Cavalry beats York9 to secure top spot entering group stage in CPL's Island Games
Valour eliminated from contention with 2-2 tie against Forge
Marcus Haber scored in the 69th minute, and Calgary's Cavalry FC secured top spot in the standings with a 1-0 win over York9 FC on Saturday in Canadian Premier League play.
Cavalry (4-2-1) overcame back-to-back losses with a huge victory over York9 that pushed them ahead of Forge FC for first place heading into the group stage of competition.
York9 (2-1-4) entered the contest undefeated in six matches and suffered just its first loss of the first stage.
The win came at a cost for Cavalry with Oliver Minatel being stretchered off after a hard tackle by Roger Thompson 15 minutes into the game.
Cavalry says Minatel was to undergo surgery for a serious lower-body injury.
WATCH | Cavalry rallies to beat Valour after Minatel stretchered off:
Forge FC eliminates Valour FC
Meanwhile, Winnipeg's Valour FC (2-3-2) was eliminated from championship contention with a 2-2 tie against Hamilton's Forge FC (3-1-3).
Yohan Le Bourhis and Moses Dyer scored for Valour FC, while Kyle Bekker and Alexander Achinioti-Jonsson had goals for Forge FC.
The Hamilton squad has secured a spot in the next round.
WATCH | Hamilton forges a path to the group stage:
The current CPL season is being dubbed The Island Games as the teams are playing in a bubble in Charlottetown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top four clubs in the eight-team league at the end of the 28-match opening stage advance to the six-match group stage. The top two teams from the group stage play in a single-match final.
The first round wraps up Sunday with Halifax's HFX Wanderers FC facing Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC of Langford, B.C., meeting FC Edmonton.
