Ottawa Battles Back Twice to Draw Forge 2-2 in CPL Semifinal First Leg; Decider Set for Hamilton

Atlético Ottawa twice came from behind to draw Forge FC 2-2 in the Canadian Premier League semifinal first leg at TD Place on November 2, leaving the tie wide open for the return leg. The sides had met four times this year before Sunday, with a winner every time — this was the first draw between them. Photo: Northern Tribune (Tim Austen), from this match.

Four first-half goals: Forge led twice, Ottawa levelled twice

Forge went in front after about 15 minutes from a corner: Noah Jensen's delivery was flicked on by Anthony Aromatario into the far corner. Ottawa hit back after Kamron Habibullah was twice denied by goalkeeper Dmitry Bertaud and defender Rezart Rama, with Diego Gutierrez pouncing on a clearance to score. Forge did not panic, retaking the lead about 10 minutes later when Marko Jevremovic's free kick from distance went over the wall and past a sprawling Christopher Kalongo for 2-1 — but before the break, Joaquim Coulanges played in Ballou Tabla, whose low finish picked out the bottom corner to level again.

A quiet second half; FVS challenge upholds the original call

The second half never matched the first for chances: only seven of the match's 19 shots came after the break, with Ottawa's best opening seeing Sergej Kozlovskiy's strike pushed aside by Bertaud. Late on, Ottawa used an FVS challenge card, arguing Forge's Manjrekar James had handled the ball and denied a goalscoring opportunity; the referee went to the monitor and stuck with his original decision. Ottawa arrived on a two-game losing streak, having fallen 2-1 to Inter Toronto last Sunday; Forge, who missed out on a fourth CPL regular-season title after a 1-1 draw at Pacific, extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 13.

Decider next Saturday in Hamilton; final on November 21

The teams reconvene next Saturday in Hamilton to decide who reaches the final. Should Cavalry lose their semifinal against Supra — Supra won their first leg 2-1 — the winner of the Ottawa-Forge tie will host the final on November 21.

Sources: Northern Tribune (2026-11-02), Canadian Premier League.