Final Score: Pacific FC 3-3 Cavalry FC
Goalscorers: Young 43', Keshavarz 66', Díaz 70'; Ntignee 22', 52', Klomp 90+4'
Game of the 2025 season: 104
CPL Match: 699
Match in a minute or less
Pacific FC and Cavalry FC combined for a six-goal thriller at Starlight Stadium on Sunday, splitting the points in a 3-3 draw in Canadian Premier League action. Despite being a battle between a team with nothing to play for in Pacific, who are already eliminated from playoff contention, and Cavalry, who are still fighting to finish third in the table, both teams traded goals in an entertaining match.
To start the game, Cavalry opened the scoring in the 22nd minute through Goteh Ntignee, but then Pacific pulled one back through Sean Young in the 43rd minute.
In the second half, though, things got wild, as after Ntignee found his brace in the 52nd minute, Cavalry went down a player after Michael Baldisimo was sent off in the 62nd minute. As a result, that paved the way for Pacific to turn the game around with goals from Sami Keshavarz in the 66th minute and Alejandro Díaz in the 70th minute, which put them ahead 3-2.
Yet, that wouldn't stop Cavalry from still getting something out of this game, as Daan Klomp scored a dramatic equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to rescue a draw for his team, one that keeps them three points ahead of fourth-place York United and four points ahead of the fifth-place Halifax Wanderers in that race for third place.
Three Observations
Both teams left to settle for draw in topsy-turvy match:
Based on this game, you wouldn't have been able to tell that both of the last two matches between these two teams finished as 1-0 wins for either side, as this was an up-and-down match that remained up for grabs right until the very end.
Certainly, for any neutral fans, it ended up being a fantastic matchup - although it's rare that a draw with six goals doesn't fit that description - but both sides will feel like they missed an opportunity to win.
Yet, that's the story of this game - lost in all of the chaos of the matchup, both teams had opportunities to put a bit of daylight between them and the other, and those squandered opportunities proved to be costly.
For Cavalry, they'll think of how the first 60 minutes of this game played out, in particular, as they twice went up a goal, but twice then failed to extend that lead to two, which allowed Pacific to stick around. In particular, the 20 minutes after their second goal stands out, as they went from leading the game and in the ascendancy, to down a player and down a goal in quick succession.
Then, switching over to Pacific, they'll also think of a few missed opportunities of their own, too.
For example, right before Cavalry's second in the 52nd minute, they squandered a glorious 2v1 before conceding on the same counter-attack - one can only wonder how this game would've turned out had they taken a 2-1 lead at that moment, for example.
Of course, that missed opportunity didn't loom as large when they managed to then take the lead after the red card, but how they handled the last 15 minutes of the game stands out, as not only did they miss a few dangerous chances to go up 4-2, but they also let the game open up too much, as well.
That ended up benefiting Cavalry, who were able to claw one back late, having taken full advantage of the lifeline handed to them.
Therefore, while a draw seems fair to both teams on the balance - the shots were 17-14 and the xG was 1.18 to 0.83, both in Cavalry's favour - they each left this game wanting more.
What that shows, though, is the importance of managing games as they chase wins. Right now, that matters a bit more for Cavalry, who still have games of consequence to play this year, but even for Pacific, it's a good learning lesson as they begin to build for the future, as they've had too many matches like this in 2025.
Photo Credit: Pacific FC
Pacific finds goals thanks to midfield tweak:
Whenever goals are hard to come by, sometimes the best way to find them can be by brute force, and Pacific seemed to recognize that in this game.
Having entered this match with a league-low 24 goals on the season, including just three in their last six games, Pacific found a way to make up for some of those quiet offensive performances with a much-needed outburst, matching that total from their last six games in just 90 minutes of action.
In particular, it stands out that they were able to find those goals through some unlikely sources, too, as Sean Young scored just his second goal of the season, and Sami Keshavarz scored the first goal of his career. A pair of central midfielders, that they both scored in the same game is quite important, as it showed how Pacific were able to flood the box with numbers, which can sometimes be the best way to generate more offence.
Yet, Pacific's success in that regard can perhaps be explained by a bit of a formation change - after using a back three recently, they switched back to a 4-3-3 that operated almost like a 4-1-4-1 at times, which allowed them to get their midfielders higher up the pitch.
That ended up giving them a bit more punch in their attack, as it ensured that striker Alejandro Díaz wouldn't be too isolated, while freeing up their wide players, Marco Bustos and Yann Toualy, to stretch the field a bit more.
Of course, Pacific were helped by Cavalry's red card, which afforded them valuable space to attack into - they didn't take the lead until after they were up a player, after all - but the shots were only 9-6 in Cavalry's favour by the time the sending off happened, so it's not as if they weren't creating opportunities before then.
