Pacific FC beat defending champs Forge FC to claim 1st Canadian Premier League title
There's a new Canadian Premier League champion.
Victoria's Pacific FC knocked off defending champions Forge FC of Hamilton 1-0 in the CPL final Sunday for their first league title.
Alessandro Hojabrpour scored the game's only goal in the 59th minute for the visitors on a chilly late afternoon at Tim Hortons Field.
The goal came off a set piece taken near the corner flag. Gianni Dos Santos sent the free kick into the box, and Hojabrpour made a darting run to the near post and headed the ball past goalkeeper Triston Henry into the top corner of the net.
The midfielder was an unlikely hero, having scored just twice in 26 appearances during the regular season. But his go-ahead header proved to be the difference.
Pacific came close to doubling their lead minutes later when Josh Heard's shot from the edge of the penalty box ricocheted off the crossbar.
The breakthrough for the Victoria-based club came despite Forge seeing much more of the ball, especially in the first half. The home side had 73 per cent possession in the first 45 minutes, and 70 per cent overall.
But Forge could not do much with the ball, managing just two shots on target - both from captain Kyle Bekker. Forge led 17-6 in total shots. Corner kicks were 10-2 in favour of Hamilton.
Pacific 'keeper Callum Irving made the stops when needed to earn a two-save clean sheet. Henry conceded one goal on two shots.
Forge FC was forced to relinquish their hold on the North Star Shield - the trophy awarded to the winner of the CPL playoffs - after claiming the title in 2019 and 2020.
Pacific, which finished third in the regular season standings with a 13-9-6 record, reached the CPL final by defeating Cavalry FC 2-1 in the semifinal.
Hamilton's Forge dispatched York United FC 3-1 in the other semifinal. Forge topped the regular season table with a 16-10-2 record.
The teams met three times during the regular season, with Forge winning all three.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States.