Forge FC handed Cavalry FC their first loss of the year on Sunday afternoon in Hamilton, winning 1-0 to retake first place in the Canadian Premier League.
In this second meeting of the year between these sides, Forge finally defeated their longtime rivals, beating Cavalry for the first time since April 2025.
Early signs from this game suggested it could be an eventful contest, as Cavalry found two golden chances to score within the first minute, but Forge's defence quickly woke up after a few shaky moments.
Neither side would ultimately generate much in the first half; Mo Babouli put a shot just wide of the post for Forge, and Cavalry's Tobias Warschewski hit the crossbar with a long-range effort.
The Cavs controlled more of the ball through the opening 45 minutes and were the only side to challenge the goalkeeper, with two shots on target, but neither team had really put their stamp on the match.
The second half opened in a similar fashion, but both teams did begin getting closer to goal with their ventures to the attacking half. Forge keeper Dimitry Bertaud did extremely well to keep it scoreless with a palmed reaction save on Daan Klomp, which set the table for Forge to go the other direction and finally open the scoring.
Forge found the net via a well-executed set-piece. Tristan Borges whipped in a corner to the head of Dan Nimick, who nodded it back across goal where Antoine Batisse headed it in. The French defender's second CPL goal put Forge in front with 20 minutes to play.
That bit of set-piece magic would ultimately be all Forge needed on the day, although they did challenge for a second with a few quick counter-attacks. They were unable to break through again, but were nonetheless content with a 1-0 win to leapfrog the Cavs into first place.
More to come.
Box Score
Starting XIs
Forge FC: Bertaud; Rama (Bekker 90'), Nimick, Batisse, Jevremović; Aromatario, B. Paton, Borges (Jensen 74'); Babouli (Wright 64'), Filion (Sadek 64'), Massunda (Bourgeois 64')
Cavalry FC: Ingham; Pearlman, Klomp, Didić, Laing (Myroniuk 88'); H. Paton (Elva 60'), Kobza (Baldisimo 80'); Herdman (Edwards 60'), Camargo (Antoniuk 88'), Ntignee; Warschewski
Goals
70' — Antoine Batisse (Forge FC)
Discipline
5' — Yellow: Anthony Aromatario (Forge FC)
29' — Yellow: Eryk Kobza (Cavalry FC)
78' — Yellow: Nathan Ingham (Cavalry FC)
86' — Yellow: Goteh Ntignee (Cavalry FC)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Antoine Batisse, Forge FC
In addition to scoring the opening goal with a thunderous header, Batisse was excellent on and off the ball in Forge's defence.
What's Next?
Cavalry will be back home next Saturday, June 6 for a Red and White Out matchup with the Halifax Wanderers (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT).
Forge, meanwhile, head down the highway for a 905 Derby battle with Inter Toronto on Sunday, June 7 (2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT).