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Eddies put up a fight, but can’t pull off upset against Cavalry FC
Tobias Warschewski scored the Eddies lone goal on a penalty kick in their 2-1 loss to Cavalry FC on Tuesday. CFC Media Mike Sturk
Tobias Warschewski scored the Eddies lone goal on a penalty kick in their 2-1 loss to Cavalry FC on Tuesday. CFC Media Mike Sturk

Jason Hills
FC Edmonton Communications

CALGARY — Experience can play a pivotal in wins and losses.
FC Edmonton knew they were big underdogs against Cavalry FC, and they put up a strong fight to their provincial rivals, but fell 2-1 in their preliminary round match of the Canadian Championship, Tuesday night at Spruce Meadows.
Myer Bevan scored twice (17th and 36th minute), while Tobias Warschewski scored on a penalty kick in the 55th minute.
The loss, eliminates the Eddies from advancing in the Canadian Championships.

“I think Friday and tonight were pretty similar to be brutally honest,” said Edmonton head coach Alan Koch.
“It was 2-0 at halftime of both games. The difference is inexperience, immaturity, the structures that we’re dealing with. You can tell Cavalry are better than us, and they should be better than us — they have experienced players, they have leaders on their team.
“We’re a young, inexperienced group and it shows, and that’s disappointing though because as much as we are inexperienced and we are immature at times, I think on Friday and tonight we showed the potential that we have.”

Bevan’s first goal came off a corner kick, as the forward from New Zealand was able to sneak in behind the Eddies defenders and connected with a header.
That goal sparked the home side, as they grabbed the momentum and were able to capitalize on a questionable foul call inside the box on Eddies  defender TBoy Fayia, led to Cavalry FC being awarded a penalty kick.
Bevan made no mistake on that chance, and FC Edmonton was in a 2-0 hole early.
Despite the loss, Eddies goalkeeper Andreas Vaikla was outstanding, making several big stops, including a diving save off a shot from Cavalry forward Jose Escalante, that he made off his right leg.

“We didn’t start the game the way we wanted,” said FC Edmonton midfielder Wesley Timoteo.
“Just like Friday, we started the second half pretty good. We’re hungry, and we gave it everything until the end of the game, but we have to find a way to show up every game from the first minute. It’s a 90-minute game.”

All three goals came off of set pieces, and that’s an area that the Eddies are still working on to try and generate more offence.
They had a chance in the first half to tie it at 1-1, as Warchewski’s free kick came flying into the middle, and Nyal Higgins was in a great position to get a shot off as he leaped in the air, but his shot deflected straight off Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci, who was in the right place at the right time.

“Set pieces are really important in every game,” said Timoteo.
“Set pieces can win games, just like today — three goals, three set pieces. Defensively we’ve got to be stronger on set pieces, and just like last Friday, today we suffered goals on set pieces, and offensively we’ve just got to put it in. We got one in the first half, great save from the other keeper, but we’ve got to take every chance we get to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Despite being down by two goals at the half, the Eddies came out in the second half with lots of energy, and looked to have Cavalry on their heels for large portions of the half.
Fayia was hauled down inside the box,  that led to Warschewski’s penalty kick and he scored his second goal of the season, drilling a shot inside the low post and past Carducci.
The Eddies continued to press and had several other big chances to tie the match.
Midfielder Mamadi Camara took a feed from Gabriel Bitar and took a blast from the top of the box, but it just missed wide in the 65th minute.

“You can see moments where our young players are coming together,” said Koch.
“But to come play against a team like Cavalry you can’t just play in fits and spurts, you have to play for ninety-plus minutes, and the better team won again tonight.”