The Canadian Premier League’s most storied rivals were fit to be tied on opening day.
The defending CPL champion Forge FC erased a pair of one-goal deficits to earn a 2-2 draw with the visiting Cavalry FC taking a point on Saturday from Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field in the season opener and first meeting between the foes since the 2022 playoffs.
“The off-season here in the Canadian Premier League is really long so we’ve been waiting for this moment for a longtime,” said Cavalry attacker Mikaël Cantave. “We weren’t focused too much on the past, we tried to move forward and look forward and the objective is always to come in here and win.
“We know what direction we want to take the season so we’re going to do everything we can to achieve that, but I think it was a good result from the boys, everybody fought and gave everything we had and it’s a decent point away from home.”
Forge ended Cavalry’s 2022 playoff run on the same pitch last fall en route to capturing its third CPL championship in the four-year history of the national loop.
A different script played out to kick-start the 2023 campaign.
New Zealand international Myer Bevan opened the visitors account with a poacher’s strike inside the box, arriving first to the ball with a diving half-volley on a second phase attack in the 36th minute.
Forge drew even within three minutes from the spot. Jordan Hamilton was brought down by Cavs’ goalkeeper Marco Carducci, awarded a penalty shot and didn’t miss with a curling left-footed strike.
The Cavarly regained the advantage on a wonder goal 20 minutes into the second half.
Cantave had time and space to smash a powerful far corner strike from 30 yards out for his second goal as a member of the Cavalry.
“It’s always great to score and help the team, especially a nice goal,” Cantave said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to walk away with the three points, which is what we came here to do, but it was still a good game and I’m always happy to score.”
Once again, the defending champions countered in short order.
Noah Jensen tallied the equalizer in the 76th minute, meeting an errant clearance attempt from the Cavalry and hammering in a left-footed shot from the edge of the box.
“We play this game to score goals so it’s not something that fazes us for the ball to go into the back of our net,” said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis in the post-match presser. “We’ve been consistent as a group over the years, we want to make sure we do that, but at the same time it’s something you have to prepare for as a team.”
Four Cavalry players made their debut with the club in the opener with centre-back Callum Montgomery and central midfielder Shamit Shome in the starting eleven along with midfielder Jesse Daley and winger Ethan Beckford coming on as substitutes.
The Cavalry moved to 2-2-1 all-time in season opening contests while Forge’s run of winless starts to the season at home extends to five.
Next week the Cavs travel to Vancouver Island for a pair of contests with Pacific FC, a Canadian Championship cup clash on April 20, followed by a league match on the April 23.
The Cavs are back in Foothills County for the home opener at Spruce Meadows’ ATCO Field on April 30 versus Valour FC.
For more information, visit cavalryfc.canpl.ca.
