The backbone of the Cavalry is on a run to remember.
Marco Carducci posted consecutive clean sheets as the Cavalry posted 1-0 victories over FC Edmonton and Valour FC over a three-day span to climb into top-spot in the Canadian Premier League.
The Cavalry and Pacific FC boast identical 9-4-3 records and a share of first place in the CPL with Forge six points back and Valour nine points off the pace.
“We played three games in six days,” said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. “And they’ve all been tough games. We had to find a way to equalize, we had to find a way to beat Edmonton in the wet and rain and we had to find a way to beat Valour at home in tough circumstances and we did.”
Carducci has five clean sheets on the season in 14 appearances for the Cavs.
The Cavalry have six shutouts through 16 games and have allowed just 14 goals, the second best goals against numbers in the eight-team league.
On Sept. 1, the Cavs blanked the Eddies by a 1-0 count at Clarke Stadium in the second Al-Classico of the week with the teams previously earning a hard-fought 2-2 draw on Aug. 29.
Anthony Novak broke the goalless deadlock in the 27th minute with the ball bouncing to the striker somewhat fortuitously and the CPL veteran making no mistake for his third goal of the season.
Carducci was brilliant all evening on a soggy pitch and sewed up the three points for the visitors with a pair of rebound saves in tight on a mad scramble in the dying moments of the match.
“It was tough conditions for sure, especially in the second-half with the wind and rain coming our way,” Carducci said. “We knew it was going to be like that tonight, we knew there were was going to be moments where we had to deal with that and lock up the shop.”
On Sept. 4, a trip to Winnipeg yielded the same result for the travelling Cavs.
Joe Mason provided the offence for the Cavalry after he was picked out on a curling cross from midfielder Ben Fisk and had acres of space for a cool finish inside the box in the 31st minute.
“We rotated and managed our minutes correctly on Wednesday and that allowed us to have a little bit of freshness today,” said Wheeldon Jr. following the Valour game. “It’s the pieces we have together that are coming in and doing a job no matter who’s in the jersey.
“We were playing one of the best possession teams in the league… so to come to their house and out-pass them says something about the guys that have really put in the work.”
Mo Farsi, the Canadian U-21 Player of the Year in 2020, was named CPL Player of the Month for August after a number of star-turning performances as a wingback and winger for the Cavalry.
Going forward, the Cavalry keep its show on the road with a stop to B.C. to tackle Pacific on Sept. 9 and another jaunt to Winnipeg to clash with Valour on Sept. 18.
In Canadian Championship action, the Cavalry will welcome Pacific on Sept. 22 for the quarterfinal of the cup competition.
For more information go to cavalryfc.canpl.ca.
