Cavalry picked up a 3-1 win on the road in the first round of the Canadian Championship on Saturday.

The intrigue began long before the opening whistle, as Tommy Wheldon Jr. made his biggest departure yet from the usual 4-2-3-1 setup in 2026. With Harry Paton absent, the Cavs shifted into a 4-4-2 double pivot, with Caniggia Elva joining Tobias Warschewski up top, while Ali Musse and Goteh Ntignee dropped into a midfield four alongside Sergio Camargo and Eryk Kobza.

There were plenty of changes on the other side as well, with Eric Lajeunesse and Matthew Baldisimo returning to the starting eleven. Christian Greco-Taylor was absent for the first time this year, while Aidan Daniels, Alejandro Diaz, Josh Belluz and Ronan Kratt all started on the bench. Bul Juach and Eleias Himaras made their first starts of 2026 as manager James Merriman looked to spark his squad amid a disappointing start to the CPL season.

Cavalry’s strong edge in possession defined the first half, as the visitors routinely recycled the ball through the back line while waiting for gaps to open in Pacific’s defensive shape. Daan Klomp redirected his third goal of 2026 past Himaras in the 24th minute after a cross from Bradley Kamdem Fewo found its way into the area.

The Cavs directed 10 shots toward goal in the opening half, forcing Himaras into constant action in his first appearance of the year.

Pacific responded in the second half, with Merriman introducing Josh Belluz, Roshawn Juhmi and Alejandro Díaz within the first 15 minutes after the break. Frustration continued to build for Pacific, with two members of the bench staff sent off in the 66th minute, but the match was far from over.

A Pacific corner kick led to sustained possession in the Cavalry end, allowing Belluz to outmuscle the returning Amer Didic and redirect a high ball past Nathan Ingham in the 78th minute.

Unfortunately for the hosts, just as they found their way back into the match and appeared to have momentum, Ronan Kratt mistimed a tackle on Sergio Camargo inside the box, giving Cavalry a late and crucial penalty. Tobias Warschewski stepped up confidently and made no mistake, scoring from the spot for the second straight week to restore the visitors’ lead.

With Pacific pushing extra numbers forward, Goteh Ntignee was able to maintain possession deep in Pacific territory before finding Michael Baldisimo for the goal that put the match out of reach in the fourth minute of added time.

Moving forward, Pacific will host Inter Toronto on Sunday, May 17. The Tridents have come close, but are still searching for their first win of 2026.

As victors, Cavalry will move on to face the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals. Dates and kickoff times for the two-leg fixture are still to be finalized, but the matches are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, July 8 and the weekend of July 12/13. In the meantime, the Cavs will return to the west coast on Sunday, May 17, to face Vancouver FC when CPL regular season play resumes.