Halifax and Cavalry settled for a draw after a rainy Monday melee ended 2-2. After doing Cavalry a favour in the standings last week against Forge, the Wanderers promptly paid Forge back by taking points off the league leaders.
Jason Bahamboula wasted no time to put the hosts ahead, with his sixth-minute header freezing Nathan Ingham in his tracks.
Possession swung back and forth for the remainder of the first half-hour, but neither side posed a significant threat to either keeper.
Controversy arose in the 36th minute when Halifax believed Eryk Kobza should have been sent off. Vanni Sartini requested a review, but the Cavalry midfielder escaped with a yellow card.
Cavalry drew level in the 40th minute when Caniggia Elva scored from a Tobias Warschewski corner. For Elva, recently back from international duty with St Lucia, it was his first league goal in over two months.
Ingham was tasked with a critical stoppage-time save, and his successful effort sent the two sides into the break level at one apiece.
Cavalry jumped into an early lead after play resumed. Ali Musse was left completely unmarked in the Wanderers' box on yet another Cavalry corner, effortlessly redirecting Warschewski's inswinger past Marco Carducci. With his tenth assist of the season, Warschewski set the CPL record for assists in a single season.
Now with the lead, Cavalry looked to have retained their narrow points advantage at the top of the standings. As the rain intensified, a brutally timed challenge from Harry Paton on Lorenzo Callegari sent the Cavalry man off in the 79th minute, giving the home side the opportunity they desperately needed.
As stoppage time began, a savvy quick restart corner from the Wanderers allowed Ryan Telfer to curl a cross into the box, where Thomas Meilleur-Giguère met it. The veteran redirected the ball past Ingham to level the score once again.
Halifax looked set on gunning for all three points after play resumed, pressuring Cavalry and trying to force a mistake. A yellow card for Callegari gave Cavalry a free kick at the centre of the field, but it produced no clear chance, and the final whistle blew shortly after.
This win marked back-to-back draws against the league's top-seeded sides, undoubtedly giving the Wanderers a confidence boost heading into the final stretch. With the result, Halifax stay alive with a 7-7-12 record. On Friday, October 16, the Wanderers take on Vancouver FC, the current holders of the final play-off berth, and will need to take all three points on the road to stay in contention. Halifax's final match of the season will be at Wanderers Grounds against FC Supra on decision day.
Cavalry ended a miserable road trip with one draw and two losses, and saw their points advantage over Forge erode entirely. Fortunately for the Cavs, they remain top of the standings thanks to season-long goal differential. Cavalry still control their own fate in the Shield race, with Forge needing two monumental scorelines in the remaining two matches to match or surpass Cavalry's mark, assuming both teams play to the same records. Looking ahead, Cavalry return home for their final two regular-season matches. Pacific will make their final visit to ATCO Field on October 17, and Vancouver FC will look to spoil the Cavs' Shield hopes on decision day.
