HAMILTON — Tristan Borges scored in the first half and was sent off in the second Saturday as Forge FC beat Cavalry FC 1-0 in the first leg of the Canadian Premier League final.
Cavalry FC will host the rematch in Calgary on Nov. 2.
Hamilton's Forge FC had a glorious chance to go ahead late in the first half when Borges won a penalty after driving into the penalty box and dancing around a sliding Joel Waterman. The Cavalry defender was red-carded on the play for handling the ball as he tried a sliding tackle.
But goalkeeper Marco Carducci stopped Borges's 39th-minute penalty with his foot as he dove to his left.
Borges made up for the miss in first-half stoppage time when he curled in a left-footed shot from just inside the penalty box
The Cavalry star was sent off in the 69th minute after kicking out at Jay Wheeldon as the two tangled after a hard tackle by the Forge player. Wheeldon was yellow-carded on the play.
Borges, the CPL's leading scorer, and Waterman will both miss the second leg.
Saturday's game was played before an announced crowd of 10,846 at Tim Hortons Field.
Carducci was the busier of the two 'keepers with six saves. Triston Henry only had to make one stop for the clean sheet.
"We kept them out of our half, limited shots, chances," said Henry. "We definitely need to bring that same mentality to Calgary and we'll get the job done hopefully."
Cavalry coach Tommy Wheeldon Jr., remained confident despite the loss.
"We score at home — a lot. We're very good at home. Our goal-scoring record shows that and we're looking forward to making that happen," he said
Forge (17-6-5) and Cavalry (19-4-5) met seven times this year in all competitions with each team winning three games and drawing the other.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2019.
The Canadian Press
