC)
51′ – Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)

Discipline
44′ Yellow – Joe Di Chiara (York9 FC)
57′ Yellow – Justin Springer (York9 FC)
58′ Yellow – Elijah Adekugbe (Cavalry FC)
77′ Yellow – Steven Furlano (York9 FC)

Three Key Performers

Dominique Malonga (Cavalry FC)

He was referred to as a “one-man wrecking crew” on the OneSoccer broadcast, and for good reason. Malonga scored a brace by making good runs to the back post (and could’ve had a hat-trick had his teammates been onside for the last one). With six shots and two key passes, Malonga’s fingerprints were everywhere in this one.

Julian Büscher (Cavalry FC)

The German midfielder was a threat from both out wide and centrally, especially on set-pieces. His direct free kick was a magical moment, and he played a handful of very threatening crosses into the box, both from corners and open play. He also helped set up Malonga’s second goal by feeding Pasquotti at the endline.

Ryan Telfer (York9 FC)

One of the only York9 players to cause problems for the Cavalry defence, Telfer led his team with 54 touches and eight crosses (half of which came from open play). He didn’t manage to put one on the scoreboard, but Telfer had some shining moments in an otherwise lacklustre night from the Nine Stripes.