Tobias Warschewski’s 27th-minute goal sent Cavalry FC into the Canadian Premier League championship game with a 1-0 win over Forge FC in the qualifying semifinal Sunday.
Defending champion Forge still has a chance to join second-seeded Cavalry in the Nov. 9 final in Calgary, however.
No. 1 Forge will host next Saturday’s semifinal against No. 3 Atletico Ottawa, which edged No. 4 York United FC 5-4 in a penalty shootout earlier Sunday after their quarterfinal finished tied 2-2 after extra time.
It’s the third trip to the CPL final for Cavalry, which lost to Forge in 2019 and 2023. Forge, meanwhile, suffered only its second defeat in 14 career playoff games (10-2-2).
“It was a very tough performance from us. And it needed to be,” Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. said.
Cavalry almost went ahead in the 24th minute Sunday at Tim Hortons Field only to see Forge’s Alessandro Hojabrpour acrobatically clear away a Callum Montgomery header destined for a goal.
But Warschewski made no mistake three minutes later, taking advantage of a long free kick from goalkeeper Marco Carducci from just outside his own penalty box that split the Forge defence. Warschewski got to the ball first, chesting it down and fending off a defender before going around goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat and knocking the ball home.
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“He’s unplayable, isn’t he,” Wheeldon said of Warschewski. “And credit to Marco. He saw an opportunity.”
Warschewski won the league’s Golden Boot Award, leading all scorers during the regular season with 12 goals.
Forge had its chances in the first half, including a wild goalmouth scramble that it failed to take advantage of. Another attack saw captain Kyle Bekker’s header from close range hit the goalpost.
Carducci stopped a looping shot from distance from Forge’s Beni Badibanga in the 53rd minute. A minute later, Hojabrpour’s hard shot went straight at the Cavalry ‘keeper.
Cavalry’s Jay Herdman, son of Toronto FC coach John Herdman, hammered a shot over the bar in the 59th minute. Three minutes later, Daan Klomp’s header off a Ali Musse cross flashed just wide of the Forge goal.
Carducci parried a hard shot from just outside the penalty box by substitute Noah Jensen in the 79th minute. Bekker fired high in the 83rd minute.
Forge held a 2-1-1 edge in the regular-season series with Cavalry this year, winning 2-1 twice at Tim Hortons Field with a 1-0 loss and 1-1 draw at ATCO Field.
Hamilton’s Forge is looking for a fifth title — and third straight — in its sixth post-season appearance. Forge won the title in 2019, ’20, ’22 and ’23 and was runner-up in 2021.
It is also looking for the double this season after posting the best regular-season record (15-8-5), finishing two points ahead of Cavalry (12-4-12).
Cavalry finished atop the regular-season standings in 2019, the league’s inaugural campaign, and 2023, only to run into Forge in the final both times.
The Calgary side was runner-up in the league in 2021, losing 2-1 after extra time to eventual champion Pacific FC in the semifinal. Cavalry lost 3-2 to Forge in the two-legged semifinal in 2022.
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