Owen Antoniuk stood atop the garden retaining wall in front of the grandstands at ATCO Field and spread his arms in celebration.
The 23-year-old local attacker had just ripped an 83rd-minute strike into the top corner for a cinematic matchwinner against Forge FC. It was the decisive moment in the latest dramatic clash between the two sides on Saturday, which featured a pair of red cards amid 90 plus minutes of wild twists and turns.
The goal secured his Cavalry FC team three points, and moved them above Forge into the top spot in the table.
For the visitors, it was yet another horror scene at Spruce Meadows. Forge have now won just once in their past 11 matches at ATCO Field, including a loss in the 2024 CPL Final. They have scored just 10 goals in those 11 matches.
Forge's latest loss in Calgary, Saturday's 2-1 result, could be a monumental moment in the 2026 CPL Shield Race. It put Cavalry in first place and makes the margins between the two clubs razor-thin heading into the business end of the season.
"This is our house," said Cavalry FC head coach Tommy Wheedon Jr. after the match. "I think we have certain behaviours in our house and they don't like coming here. We don't want to make them feel welcome at all.
"[Forge] don't get a lot of wins here."
For one, it's fair to say that they play Forge hard at home. Over the past four seasons, Cavalry have fouled (130 times) and picked up more cards against (28) Forge than any other visiting opponent at ATCO Field in their nine CPL regular season visits.
They have also limited Forge to just 48.83 per cent of the ball, the lowest possession percentage the Hammers have had in any CPL away venue over that stretch, and just 29 shots on target.
Ismael Oketokoun's 20th-minute strike on Saturday was only the second time in Forge FC's last eleven visits to ATCO Field that they had even held a lead.
Cavalry, of course, haven't fared significantly better in Hamilton, as neither side has won a regular season match at their opponent's ground since 2022. But playoff wins in back-to-back years at Hamilton Stadium undoubtedly remove some of that sting.
Forge FC. meanwhile, will have to make the trip to ATCO Field once more this season, on September 19. That match, which comes with seven weeks remaining in the CPL campaign, is the last chance both sides will have to directly deal damage to each other. It could, and likely will, have significant CPL Shield implications.
"We're not naive enough to think that they won't come back with a vengeance next time we face them," said Wheeldon Jr. "But what we've done is remind them who we are and remind the league who we are."
What it also makes clear is that the 2026 CPL Shield race will be run through Calgary, and that presents a big test for Forge FC in their ambitions to add a third straight regular season title to their trophy cabinet.