HIGHLIGHTS: Valour FC vs Cavalry FC (August 3rd, 2022)

Valour FC needed a result on Wednesday night to keep themselves within touching distance of a playoff spot, and that’s exactly what Phil Dos Santos’ side got — beating Cavalry FC 2-0 at IG Field thanks to a brace from star attacker Moses Dyer.

Capitalizing on a mistake at the back, it was the home side who took an early lead, just seven minutes in.

Valour defender Nassim Mekideche played a long pass over the Cavalry backline, aiming for striker Moses Dyer. Cavalry defender Karifa Yao and goalkeeper Marco Carducci had some mixed signals and neither one was decisive enough to clear the ball away, allowing Dyer to get to it first.

Valour’s leading goalscorer calmly lifted it over Carducci and into the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

Cavalry’s first big chance of the match came just before the half-hour mark.

Meeting a cross that came in from Roberto Alarcón on the right flank, Joe Mason got his head on the ball, redirecting it toward Rayane Yesli in the Valour goal — but the 22-year-old was able to catch it and prevent a rebound.

Carducci redeemed himself for the earlier mistake with a big stop in the 40th minute to deny Brett Levis from close range. Levis, who started the match at left back but was all the way up in the opposite penalty area, received the ball from Matteo de Brienne before firing it at Carducci, who got down to block it away from danger.

A few minutes later a similar pass over the Cavalry backline to the opening goal, just on the right instead of the left, nearly caused a similar scoring opportunity, but this time Carducci was first to it and made a no-nonsense clearance to get the ball away.

Valour entered the break with a deserved 1-0 lead, having the better opportunities of the two sides, but just like on the weekend against Pacific FC, were only able to find the back of the net once in the opening 45.

In the 69th minute, Cavalry came close again. Another cross in from the right flank found Jose Escalante on the far side of the pitch, and the Honduran played a low pass to the feet of halftime substitute Sergio Camargo. Camargo fired it at Yesli, but his shot went just over the bar — a miss that would be even more frustrating for Camargo given what would happen a few minutes later.

Dyer made it 2-0 for Valour with his second goal of the match in the 72nd minute. Alessandro Riggi played a ball between the Cavalry defenders, and none of them reacted, sending Dyer in alone against Marco Carducci. The Valour attacker rounded the goalkeeper and took a few touches toward the goal before putting it in the back of the net.

Cavalry kept pushing for some kind of breakthrough, but it would never come. It was a frustrating evening for Tommy Wheeldon Jr’s side, who have now lost four of their past five matches after a lengthy club-record unbeaten streak earlier in the season.

Valour is now within six points of Atlético Ottawa for the fourth and final playoff spot, continuing to put the pressure on the teams above them with their sixth win of the season. Cavalry remains in third, but can be passed by Ottawa on the weekend.

BOX SCORE

Goals

7′ — Moses Dyer (Valour FC)

72′ — Moses Dyer (Valour FC)

Discipline

20′ — Yellow: Nassim Mekideche (Valour FC)

67′ — Yellow: Andy Baquero (Valour FC)

90′ — Yellow: Elliot Simmons (Cavalry FC)