Cavalry FC and Halifax Wanderers FC continued their unbeaten, but winless, starts to the season on Saturday evening at ATCO Field, playing out a back-and-forth 2-2 result for their fifth consecutive draws of the 2023 campaign.

After a relatively quiet start to the match in which Cavalry dictated most of the  Ali Musse opened the scoring for Cavalry in the 19th minute with a rocket of a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Musse cut to his left to open up a better lane to shoot for himself, before unleashing a powerful shot into the bottom left corner, past the diving Yann Fillion.

Musse nearly set up a second Cavs goal a few minutes later, playing a through ball to Miki Cantave. Cantave was able to get a shot on goal to test Fillion, but the Wanderers goalkeeper parried the ball away from danger.

GOAL🐎

Ali Musse from outside of the box opens the scoring for @CPLCavalryFC to take a 1-0 lead over @HFXWanderersFC in #CanPL action🔥⚽️#CavsFC | #TogetherFromAways

TUNE IN | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/wCIRCnU5c8

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 13, 2023

Musse continued his strong first half performance with a curling shot back toward that same bottom left corner, after dancing around a Wanderers defender. Cavalry thought they deserved a penalty moments later after Cantave picked up the ball on the left flank and cut into the box, before seemingly being knocked over by Lorenzo Callegari. The French midfielder was already on a yellow card, meaning he will be suspended for next week’s match, but escaped further punishment as the referee decided not to point to the spot.

Just when it seemed as though Cavalry were going to enter halftime up a goal, the visiting Wanderers completely turned the game around with two goals in stoppage time. First, Théo Collomb equalized for Halifax with header that found the bottom left corner of Marco Carducci’s net. Lorenzo Callegari flipped a cross into the area, which Collomb managed to get the slightest of touches on, redirecting it past the Cavalry goalkeeper to tie it up at 1-1.

GOAL🌊

Theo Collomb with the equalizer for @HFXWanderersFC to draw level with @CPLCavalryFC in #CanPL action🍁⚽️#CavsFC | #TogetherFromAways

🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/xizJRGBlBD

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 13, 2023

The Wanderers weren’t done there, however. Collomb chased down a long ball along the left touchline before crossing it back into the middle to Aidan Daniels, who played it laterally to Zach Fernandez. With his first touch, Fernandez repositioned his body and fired the ball into the top right corner of the goal, an accurate finish from the top of the box.

GOAL🌊🌊

Madness in Calgary as Zach Fernandez scores @HFXWanderersFC second goal in the first half extra time to take the lead over @CPLCavalryFC in #CanPL action🍁⚽️#CavsFC | #TogetherFromAways

🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/tTCrnw5wjk

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 14, 2023

Cavalry were on the front foot for a lot of the second half after play resumed, and would tie it up in the 78th minute from the penalty spot. The referee determined that the ball struck the arm of Wanderers defender Cale Loughrey, sending Myer Bevan to the penalty spot. The New Zealand international slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, past Yann Fillion — who guessed the right way but couldn’t keep the ball out of the back of the net.

The two sides came together for an altercation behind the goal after Bevan put the ball in the back of the net. Fillion tried to block Bevan from getting the ball after he scored, and fell to the ground as Bevan tried to wrestle it from him. Bevan then fell to the ground easily when Loughrey came charging in to get involved, and a pack of players from both teams quickly formed behind the net.

Bevan, Ali Musse, and Fillion were all given yellow cards in the aftermath, before everyone settled down and play eventually resumed.

GOAL🐎🐎

Myer Bevan equalizes from the spot and chaos ensues🚨@CPLCavalryFC and @HFXWanderersFC enter the final 10 minutes of the match all tied up🔥#CanPL | #CavsFC | #TogetherFromAways

🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/78A4VB6wah

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 14, 2023

Neither side could find a winner in the seven minutes of stoppage time, but Ethan Beckford came agonizingly close for Cavalry. The English forward curled a cross around the Halifax wall with a free kick on one of the last touches of the match, but his effort struck the post and bounced away from danger.

These two sides remain unbeaten, but are still looking for their first wins of the season after fifth consecutive draws to begin 2023.