RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Atlético Ottawa vs. Cavalry FC | August 23, 2025

After the first half was controlled by Cavalry FC at TD Place on Saturday night, Atlético Ottawa battled back in the second half to earn a 2-2 draw.

Both sides wanted to get off to a quick start in the match, and had their opportunities to create early chances in an end-to-end start. Tobias Warschewski had the first shot of the game in the sixth minute as the Cavs started to build momentum, but it was blocked by a crowd of bodies. The visitors pinned Ottawa into their own half for a few minutes, but their only other shot in the early moments of the match was an effort from outside the box by Eryk Kobza, which soared over the bar.

David Rodriguez curled a corner kick into the box in the 13th minute that forced Diego Gutierrez to head it over his own net and out of danger, and the Ottawa star's subsequent delivery was dangerous as well but cleared away by the Cavs too -- and led to an inconsequential long-distance shot from Ali Musse at the other end of the pitch.

Joaquim Coulanges had the first shot on target in the match, testing Marco Carducci after a quick Ottawa counter-attack up the left flank in the 20th minute.

Cavalry broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, with Musse giving the Cavs the advantage. As Cavalry charged toward Ottawa's penalty area, Tobias Warschewski expertly threaded a pass forward for Mihail Gherasimencov, who lobbed a cross to the back post. Musse was there to squeeze it across the line in a crowd of bodies, slamming into the post in the process -- but was able to shake off any pain to set up another chance for Sergio Camargo a few minutes later.

Musse then doubled the lead for Cavalry in the 35th minute with a free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Musse's effort took a big deflection off the wall of defenders, and Nate Ingham could not react in the Ottawa net after diving in the direction the ball appeared to be going. It was some redemption for the Cavalry star, who had a free kick goal disallowed last weekend for a teammate being offside.

Rodriguez tried to beat Carducci from distance in the 38th minute, but the Cavs goalkeeper dived to his right to push the ball out for a corner. Carducci was called on again a few minutes later, lunging to his right again to push a free kick from Manny Aparicio over the crossbar.

Ten minutes after the break, Ballou Tabla went down in the penalty area looking for a penalty, but referee Yusri Rudolf waved away the protest, booking Tabla for simulation in the process. Golden Boot leader Sam Salter attempted an audacious bicycle kick a few minutes later after a free kick into the box ended up in his vicinity, but he completely whiffed on it as Ottawa continued to look for their first goal of the game.

A moment of miscommunication prevented Cavalry from making it 3-0 in the 67th minute. Goteh Ntignee played a lateral pass to Camargo, who was wide open for an easy tap-in, but Warschewski didn't realize his teammate was behind him and unsuccessfully tried to fire the ball in himself.

Given a lifeline, Ottawa found a goal moments later, with Salter scoring his league-leading 13th goal of the season. Aparicio fired a powerful shot from distance that Carducci pushed off the woodwork, and he couldn't pounce on the rebound before Salter came charging in to slide and poke it home. The goal left Salter one back of the CPL record for most goals in a single campaign, set by his former Halifax teammate João Morelli in 2021.

Sparked by Salter's goal, Ottawa ramped up the pressure and found the back of the net again just three minutes later. A shot from Rodriguez following a corner took a deflection, seemingly off of Diego Gutierrez, and bounced past Marco Carducci, tying the game at 2-2 in the blink of an eye. Momentum was firmly in Ottawa's favour after the second goal, and it was the hosts that looked like they might go on to steal the full three points.

Cavalry had a glorious opportunity to win the game in the 90th minute when Caniggia Elva sent a powerful header on target, but Ingham was able to make a fantastic reaction save to push the ball off the crossbar and keep the match tied at 2-2. That sparked some life into Cavalry as stoppage time began, but a third goal eluded them despite coming inches away on multiple occasions in the second half.

Ottawa's last chance came from a corner kick with the last kick of the match, but the inswinging kick landed in the hands of Marco Carducci, bringing an end to a thrilling Saturday night clash in the capital.

With the draw, Ottawa maintain a ten-point lead over Cavalry FC for second spot in the table, and are now six points back of Forge FC in the race for the CPL Shield.

BOX SCORE

Lineups

Atlético Ottawa: Ingham; Duhaney-Walker, Kozlovskiy, Levis (Patterson 88'); Antinoro, Castro (Dos Santos 81'), Aparicio, Coulanges (Sissoko 68'); Rodriguez, Salter, Tabla (Álvarez 81')

Cavalry FC: Carducci; Laing, Klomp (Kamdem 81'), Montgomery, Gherasimencov; Kobza, Gutierrez (Baldisimo 88'); Musse (Sellouf 63'), Camargo (Aird 81'), Ntignee; Warschewski (Elva 82')

Goals

23' -- Ali Musse (Cavalry FC)
35' -- Ali Musse (Cavalry FC)
69' -- Sam Salter (Atlético Ottawa)
72' -- David Rodriguez *(Atlético Ottawa)

Discipline

29' -- Yellow: Sergio Camargo (Cavalry FC)
49' -- Yellow: Daan Klomp (Cavalry FC)
56' -- Yellow: Ballou Tabla (Atlético Ottawa)
76' -- Yellow: Callum Montgomery (Cavalry FC)
84' -- Yellow: Bradley Kamdem (Cavalry FC)
90+3' -- Yellow: Sergei Kozlovskiy (Atlético Ottawa)