You can say that Forge FC has a ‘leg up’ in the first-ever Canadian Premier League Finals.
Tristan Borges scored in injury time just before the halftime whistle as the Hamilton side blanked visiting Cavalry FC 1-0 in the first leg of the CPL Finals on Saturday afternoon at Tim Hortons Field.
In front of an announced crowd of 10,486 fans, Borges powered a left-footed strike from just inside the box into the corner of the goal less than 10 minutes after Cavalry FC defender Joel Waterman was given a red card for denying a clear scoring chance by handling the ball inside the box.
Borges’ ensuing penalty kick was stopped by Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci.
Forge FC was also reduced to 10 men in the 69th minute when Borges was red-carded for kicking at Cavalry defender Jay Wheeldon.
Saturday’s game marked the eighth time that Forge and Cavalry have met this season, with the Hamilton club leading the series 4-3-1.
The second and final leg of the CPL Finals will be played Nov. 2 in Calgary.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET.