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League1 x CPL Double Header: Burlington, Forge Victorious
By It was a double header at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday as Burlington SC faced off against Oakville SC,l before Forge hosted Vancouver FC. The hosts for both matches came out on top in what was a humid day of football.
Here is the recap of both clashes, which proved to be important for all four sides.
Burlington Scores In Both Halves To Top Oakville
The opening game of the day came from the League1 Ontario Men’s Premier Division in an all-Halton showdown between Burlington SC and Oakville SC. Neither side had won their last two contests going into the match, for which Burlington was the host.
It was the visiting side who had the best of the opening exchanges. Tyler Yasaka and Brandon Duarte both had chances a few minutes in, but both were denied by Ethan Cagalj.
The guests then had another great chance in the 21st minute. Jaedyn Saunders made the most of a Burlington giveaway before picking out Yasaka in the box. The latter, who was wide open, headed wide of Cagalj’s right-hand post. It was a glorious opportunity to put Oakville in front.
Burlington would go in front 10 minutes before the break. A foul occurred about 25 yards out, with former CPL player Monti Mohsen stepping up to curl the free kick around the wall and past Manuel Dirube. Up until that point, the home team did not create much. Yet, they were the ones in front.
Minutes after going behind, Oakville had another huge chance to score. Adam Czerkawski received the ball in the midfield before playing in Yasaka. The winger broke free, but his shot was weak, allowing Cagalj to get down and deny him.
While Oakville continued to create chances before the break, they nearly went down 2-0. Mohsen combined with Mohamed Al Shakman on the right wing, creating space for the former to have a go. Mohsen dragged his effort wide of the mark, one he would have certainly wanted back.
Going into the second half, Oakville coach Duncan Wilde made two changes in an attempt to bolster his side’s attack. That nearly worked out six minutes into the second period. Omar Atia played a deep cross which found Saunders at the back post. His header beat Cagalj, but Alex Cordon managed to get back and head the effort off the line.
The guests would be made to pay a few minutes later as Burlington doubled their lead. After winning the ball back, Mohsen combined with Amir Shirazi before finding Al Shakman in the box. The home side’s number 12 took a touch to create some space, before firing past Dirube to make it 2-0.
From there, the chances dried up for Oakville as they failed to create more for themselves. In the 70th minute, Jamari Busby got forward and tried to pick out a teammate in the box. Unfortunately for him, neither one of Czerkawski nor Atia could finish from close range.
Burlington managed to hold on for the 2-0 win, avenging their 1-0 reverse to their Halton rivals earlier this season. The victory, their sixth in league play in 2025, brought them up to 18 points, good for fifth spot. That saw them jump ahead of Oakville, now winless in their last three. Suddenly, their hopes for the title are almost non-existent.
Next for Burlington will be a Tuesday night match at McMaster University as Simcoe County Rovers pays a visit. As for Oakville, they are also in midweek action. They play on Wednesday at home against Woodbridge Strikers.
Forge Keeps On Rolling, Gets The Better of Vancouver FC
The second match of the day at Hamilton Stadium was the CPL clash between Forge FC and Vancouver FC. Both teams were involved in their thirteenth domestic match of the campaign. Just three weeks on from the Hammers’ 2-0 victory out west, the sides met once again.
Forge drew their last game 2-2 against York United the Sunday before. There were four changes to the team who opened the 905 Derby. The most notable one came in goal, where Jassem Koleilat was replaced by Dino Bontis – the latter making his professional debut. It was also Alexander Achiniotti-Jonsson’s 200th appearance for the club, with the Swede becoming the first player in CPL history to reach that mark.
Vancouver made the trip to Southern Ontario off the back of their thrilling 4-4 draw last week Friday versus Pacific. They made two changes from that side, both in the attacking positions. Former Forge man Terran Campbell did not make the trip, with his spot being taken by Pathe Ndiaye.
