Cavalry FC knocked out of Canadian Championship by Vancouver Whitecaps

Cavalry FC's bid to advance in the Canadian Championship ended Monday night despite a strong home performance against the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Cavs drew 1-1 at Spruce Meadows' ATCO Field on July 13, but the result wasn't enough to overcome a 4-1 defeat from the first leg in Vancouver. Ali Musse scored for Calgary in the 75th minute with a header on a cross from Harry Paton, but Mihail Gherasimencov equalized for the Caps in the 86th minute, securing Vancouver's advance to the semi-final.

A Canadian Championship record crowd of more than 6,000 packed the stadium, drawn partly by German World Cup champion Thomas Müller, who started for the Whitecaps. Cavalry head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. praised his team's effort despite the elimination. "If I look singularly at this game, it's one of the best performances I think I've seen at Spruce Meadows in my seven-and-a-half seasons here," he said. "I thought we matched them with courage, we created so many big chances that on another day it's become a miracle."

Cavalry returns to Canadian Premier League action on July 18 against the Halifax Wanderers. The Whitecaps will face CF Montreal in the Championship semi-final.