Atlético Ottawa will be hosting the Canadian Premier League Final after taking down Forge FC in a semifinals match Sunday afternoon. The Ottawa-based soccer club were on the road at Hamilton Stadium in Hamilton and defeated their opponents 2-1. Forge FC opened up the scoring when David Choinière notched a goal 23 minutes into the match. Atlético Ottawa responded first with a goal from Gabriel Antinoro to tie the game, and then with a point from Samuel Salter, who led the league in scoring this season, that proved to be the game winner. Atlético Ottawa will be playing on familiar turf at TD Place for their shot at the North Star Cup in the CPL Final on Nov. 9. While Forge FC lost the match today, their season is not over. They will have another chance to earn a spot at the Final in the Contender Semifinal game on Nov. 1 or Nov. 2, against the winner of tonight’s playoff match between Cavalry FC and York United. In the regular season, Atlético Ottawa finished second standings, only two points behind their semifinal opponent. Forge FC were the winners of the CPL Shield, awarded to the team with the best regular season record. The Hamilton soccer club has competed in all seven previous CPL finals matches. Atlético Ottawa last competed in the CPL finals in 2022, when they hosted the match and lost 2-0 to Forge FC. Forge FC and Atlético Ottawa played each other four times in the regular season, with three games ending in a draw and one ending in a Forge win.
