Ali Musse was asked to fill a hole in Cavalry FC’s attack Friday night. He responded by filling the net—and a blank space in the club record book.
Shifted into a striker’s role with several offensive threats unavailable, Musse scored Cavalry’s first hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition of FC Supra du Québec at ATCO Field.
“I’ve been hungry all season, and I just felt like it wasn’t falling for me,” Musse said to reporters. “Today, it fell for me. I could have scored more, honestly.”
That was not postgame exaggeration. Musse missed two inviting opportunities before completing his hat-trick, delivered dangerous corners and repeatedly raced into gaps left by Supra’s adventurous shape.
He began the rout from the penalty spot in the seventh minute after video review confirmed a handball against Loïc Kwemi. Nathaniel Edwards made it 2-0 eight minutes later, converting Goteh Ntignee’s low cross at the far post.
Cavalry settled for two goals before halftime. Then the league leaders shifted into overdrive.
Amer Didic headed home Cavalry’s third in the 62nd minute following a corner routine. Musse scored again six minutes later, nodding in after Didic redirected another corner across goal.
Substitute Maël Henry needed only four minutes to join the party, hammering home a terrific strike in the 84th. Musse finished the scoring two minutes into stoppage time to secure a historic match ball.
“Feels amazing,” Musse said. “I thought the team was amazing all around, from top to bottom. We have such a strong squad, and it shows why we’re in first place.”
Cavalry’s depth was tested before kickoff. Leading scorer Tobias Warschewski was suspended, Caniggia Elva was away on international duty and Harry Paton remained injured. Musse normally attacks from wider areas, but the emergency assignment suited him.
“We didn’t have our strikers available, so I had to step in and do the job,” he said. “Everybody has to step up when needed.”
Head coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr. called it an “attacking masterclass” after shuffling his lineup.
“We seem to play well under the lights here,” Wheeldon said to reporters. “Supra played a good game, but when they send numbers forward, we knew there’d be gaps. If they’re going to play against our fast attackers, we’re going to punish them.”
The numbers were ruthless. Cavalry scored six goals despite holding only 44 per cent possession. Nathan Ingham made one save for his 10th clean sheet, while Cavalry extended its unbeaten streak to 10 matches.
The victory moved Cavalry to 53 points with a 16-5-2 record and five matches remaining. Before Forge played its weekend fixture, Cavalry held a seven-point lead atop the Canadian Premier League standings. The club has already clinched a playoff berth and now owns a league-best plus-35 goal differential after scoring 48 times and conceding only 13.
Next comes a Wednesday visit to Atlético Ottawa at 5 p.m. MT.
“The job’s not finished yet,” Musse said.
Fair enough. But Friday’s work proved to be a masterclass of finishing: six goals, including three for Musse and a piece of Cavalry history.