Forge was in control for much of the first half, as they looked to grab their seventh league win of the campaign. Their first chance came ten minutes in, when David Choiniere got past two Vancouver players before firing a low shot that was easily saved by Callum Irving.
Choiniere had another opportunity six minutes later as Brian Wright controlled a cross and picked out the Forge number seven. The pass forced Choiniere a bit wide as he put his effort over the bar.
The goal came 22 minutes in, with Forge being rewarded for their efforts. A Choiniere cross was headed towards Vancouver’s own goal by Kunle Dada-Luke. Irving kept that out, as well as Rezart Rama’s follow-up. Unfortunately for Matteo Campagna, he then directed the ball into his own net while trying to stop Wright from scoring.
Vancouver’s had a half chance fall their way in the 28th minute. Juan Baptiste went for goal from distance, with his deflected effort falling to Henri Godbout. The follow-up attempt went over the bar as a scrambling Bontis tried to get back into position.
Chances continued coming for Forg, as Kyle Bekker fed in Choiniere just before the break. The winger took a bit too long before going for goal, so his shot hit the side netting.
While Vancouver did little from an attacking sense in the opening 45, their best chance came moments before the break. Ben Paton lost the ball, with Ndiaye taking it from him. Vasco Fry broke in, but his attempt came off the post.
The visitors pushed a bit more in the second half, trying to get the goal back. They nearly did in the 52nd minute. Rama had the ball taken from him by Emrick Fotsing. The 17-year-old then found Ndiaye, who laid it off to Godbout. His strike beat Bontis, but Rama ran back and cleared the attempt off the line. It was a massive chance, and perhaps the guests were unlucky not to level.
At around the hour mark, Fotsing played through Ndiaye, but he puts his attempt on the wrong side of Bontis’ right-hand post. Having outshot the Hammers 15-9 in the game (4-1 on target), they will certainly regret not making more of their opportunities.
Twelve minutes later, Forge found a second. Hoce Massunda picked out Tristan Borges at the back post. Borges found fellow substitute Maxime Fillion, with the striker finishing unchallenged to score his first goal for the club.
The matcb had to be stopped with about 15 minutes to go as Fotsing and Dan Nimick had a clash of heads. It was the former who had it far worse, as he required medical attention. An ambulance was required to take him off the pitch as he was taken to hospital out of precaution. Northern Tribune wishes Fotsing a speedy recovery.
A few minutes after the game resumed, Fillion nearly grabbed a second for his side 10 minutes later. Amadou Kone did well to get into the Vancouver box before finding the Forge number 12. This time, he skied his effort from inside the six-yard box.
Mehdi Essoussi, the other player replaced in the starting lineup, found Ndiaye open in the box. The Senegalese attacker struck, but Bontis once again held firm, denying his opponent.
Vancouver kept on pushing for a goal to give them some hope. In the 87th minute, Godbout stuck up a cross to Nicolas Mezquida, but his shot was easily stopped by Bontis.
Bontis had to be taken off towards the end, due to cramps. His replacement, Christopher Kalongo was forced into a save as he denied Elage Bah in the final minute of normal time. However, he would concede in stoppage time, as Forge gave away the ball, allowing Bah to find Fry. The latter’s attempt was well struck, beating Kalongo to give Vancouver FC some hope.
That was the closest Vancouver FC would get, as they failed to create another meaningful chance in the eight minutes of stoppage time. They fall to their eighth defeat on the year, keeping them in last spot. Their next game will come in the Canadian Championship on Tuesday, as they face Cavalry in the second leg of their quarterfinal. They then meet the Cavs four days later in league play.
As for Forge, they are now unbeaten in 15 across all competitions. They are also in CanChamp action in midweek, facing CF Montreal on Wednesday. After that, they make the trip to the nation’s capital to battle Atletico Ottawa. A win there will put the Hammers on top for the first time this campaign.
Header Image Photo Credit: Michael Chisholm