Whitecaps down Cavalry FC in penalty kicks in Canadian Championship quarterfinal

CALGARY — Cristian Gutierrez scored on a penalty kick to give the Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer a win over Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League in an exciting quarterfinal match of the Canadian Championships at ATCO Field.

Gutierrez’s goal came after Vancouver goalkeeper Cody Cropper had made a diving save to stop a shot from Cavalry’s Ali Musse.

Mayer Bevan gave Cavalry a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute with a rocket of a shot from distance that went over Cropper’s fingertips.

Vancouver’s Erik Godoy tied the match in the 85th minute, heading in a corner kick from Deiber Caicedo. That came just a few minutes after a Cavalry defender had cleared a Whitecaps shot off the goal line.

With the scored tied after regulation the game went directly to penalty shots.

After a slow start Cavalry began to take over the match in the second half. Bevan turned an innocent looking play into a goal with a blistering shot. It was Bevan’s third goal of the tournament.

Vancouver now faces York United FC on June 21.

The win also helped exorcise some ghosts for the Whitecaps.

During the 2019 Canadian Championships Cavalry upset the Whitecaps with a 2-1 aggregate win, the first victory for a CPL team over an MLS opponent.

Earlier Wednesday, MLS side CF Montreal defeated CPL’s Forge FC 3-0.

The Whitecaps showed how seriously they were taking the match with a starting lineup that featured MLS veterans like forward Lucas Cavallini, midfielders Russell Teibert and midfielder Ryan Gauld and defenders Erik Godoy and Javain Brown.

The teams were tied 0-0 after the first half despite the Whitecaps holding an advantage of play. The Whitecaps led 9-3 in shots and were 2-0 with shots on goal.

Cavallini, one of the players being considered