Forge draw 2-2 at Ottawa in semifinal first leg
Anthony Aromatario and Marko Jevremovic scored, but Atlético levelled twice before half time at TD Place.
· by Colin Radek · playoffs · semifinal · atletico ottawa · match report
Forge FC twice led in Ottawa and twice were pegged back, leaving the Canadian Premier League semifinal wide open after a 2-2 first-leg draw at TD Place on Sunday afternoon.
Anthony Aromatario headed Hamilton in front in the 16th minute from a corner kick, and although Diego Gutiérrez equalized for the reigning CPL champions seven minutes later, Marko Jevremovic restored the lead in the 35th minute with a free kick. Ottawa found a second response just before the interval when Ballou Tabla finished into the bottom right corner, a goal that carried extra weight locally: it was the striker's 38th for the club, making him Atlético's all-time leading scorer.
All four goals came in the opening half. The second half produced none, which means the tie goes back to Hamilton level on aggregate and with two away goals apiece already banked.
The series concludes at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. Forge will be aiming to finish the job at home after holding their own on the road against the defending champions.
In the other semifinal, FC Supra du Québec took a 2-1 first-leg lead over Cavalry FC on Sunday. Zachary Brault-Guillard opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and an own goal by Cavalry midfielder Eryk Kobza made it 2-0 in the ninth. Tobias Warschewski pulled one back for the Calgary-based side in injury time before the break, keeping that tie alive as well.