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Calgary Herald
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Cavalry FC falls to Vancouver FC in penalties in Canadian Championship quarters
Article content Another chase for the Canadian Championship is over for Cavalry FC. Article content A loss in a penalty shootout to visiting Vancouver FC on Tuesday night at ATCO Field left the Calgary club heartbroken and ended this year's run for the Voyageurs Cup, despite what looked like perhaps the team's best opportunity to track down the coveted — and elusive — honour. Article content 'I think obviously we're disappointed,' said Cavalry midfield star Shamit Shome after the 1-1 result, decided by penalty kicks that favoured the Vancouver squad 5-4 at Spruce Meadows. 'We wanted to push together to get to the semifinals for the first time in a while. Article content Article content 'It's just that's the reality of PKs. Anything can happen.' Article content Article content A win, indeed, would've pushed Cavalry onto the penultimate round of 'The Battle of the North' — a place the club reached once before back in the inaugural season. Article content Six years later and with both a league and playoff championship under their belts, the Cavs seem primed to make it back to at least the semi round. Article content Instead after Tuesday's decision, it's Vancouver FC off to play either Canadian Premier League rival Valour FC or Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps FC. That tie is at 2-2 with Leg 2 in the total-goal series set for Wednesday night at Vancouver's BC Place. Article content 'We've dealt with three penalty losses in Can Champs,' said Cavalry gaffer Tommy Wheeldon Jr., reflecting on his club's misadventures over the years. 'We've just got to move on and focus on what the next match is. The next match happens to be Vancouver (in CPL action Sunday night), so it's a great response for the players now, because I'm sure they're smarting.' Article content Article content Another oh-so-close result in a shootout certainly should hurt. Article content This decider saw usually reliable Tobias Warschewski miss for Cavalry before teammates Caniggia Elva, Mihail Gherasimencov, Fraser Aird and Ali Musse all scored. Article content For Vancouver, it was Nicolás Mazquida, David Norman Jr., Aidan O'Connor, Terran Campbell and Juan Batista converting penalty kicks on Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci. Teammate Thomas Powell missed his chance. Article content But the difference came on the last kick, when it was Maël Henry saved by the Vancouver goalie Callum Irving, who stretched out to get his fingers on the shot to the deep left of the net. Article content 'It's about the 180 minutes (over two games to beat Vancouver),' said Wheeldon, whose charges drew even 1-1 with host Vancouver back in July during the first leg of the two-game, total-goal quarterfinal series. 'Vancouver played us tough in those 180 minutes and took it to a lottery, and we lost that. So we have to look at what we could have done better in those 180 — not just (Tuesday) night — and see how we can get better.'
Calgary Herald
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Cavalry fall to Vancouver in penalties in Canadian Championship quarters
Article content The chase for the 2025 Canadian Championship is over for Cavalry FC. Article content A loss in a penalty shootout to visiting Vancouver FC on Tuesday night at ATCO Field left the Calgary club heartbroken and ended this year's run for the Voyageurs Cup. Article content 'I think obviously we're disappointed,' said Cavalry midfield star Shamit Shome after the 1-1 result, decided by penalty kicks that favoured the Vancouver squad 5-4 at Spruce Meadows. 'We wanted to push together to get to the semifinals for the first time in a while.' Article content Article content A win, indeed, would've pushed Cavalry onto the penultimate round of 'The Battle of the North' — a place the club reached once before back in the inaugural season. Article content Article content Six years later and with both a league and playoff championship under their belts, the Cavs seem primed to make it back to at least the semi round. Article content Instead after Tuesday's decision, it's Vancouver FC off to play either Canadian Premier League rival Valour FC or Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps FC. That tie is at 2-2 with Leg 2 in the total-goal series set for Wednesday night at Vancouver's BC Place. Article content The penalty shootout saw Tobias Warschewski miss for Cavalry before teammates Caniggia Elva, Mihail Gherasimencov, Fraser Aird, Ali Musse all scored. Then it was Maël Henry saved by the Vancouver goalie Callum Irving. Article content For Vancouver, it was Nicolás Mazquida, David Norman Jr., Aidan O'Connor, Terran Campbell and Juan Batista converting penalty kicks on Cavalry goalie Marco Carducci. Teammate Thomas Powell missed his chance. Article content Article content The visitors got on the board first when Mazquida converted a penalty kick in the 23rd minute. Article content Levi Laing was charged with taken down a Vancouver FC forward in the box, leading to the shot from the dot that Mazquida hammered past Carducci. Article content After that goal, 'They defended their socks off,' said Cavalry gaffer Tommy Wheeldon Jr. The home side, however, did get the goal back in the 66th minute on a weird play. Article content Cavalry defender Mihail Gherasimencov chased down a corner kick that was redirected beyond the top of the box and fired a ball that deflected into the net off injured — and prone — O'Connor.
