Pacific FC continued to ride a wave of historic wins on Wednesday night as they staved off a stampede from the Calgary Cavalry and advanced to the Canadian Championship semifinals.
It was a battle of the Canadian Premier League’s best when the Langford-based Pacific beat Cavalry FC 1-0 in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals at ATCO Field in Calgary. The 13-team CanChamp tournament’s winner gets to raise the Voyageurs Cup and earns a spot in the 2022 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.
Terran Campbell scored the lone goal in the 33rd minute when the Cavalry failed to clear a Manuel Aparicio kick, leaving Josh Heard with the ball at the corner of the box. Heard put a lob out front of the net where a Calgary defender sent the ball almost straight up in the air before the Pacific headed it to the net front. Campbell then sent a strike over the goalkeeper’s right shoulder to give PFC the lead.
The Pacific will now face Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC later this month to try and earn a spot in the tournament’s championship match. PFC took down the MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps 4-3 in late August to secure their quarterfinal spot. Cavalry’s path to the quarters also went through the Caps. They earned a bye to the quarters by beating Vancouver in the 2019 Canadian Championship semifinals.
READ: Pacific FC shine in Langford with historic win over Vancouver Whitecaps
Pacific and Cavalry currently sit one and two in the CPL standings, respectively, and were pretty evenly matched in their four contests this season that preceded Wednesday’s game.
“This is a brewing rivalry in a very positive way for the league, with both teams at the top of the table chasing each other,” PFC coach Pa-Modou Kah said Tuesday. “Two teams that are playing off because they have knocked out the Whitecaps is a beautiful thing and shows how the league is growing.”
The Pacific will have to topple the Toronto FC if they want a shot at the Voyageurs Cup. TFC also advanced to the semis on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over York United.
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