ANALYSIS + HIGHLIGHTS: Cavalry FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (May 7, 2024) | TELUS Canadian Championship
The Vancouver Whitecaps have picked up a 2-1 win over Cavalry FC in Leg 1 of their 2024 TELUS Canadian Championship quarter-final series, with Levonte Johnson scoring a brace to give his team two valuable away goals ahead of their return to BC Place.
The two sides seemed destined to go into the locker room at half-time level at 0-0 after battling back and forth for 45 minutes, if not for a late thunder-strike from Johnson, catching Marco Carducci from distance and converting on a strike that had a 0.03xG. As Johnson celebrated a beautiful away goal, Vanni Sartini's expression visibly lightened, too – his half-time team talk script would need to be rewritten in real time, as the referee quickly blew the half-time whistle afterward.
But, try as Cavalry might – and did they ever, as Lleyton Brooks nearly found the leveller on the hour mark with a fierce header – it would not be enough to topple giants, as Johnson added a second goal in the 80th minute to go up 2-0.
Malcolm Shaw would cut in half late with a well-placed goal of his own in the 93rd minute of play, though, giving Cavalry a glimmer of hope as they head into Leg 2.
The Vancouver Whitecaps will take both those away goals back home when they next host Cavalry FC for Leg 2 of this quarter-final at BC Place on May 21, 2024 (10PM ET / 7PM PT). You can catch that match right here on OneSoccer.
Here are your match highlights: