Final report:
of the match between
forge fc vs cavalry
From Saturday 15 of 2023
4:00 p.m.
At Tim Hortom Field
Match of the season 2023
Forge FC 2 vs. Cavalry FC 2
Scorers: Hamilton 41′ (Pen.), Jensen 76′; Bevan 36′, Cantave 64′
The Champions Forge FC took on foes the Cavalry at Tim Hortons Field at 4.00pm in the sides’ first meeting of 2023, and there was no shortage of fireworks to kick off the season opener.
When the points in a 2-2 tie. The Cavalry took the lead twice, once in each half thanks to Myer Bevan and Miki Cantave (the latter was an absurd 25-yard shot), but both times Forge was level again within minutes as Jordan Hamilton scored from the spot. and Noah Jensen hit a powerful shot with 15 minutes to go.
There’s a certain inevitability to Forge FC; they’re rarely kept off the score sheet (in fact, it’s happened just once in their last 10 games).
That was the feeling in their first home game on Saturday; even in the early stages, when Cavalry had the lion’s share of opportunities, Forge still generated enough transition opportunities to suggest they would eventually find a way through.
The Hammers displayed a knack for switching gears, losing a total of 17 minutes despite falling behind twice. Of course, Bobby Smyrniotis would have preferred his team not to relent as he did, but the way they responded on both occasions showed that they remain one of the most dangerous teams in the CPL.
Forge’s two answers were also somewhat different; in the first half, knowing they had plenty of time left, they continued to look for transition opportunities that had proven dangerous early in the game, and it was a long ball to Jordan Hamilton that led to the penalty.
The second time around, with a finer second-half margin of error, Forge’s bench reacted immediately: Smyrniotis brought Woobens Pacius, Terran Campbell and Ashtone Morgan into the game just minutes after conceding.
From there, they pushed more methodically, buzzing through the Cavalry box and sending dangerous crosses into the box. His second equalizing goal seemed to come straight from the training ground: Alessandro Hojabrpour deliberately drove to the end line and sliced over the top, skipping a defensive branch and finding Noah Jensen perfectly positioned to finish on goal.
“You play the game to score goals, so it’s not something that bothers us to have the ball go into the back of our net,” Smyrniotis quipped after the game.
“It’s just putting that aside and getting back to what we have to do. Both targets come from a period a bit under us, and I think that’s something we need to look at. That’s the beauty of these first games of the season.”
The four cavalry front extends the pitch, creates a multi-faceted attack
Joe Mason and Myer Bevan started together just once in the CPL for Cavalry last season
. This year that may be a more regular feature, with both forwards appearing in the XI on matchday one.
Bevan played as the outright number nine on Saturday with Mason falling further behind him while Miki Cantave and Ali Musse patrolled the left and right wings respectively. With coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. looking for ways to make his team’s attack more potent, this option helps the Cavalry get more of their best attacking players on the field, particularly with natural winger José Escalante falling into the role. from side.
The result was that the Cavalry attack became much more varied and dangerous from multiple areas.
In possession, they often looked to play from midfield to the wingers, especially Musse, and both wing players were keen to take on opposing full-backs to beat them or lure
