On a day that felt like summer the Cavalry climbed back on top of the fall season.
José Escalante tallied the brace and Cavalry FC (7-1-4) responded with three goals in the final 29 minutes to dispatch Pacific FC 4-1 Sunday afternoon at Spruce Meadows' ATCO Field to vault past Forge into top spot in the Canadian Premier League's fall standings.
"Everything is in our hands. We always focus on what's next," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. "Everybody seemed to write us off, we have nothing to play for, we don't see it that way.
"We like playing the best version of our opposition so it creates the best out of us. We won the spring, we didn't want to rest on our laurels. The way we see it is it's a treble, you win the spring and the fall and the CPL championship is the treble."
The spring champions did their bid to repeat the feat in the fall a world of good on Sunday.
Escalante opened the scoring just 11 minutes in, making Pacific pay for a miscue in the box. The Cavs had a couple golden opportunities to double the lead before the half with Dominick Zator, on a header, and Dominique Malonga, on a volley, coming the closest to finding the back of the net.
Pacific got itself back on even terms, albeit briefly, in the second half.
Zach Verhoven was brought down in the box by Cavs goalkeeper Marco Carducci with a penalty kick awarded. Terran Campbell stepped up and delivered from the spot to level the score at 1-1 in the 61st minute.
Undaunted, the Cavalry rallied with three goals in the final third of the match.
"As soon as they scored we picked up again," the coach added. "We kept coming and that's the ruthless side of us."
Oliver Minatel restored the lead for Cavalry, taking a one-touch cross from defender Joel Waterman and sliding in for the volley on the far post in the 66th minute.
"Joel has always been a strong threat for us pushing forward," said Escalante via a translator. "He's always giving us those opportunities to push ... with those great balls he does put in and same with Oliver. He's got a nose for the net and always finds the back of the net.
"That's what we worked for all week, those set pieces and making sure guys are doing their jobs."
Striker Dominique Malonga added a goal on a penalty kick in the 75th minute after Pacific FC's Ryan McCurdy was called for a blatant hand ball in the box, earning the send-off for his second yellow card of the game.
Escalante started and closed the scoring in the match, using his sublime left foot in the 87th minute to curl a shot past Pacific goalkeeper Nolan Wirth.
"I think there is more to come from him, I think our fans and our players haven't seen the best of him, but they're starting to see why we wanted to bring him to the Cavalry," Wheeldon Jr. said. "He's an exciting player, he changes games.
"I'm very proud of him."
The feast or famine nature of the schedule has given the Cavalry some time off in September on the heels of a jam packed slate in the previous month.
Sunday's game was the Cavalry's first since its 1-0 triumph over FC Edmonton 11 days prior and first time at ATCO Field in 25 days.
"We talked about September being a month where we got to work on some things, got to get bodies healthy," the coach added. "And today you saw what was deserving with how we've trained and I think the fans deserved that because the last time they've seen us we were tired."
The schedule gets busy once again for the Cavs in the final weeks of the fall season.
Next up is a Sept. 28 road date at York 9. The Cavalry return home on Oct. 2 versus Valour for the first of five games in a 17-day span.
For more information go to cavalryfc.canpl.ca
