Forge FC continued their strong start to the 2026 Canadian Premier League season on Sunday, as they defeated Pacific FC 1-0 at Royal Athletic Park.
As a result, they'll finish the weekend atop the CPL standings with 10 points, having won three and drawn one of their first four games in 2026.
Much like in their other matches, they were made to work for this result, too, but thanks to their defence, which has now kept four clean sheets to start the season, they were able to keep a high-flying Pacific attack quiet.
Both teams made three changes to their lineups for this game, with one change each due to suspension, with Pacific's Josh Heard and Forge's Rezart Rama each missing out after earning red cards in the last matchday.
Otherwise, both teams only made minor switches to their lineups - Pacific inserted Roshawn Juhmi, Josh Belluz (who was returning from a suspension of his own) and Sami Keshavarz for Heard, Matthew Baldisimo and Eric Lajeunesse, while Forge inserted Maxime Bourgeois, Noah Jensen and Mo Babouli for Rama, Tristan Borges and Maxime Filion.
Between both teams, though, the changes seemed to help Forge more early, as they showed all sorts of energy out of the gates in this match.
As a result, Forge nearly took an early lead, as they put Pacific's box under siege right from the get-go, but Jensen and Babouli each flashed shots just wide from inside the box in a 60-second period around the 16th minute.
Because of that, Pacific quickly shifted into survival mode, as they looked to survive the onslaught and grab a foothold in the game. Which, to their credit, they did, as Forge wouldn't find another shot in the half.
Pacific nearly managed to squeeze out a goal before halftime, too, as Marco Bustos cut inside and fired a shot from distance, just flashing his attempt past the outside of the post.
Overall, though, the stats at half time painted a picture of how the match had gone to that point - Forge held 52.4% of possession, and had 14 touches in the box to Pacific's one, but the game remained 0-0, with both teams combining for just 0.15 first half xG from three shots (0.14 for Forge on their two shots, and 0.01 to Pacific on their lone attempt).
Having felt that they had not done enough with the territorial advantage they had carved out in the first half, Forge came out flying in the second half and had the ball inside the net within minutes.
After a perfect free-kick delivery from Mo Babouli, he found the run of Antoine Batisse at the near post, and the Forge centre back did the rest with an excellent flick past Pacific goalkeeper Sean Melvin. Unfortunately for him and his teammates, however, that action would not yield a goal, as the play would be called offside, a call that was narrowly confirmed after an FVS review.
Eager to find a goal that would count, Forge did have a good look at goal minutes later, as the ball fell to Ben Paton in a dangerous area, but the Forge midfielder flashed a dangerous half-volley attempt over the goal. Then, at the other end, Pacific had a similar look at goal, as Christian Greco-Taylor fired a shot from distance, but his attempt deflected just wide of the goal.
Having gained momentum from that attempt, Pacific fashioned their best chance of the game in the 68th minute, as Tristan Marshall found second-half substitute Ronan Kratt with a nice ball over the top, but Kratt sent his shot just wide of the goal from close range.
Continuing a lively period of the game, Forge had their best chance just minutes later, as Mo Babouli stepped up to take a free kick, forcing an excellent save out of Melvin with a curled attempt.
Naturally, that period of back-and-forth play would eventually lead to a goal, and it'd be Forge who would capitalize on that swing of momentum.
After a set-piece, the ball fell to Paton at the edge of the box, and while his shot would be blocked, it'd bounce into the path of Brian Wright, and Forge's second-half substitute made no mistake in heading home from close range to put his side up 1-0.
Despite having grabbed the lead, Forge would continue to push for a second, even as they withstood Pacific's attempts to find an equalizer. Using the space left behind by Pacific, Forge nearly sealed the game in the third minute of stoppage time, but Tristan Borges was unable to beat Melvin with a curled shot from distance.
They wouldn't come to rue that missed opportunity, either, as despite a late flurry of Pacific activity in Forge's box, including a dangerous free kick on the last action of the game, Forge managed to keep Pacific off the scoresheet.
Certainly, the numbers help show the work Forge did defensively, as they held Pacific to just three shots worth 0.14 xG, showing how they were able to get this result over the line in the end.
BOX SCORE
Lineups
Pacific FC: Melvin; Marshall, Konincks, Belluz, Greco-Taylor; Gomulka, Juhmi (Schiavoni 75'); Bustos (Vales 87'), Keshavarz (Daniels 46'), Toualy (Kratt 56'); Díaz (Juach 87')
Forge FC: Bertaud; Bourgeois, Nimick, Batisse, Jevremovic; Jensen (Borges 64'), Aromatario, Paton; Babouli (Krutzen 80'), Oketokoun (Wright 54'), Massunda (Filion 64')
Goals
80' -- Brian Wright (Forge FC)
Discipline
*73' — Yellow: Taras Gomulka (Pacific FC)
*
90+4' — Yellow: Christian Greco-Taylor (Pacific FC)
CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match
Anthony Aromatario FC
Continuing a strong start to his first CPL season, Aromatario was lively in Forge's midfield, putting in a big shift on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he completed 45 out of 61 passes, including eight passes into the final third and three out of six long balls, while defensively, he had four tackles, three interceptions, eight recoveries and won nine out of 14 duels.
What’s next?
Pacific FC will remain in Victoria for their next match, which will be against Salish Sea Derby rivals Vancouver FC at Royal Athletic Park on Sunday, May 3rd (4:00 p.m. PT).
Forge, meanwhile, will head out east for a matchup against the Halifax Wanderers at Wanderers Grounds on Saturday, May 2nd (2:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. AT).
For broadcast details of the 2026 CPL season, go to cplsoccer.com/watch.