Two goals from familiar sources saw the Cavs erase a pair of one-goal deficits and secure a single point.
Ali Musse scored a sublime left footed curler in the first half with set piece dynamo Daan Klomp heading in his sixth goal of the season as Cavalry FC battled back twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Atlético Ottawa in a combative Canadian Premier League clash Sunday at Spruce Meadows’ ATCO Field.
“It was a hard-fought battle,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “I think at the end Carlos (Gonzalez) and I looked at each other and went it was probably in terms of the game it played out the way it should.
“We were more on the front-foot in attack, they were more defence and looking to counter, that was the gameplan both wanted to run.”
Ottawa midfielder Manny Aparicio opened the scoring with a clean header in the box just six minutes from the starting whistle.
“Today, one of our goals was to start strong at the beginning,” said Ottawa head coach Carlos Gonzalez. “And we did it in both halves, from the moment we stepped on the field and we took advantage of those moments.”
Within 10 minutes, the Cavs drew even with Musse showcasing his wand of a left foot, using a patch of space at the edge of the box to unleash a curling far post effort past Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham.
“He’s got that talent, we see it in training all of the time,” Wheeldon Jr. said. “A terrific goal, he had a good game today and hopefully he can continue with this form.”
GOAL 🐎@CPLCavalryFC tie it up at 1-1 vs. @AtletiOttawa as Ali Musse hits a SCREAMER 😱
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 15, 2024
🔴 Watch our @tonybet_Canada #CanPL MOTW on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/QScqJGVZCN
The visitors struck again shortly into the second half.
Ruben del Campo, the CPL goals leader, fired in a low shot with a deflection off the Cavalry defence in the 48th minute.
No strangers to second half rallies, the Cavs struck back once again on the set piece.
Klomp, an at times unstoppable aerial force on free kicks and corners, met a Musse cross in the box and fired in his sixth goal in the 66th minute.
“When you’re losing and you get them back, you feel like it’s a point gained,” Wheeldon Jr. said.
Attacking midfielder Jay Herdman, the son of Toronto FC coach and former Canadian national men’s and women’s head coach John Herdman, made his debut for the Cavs a couple days after signing on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Ottawa sits second in the CPL table with 38 points, three back of league-leading Forge FC, with Cavalry (8-11-4) in fourth at 35 points.
Cavalry is back on the pitch on Sept. 20 at York Lions Stadium in the Greater Toronto Area.
Klomp, who has played every minute of this season, will see his ironman streak this week as a result of yellow card accumulations.
As Wheeldon Jr. put it, if anyone deserves a break it’s the stalwart Dutch defender.
The Cavs return to Spruce Meadows for their penultimate home contest on Sept. 28 against Vancouver FC.
For more information, go to cavsfc.com.
