✍️ Ivan Sørensen
Welcome back as we tune in for the second-to-last instalment of the regular season column.
Every team was eager to use the last weekend before decision day to make any marks they needed, so let us see how they fared:
The games
Supra needed a win to stay in the play-off mix, and they got it, battering visiting Inter Toronto 3-0 in regulation after a scoreless first half.
Meanwhile in Langley, Vancouver FC beat Halifax 2-1, keeping pace in the race for fourth. With the Shield race so tight, many eyes were on the two Saturday matchups: Forge vs Ottawa and Cavalry vs Pacific. A win for one of the two leading teams, combined with a loss or draw by the other, could mean taking the lead going into the final day. However, that wasn't the case: Forge beat Ottawa 2-1, and Cavalry delivered a confident 4-2 win over Pacific, earning both the Hammers and the Cavs three points.
A special shout-out to the game at ATCO, featuring not one, not two, but three penalty goals, with the other three goals coming from open play. Exciting day!
A weekend that made no difference to the races to be decided—Shield and fourth play-off position—despite 15 goals being scored. Such is football!
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cavalry | 27 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 34 | 57 |
| 2 |  Forge | 27 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 57 |
| 3 |  Ottawa | 27 | 13 | 4 | 10 | -2 | 43 |
| 4 |  Vancouver | 27 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
| 5 |  Supra | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | -4 | 35 |
| 6 |  Halifax | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | -5 | 28 |
| 7 |  Inter Toronto | 27 | 6 | 9 | 12 | -24 | 27 |
| 8 |  Pacific | 27 | 2 | 8 | 17 | -29 | 14 |
Decision Day!
Sunday the 25th is decision day: every game is played on the same day, at the same time.
Your candidates for a great day of football are:
Forge vs Pacific in BC. A vital win for Forge to contest the Shield, while Pacific wants to salvage some good feelings before fading into post-season evaluations and soul-searching.
Ottawa vs Toronto in Ontario. Unfortunately for the stakes, nothing is riding on this one: Ottawa can't move up or down, and Toronto is well out of the running. Still, honour is on the line, and certainly the home side will want to send off their fans with some style.
Cavalry vs Vancouver in Alberta. A game of double importance, since Vancouver needs to keep ahead of Supra and Cavalry cannot afford to let anything slip if they hope to win the Shield this year.
Supra vs Halifax in Nova Scotia. A must-win for Supra as they have one last chance to battle their way into the coveted fourth spot.
Let us have a look at the mathematics involved in the two races that are on:
As a reminder, in the event of a tie on points, the tiebreakers are total wins first, then head-to-head record.
For fourth place, Supra must win their match. If they draw, Vancouver go through to the playoffs regardless of their result in Alberta. If Supra win, they advance unless Vancouver also win, so the edge is slightly in Vancouver's favour, but only just.
In the Shield race between Cavalry and Forge, Forge must win while Cavalry draw or lose. If both sides post the same result, Cavalry take the tiebreaker, and if Cavalry win, Forge are out of contention.
I imagine many people will be watching multiple games at the same time this weekend, because your club's fate may not be decided until the final whistle.
See you there!
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