Forge FC win the inaugural CPL final with a late goal in Calgary
- Craig Clark
- 04 Nov 2019
Hamilton’s Forge FC are the first-ever champions of the Canadian Premier League after a late goal sealed a 2-0 aggregate win in Calgary.
The North Star Shield is all yours Hamilton #CanPLFinals l @ForgeFCHamilton pic.twitter.com/UnLzkzSQls
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) November 2, 2019
After a fiery first leg in Hamilton, the inaugural season of the CPL came to a close as the second leg of the final between Forge FC and Cavalry FC was goalless until a Hamilton goal in the fifth minute of injury time.
Forge players David Choinière and Elimane Cissé broke away and sprinted up the field after the ball was cleared from a Cavalry corner. The tap in goal ensured that Forge were the first team ever to lift the North Star Shield.
Cavalry dominated the inaugural season by finishing first in both the spring and fall seasons. However, Forge was able to shutout the best team of the regular season. The second leg hardly saw the drama that was on show between the two rivals at Tim Hortons Field a week ago. It was a relatively quiet afternoon with few attempts on goal despite Cavalry having most of the possession.
https://twitter.com/CPLsoccer/status/1190776050889838592
Cavalry started strong with a good chance as Dominique Malonga headed the ball over the bar in the 13th minute. Teammate Dominick Zator had a similar chance later in the half but sent the ball over the bar as well.
The hosts continued to press as Jose Escalante came off the bench in the 68th minute and sent a free kick narrowly wide of the right post.
Forge centre backs David Edgar and Daniel Krutzen put on a defensive masterclass as they turned away cross after cross as Cavalry desperately looked for a goal that would have brought them level on aggregate.
Got what we came for. Back in The Hammer! 🔨 #ForgeFC | #CanPLFinals pic.twitter.com/LWiflj3Vgy
— Forge FC (@ForgeFCHamilton) November 3, 2019
After surviving a barrage of goal scoring opportunities, Forge were finally able to break away from under the pressure and score the goal that sent Hamilton soccer fans into a frenzy.
Victory means that Forge have qualified for a place in the CONCACAF League, a club competition that has 22 teams competing from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Needless to say, the inaugural season for Hamilton’s newest sports franchise was a success as they walk away as the first champions of the CPL.
Lead photo courtesy of @forgefc.
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