Atlético Ottawa top Cavalry FC in driving snowstorm to win 1st ever CPL title

3 hours ago 24

Ottawa·Breaking

A pair of goals from David Rodriguez led Atlético Ottawa to a 2-1 win over Cavalry FC and their first ever North Star Cup on a snowy night in the nation's capital.

David Rodriguez's pair of goals lift Ottawa to North Star Cup

Trevor Pritchard · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 09, 2025 7:26 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

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Soccer players fight for the ball on a snow-covered pitch during a winter storm.
Cavalry FC's Tobias Warschewski fights off Atlético Ottawa's Gabriel Mendes Antinoro during first-half action in a snowy Canadian Premier League final on Nov. 9. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

Atlético Ottawa have claimed their first ever Canadian Premier League title, winning a chilly November thriller 2-1 in extra time over Calgary-based Cavalry FC.

David Rodriguez scored the game winner — his second of the night — on a pitch that had just been cleared of copious amounts of snow after regulation time ended with nothing decided.

The two sides fought the conditions in Ottawa as much as each other Sunday night, with the final taking place amid a mid-November snowstorm in the nation's capital. 

The start of the game was delayed due to the snow. Crewmembers used snowblowers and shovels throughout the night to clear the lines at TD Place, with players occasionally pitching in to help.

Fans who braved the Ottawa cold, meanwhile, were warned to not hurl snowballs on the field.

Cavalry FC got the scoring underway when Fraser Aird netted a penalty kick in the 32nd minute, but Rodriguez tied things up with a stunning bicycle kick a few minutes later.

After the first 90 minutes, crews spent almost an hour clearing the field of the snow that hampered passes and limited scoring opportunities throughout the evening.

Cavalry FC won the North Star Cup in 2024 and were trying to repeat as league champions.

A soccer player dressed in neon yellow carries a shovel on a soccer pitch during a snowstorm.
Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper Nathan Ingham carries a snow shovel following a break in play as officials work to clean soccer pitch lines at TD Place during the Canadian Premier League final on Nov. 9. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trevor Pritchard is the weekend assignment producer at CBC Ottawa, as well as a digital reporter and occasional newsreader. He's previously reported in Toronto, Saskatoon and Cornwall, Ont.

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