Because of that, look for them to build off this as they head into their last two games of the season. While the playoffs might not be in reach, they can still finish with a couple of victories, and, of course, more goals.
Having mostly relied on forwards Díaz (6 goals in CPL play), Toualy (4 goals) and Dario Zanatta (3 goals), along with centre-back Aly Ndom (5 goals), getting some more production from players deeper on the pitch could go a long way towards helping Pacific's offensive woes next season.
Going forward, that would be a big boost for them, showing the value of these last few games for Pacific, which are as much about setting the foundation for what's ahead as it is to finish strongly.
"Now that we're out of playoffs, each person has to find their own way of finding motivation," Keshavarz offered. "Whether it's personal goals or for the club. For a young player, it can be about showing what their future can be beyond this year, but for each player, they have to find their own motivation."
The xG plot from this game, with Pacific's chances in black, showing how they were able to attack the box, even if they didn't get as many quality chances as hoped (OPTA)
Ntignee continues to help Cavalry's balanced attack tick:
Despite playing on the smaller field at Starlight Stadium, Cavalry were able to find some joy in transition, and Goteh Ntignee was a big reason for that.
Deployed in his usual left wing position, Ntignee caused a lot of problems for Pacific's backline with his speed, and he was ultimately rewarded with his brace, which pushes him up to four goals and two assists in 11 games since his return to the club this summer.
Unfortunately, he was not able to do as much damage as he'd have hoped late in the game, as Cavalry's red card forced him to play a bit more defensively, but it was still a strong showing from the Cavalry winger.
Thanks to that, Cavalry were able to add three more goals to their season tally, too, as they now sit third in the league with 44 goals in 26 games. Interestingly, they've really started to come alive since Ntignee's arrival - they've scored 21 of those goals in their last eight games, after scoring 23 times in their first 18 matches.
What that shows, though, is how Ntignee is impacting his side's attack. Not only is he thriving with his own play, but he's freeing up his teammates to be more dangerous, and that's helped Cavalry be far more lethal as a whole when attacking.
"Our attack is so dangerous," Klomp said. "They all have magic. Today, you saw Goteh (Ntignee); he was unstoppable. When he has space and he starts running at defenders, it's a gamble for the defender, and if he wins his 50/50s - out of 10, he's always going to win at least five - that's where he scores his goals. It's great to have him in the team, hopefully we can get him scoring like this in the playoffs, as well."
On any given day, any one of Cavalry's front four, which usually consists of Ntignee, Ali Musse, Sergio Camargo and Tobias Warschewski, can come alive and take over a game. Their numbers speak for themselves - in CPL play, Musse now has nine goals and seven assists, Warchewski eight goals and five assists, and Camargo seven goals and six assists, to go along with Ntignee's four goals and two assists.
Yet, that shows what this team will be most dangerous at heading into the playoffs - they can certainly bring a game to life with their attack. Of course, that's half of the job, as they'll also need to keep the ball out of their net to have any playoff success, but that's why it shows that finding that balance will be their main goal in these last two games.
"We've got to take pride in our defending," Klomp added. "We can't be stepping off the pitch having conceded three goals every other week."
Cavalry's attack map from this game, showing that while a lot went through Ntignee on the left, Musse also profited on the right, highlighting the balance in Cavalry's attack (OPTA)
What They Said
"It's difficult for us not to see out the game (...) That's a bit the story of our season, right? We just need to finish and see out the game. That comes with confidence and belief. We started to concede space and pressure, and they found a way back in in the last dying minutes. So we should manage to see the game out and take maximum points, and that's frustrating, but at least the spirit, heart and hunger to stay in the game, that's important, (for us) to show that the group is still fighting, and we're gonna fight until the end." -- Pacific FC head coach James Merriman
"The goals against on the road have been poor. Honestly, it's not been good enough. It's not just on our goalkeeper and defenders, it's about the collective; we've got to do better. (...) It's now a bit of personal pride for the lads as a group to protect the lead. We could have seen this one out at 2-1; it'd have been job done, and we could've moved on." -- Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr.
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Goteh Ntignee, Cavalry FC
Ntignee caused a lot of problems for Pacific down that left side, scoring his two goals while adding five shots, two chances created, two dribbles, three fouls won and 12 touches in the box in a lively offensive performance. Then, for good measure, he also added four tackles, one interception, four recoveries and 10 out of 16 duels won defensively, showcasing his overall impact in this match.
Here all of Goteh Ntignee's actions from this game (OPTA)
What’s next?
Pacific will head out on the road for their next match, as they travel to Ontario to take on York United at York Lions Stadium on Thursday, October 9th (4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET). Meanwhile, Cavalry will return home for a big match vs. Forge FC at ATCO Field on Friday, October 10th (7:30 p.m. MT/9:30 p.m. ET).
Watch all CPL and Canadian Championship matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.