ANALYSIS + HIGHLIGHTS: Cavalry FC book spot in 2025 CanPL FINAL after resolute win over Forge

For a third straight year, Cavalry FC are headed for the CPL Final, after they defeated Forge FC 1-0 on Sunday night at Hamilton Stadium in the Contender Semifinal. Tobias Warschewski's second-half goal was all the Cavs needed, as they ended the Hammers' season and will now head to Ottawa with a chance to defend their North Star Cup title.

Cavalry approached this game the same way they entered last weekend's Semifinal Qualifier against York United; Tommy Wheeldon Jr. named an unchanged starting XI, with Warschewski and Caniggia Elva combining up top. Forge, however, made a couple of surprising changes. Defender Malik Owolabi-Belewu made his first start since July 12, lining up at centre-back and pushing Alexander Achinioti-Jönsson forward into midfield. Meanwhile, Nana Ampomah returned to the lineup in attack, as David Choinière dropped to the bench.

The match had a frenetic pace from minute one, both sides pressing quite aggressively and trying to set an early tone with physicality. Forge had a heavy possession advantage in the first 15 minutes, but each team had chances; Cavalry's pacey front four caused early problems on the counter-attack, and Elva had a great opportunity from the top of the six-yard box but couldn't quite get enough power on the ball to beat Jassem Koleilat.

Down at the other end, Marco Carducci made a phenomenal diving save on Forge full-back Marko Jevremović, getting his fingertips to a curling shot through traffic to push it away.

Cavalry nearly opened the scoring around the half-hour mark, when a superb Fraser Aird cross met Ali Musse in the box, and Musse's headed touch made the ball bounce through Koleilat's legs. Elva, though, hadn't expected it to get through to him, and was unable to sort out his feet in time to knock the ball into an open goal.

Brian Wright put the ball in the net just moments after begininng play in the second half, but the potential goal was ruled out for a narrow offside. Just a couple minutes later at the other end, Elva thumped a shot off the base of the left goalpost.

Still, the sides battled on, in search of the first goal.

Finally, just before the clock hit an hour, Cavalry broke through. Elva found the ball on the edge of the box and passed it sideways, where Owolabi-Belewu was unable to cleanly intercept it. Warschewski picked the ball away from the Forge centre-back and played himself into the box to his right, drawing Koleilat out of the net before chipping it over the keeper and in.

With his fifth career goal in the CPL Playoffs, Warschewski became the league's all-time postseason scoring leader.

The Hammers, with just over half an hour left to save their season, went all-out over the next few minutes, throwing everything they could at Cavalry's penalty area in an attempt to find an equalizer. A flurry of crosses and balls over the top were unable to find a target, though, and Forge became increasingly frustrated.

In the end, Forge could not find a way through, and for the first time ever their season has ended before the CPL Final. Cavalry, who now go into the championship match for a third straight year, will take on Atlético Ottawa on Sunday, Nov. 9 in the capital as they try to lift the North Star Cup for the second time in a row.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Forge FC: Koleilat; Rama, Nimick, Owolabi-Belewu, Jevremović (Borges 74'); Achinioti-Jönsson, Hojabrpour, Bekker (Babouli 85'); Ampomah, Wright (Choinière 61'), Massunda (H. Paton 85')

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Aird (Laing 78'), Klomp, Field (Kamdem 90'), Gherasimencov; Shome, Kobza; Musse (Wähling 90'), Warschewski (Gutiérrez 78'), Ntignee; Elva

Goals

57' — Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC)

Discipline

30' — Yellow: Eryk Kobza (Cavalry FC)
44' — Yellow: Malik Owolabi-Belewu (Forge FC)
45+1' — Yellow: Alessandro Hojabrpour (Forge FC)
56' — Yellow: Nana Ampomah (Forge FC)
90+3' — Yellow: Goteh Ntignee (Cavalry FC)
90+4' — Yellow: Diego Gutierrez (Cavalry FC)