CAVALRY FC CAN TAKE THE HEAT
Nil-nil draw with Halifax continues bid for perfect start in Winnipeg bubble
It was a hot Saturday night in Winnipeg.
There was stifling heat due to temperatures above 30 C.
There was also heat felt by
HFX Wanderers FC in trying to find its first goal — and win — of the 2021 Canadian Premier League campaign.
Trouble is, Cavalry FC isn't one to give up easily either, especially in its bid to keep intact a perfect start to The Kickoff in the Winnipeg bubble.
And so the Cavs didn't, even though they admitted fatigue for having played three games in seven days to open the season.
But they didn't score either in what was a nil-nil draw between the CPL rivals.
“I firmly believe if we're not going to win a game, we're not going to lose it,” said Cavalry general manager/head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “To take seven points out of the first three games in seven days is good, when we reflect back.
“It was extreme heat — 35 degrees is what it read on the scale. But on the turf, it was hotter.”
Indeed, the Cavs came into this safe zone aiming to cook up wins in all eight games of the bubble schedule. They got off to an ideal start with 2-1 and 4-1 victories over York United FC and Atletico Ottawa respectively, but with so many games in such a short timeframe after a year-plus of COVID challenges, it was bound to catch up with them. They just weren't quite as fresh or pinpoint in their Saturday attack as in the earlier efforts.
“I couldn't ask for much more out of these lads the last week,” said Wheeldon Jr. “Many of them have played their first full 90 minutes ... in a year. Some of the foreign players haven't played in 18 months. But everybody stepped up to a man.”
Meanwhile, the Wanderers didn't score in previous losing efforts — both 2-0 decisions — to Pacific FC and Valour FC earlier in The Kickoff.
And their chances were limited in this one, with goalkeeper Tyson Farago making his Cavalry debut and stopping the two shots that found their way on net and getting help from defenders with timely blocks of a few dangerous chances.
It meant a clean sheet for Farago — in his hometown, no less — in his first chance to start ahead of star keeper Marco Carducci.
“He earned it,” said Wheeldon Jr. of a game that included Farago making a game-saver late when he got a piece of both the ball and hard-charging Alex Marshall. “Tyson's been doing a lot of great work with Carducci and our goalie coach, Jordan Santiago. We brought him in for a reason. We wanted someone with a bit of experience.
“He made some big punches and big catches, and his footwork was great. He can really stretch the play when it's needed. He was terrific.”
At the other end, Christian Oxner was no slouch, either.
The HFX goalie made four saves — none bigger than off Cavs striker Ahinga Selemani, who subbed into the match in the
74th minute and looked full of confidence after scoring a brace in Wednesday night's win over Ottawa.
Selemani intercepted an HFX pass at midfield, turned and sprinted into the box with the ball before firing a shot that a diving Oxner was able to get an extended arm on.
It represented that one final opportunity for the Cavs to extend their win streak to three.
Earlier in the game, it was captain Nik Ledgerwood with the Calgary side's best chance to score, when he drilled a rebound off a corner kick, which was met by the heads-up, head-on-theball redirection of Wanderers captain Andre Rampersad.
And fellow veterans Jose Escalante and Mason Trafford had the other notable threats for Cavalry.
“In the first half, I made good contact and just headed it over the net,” Trafford said. “And then in the second half on the corner from Ledgerwood, I'm not sure if I hit it off Oxner or what happened. I felt like it was close for both. I think I should've had two. When I watch it back, I'll be disappointed.”
But to a man, the Cavs can't be disappointed in the outcome given the schedule, the weather and the task before them in the Manitoba bubble.
“(Saturday) was probably the worst for heat,” said Trafford. “Definitely a factor, but not anything we can't overcome.
“Hard-fought, for sure. So not the worst result in what was a really tough game. The weather was tough and third game in a week . ... Although we did some rotations, it still showed that we were a bit fatigued. We ground out a result. We would've preferred to win, but we'll take it at this stage.”
As will the winless Wanderers (0-2-1).
“We stayed together as a group. The team effort was not in question,” HFX man-of-the-match Jeremy Gagnon-lapare told Onesoccer.ca. “I think there's a lot of things that we're trying to adjust and we can still improve on since we got here to Winnipeg. I think there's a lot of stuff we can be proud of against a good team.”
Next up, the Cavs (2-0-1) gear up to play nemesis Forge FC (0-2) on Thursday (6 p.m., Onesoccer.ca).