For a second time in 2024, Pacific and Cavalry split the points in CPL play, as they drew 1-1 at Starlight Stadium in Saturday.
After an early goal from Pacific, Cavalry was able to respond in the second half, leaving them to settle for the draw.
With that, Pacific now remains winless in three games in CPL play, although they snapped a two-game losing streak in this game, while Cavalry remains with just one win on the year, with this being their sixth draw in eight games (1W-6D-1L).
Pacific nearly opened the scoring on a scramble in the 4th minute, as the ball fell to an open Ayman Sellouf in the box after a corner, but his deflected shot looped just over the crossbar to stay out.
Despite that near-miss, however, Pacific would get rewarded for their strong start in the 6th minute. After a nice sequence of play, Kunle Dada-Luke had the chance to whip in a dangerous cross from out wide, and he’d find the run of Steffen Yeates with curling ball.
From there, Yeates did the rest, adjusting his body to head it past Marco Carducci at the near post, giving his side the early lead.
After that, the game would slow down, however, as both teams settled into a rhythm. As a result, the next chance didn’t come until the 35th minute, when Cavalry’s Malcolm Shaw stepped up to take a free kick that he won at the edge of the box, but he’d be unable to get his dipping shot on target.
Then, Shamit Shome nearly equalized minutes later for Cavalry, as Fraser Aird found him with a perfect cross into the box, but Shome’s header sailed just over the crossbar.
From there, Cavalry were able to find their best chance of the first half on its last action. After a marauding run from Daan Klomp, he found Bradley Kamdem with a perfect cross, but the Cavalry defender’s powerful header struck the post and stayed out, leaving Pacific to reach half time with their lead still intact.
On the other side of the break, Cavalry maintained their push for an equalizer, and they were rewarded for it in the 68th minute. After a dangerous ball into the box from Kamdem, the ball fell to second half substitute, Tobias Warschewski, who powered the ball past Pacific’s Emil Gazdov with a deflected shot to make it 1-1.
Cavalry weren’t done pushing, either. They’d nearly grab the lead in the 77th minute, as Lleyton Brooks fired a dangerous shot from distance, forcing a tough save out of Gazdov to keep the game tied.
At the other end, Pacific was eager to grab back the lead, and had a great chance to do so in the 87th minute, but Sean Young sent a dangerous shot over the goal from the edge of the box.
Then, they had a glorious chance to win the game in the 92nd minute. After a perfect cross from Andrei Tîrcoveanu on a free kick, he found a wide-open Juan Quintana at the back post, but the defender sent his header wide of the post from in-close.
Continuing his strong end to the game, Tîrcoveanu nearly found Pacific a late winner a minute later, setting up Josh Heard for a breakaway, but he was denied by an onrushing Carducci.
As a result, that left both teams to split the points, much as was the case in their first meeting.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Lajeunesse; Heard, Lamothe, Young, Yeates (Keshavarz 90′); Zanatta (Tîrcoveanu 68′), Sellouf
Cavalry FC: Carducci; Shome, Klomp, Montgomery, Kamdem; Gutiérrez (Trafford 89′), Daley (Warschewski 58′); Aird, Camargo, Dias (Brooks 58′); Shaw
Goals
6′ — Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC)
68′ — Tobias Warschewski (Cavalry FC)
Discipline
45+1′ — Yellow: Pierre Lamothe (Pacific FC)
71′ — Yellow: Sean Young (Pacific FC)