Forge FC Hamilton advance to Quarter-Finals after a 3:0 win over FC Laval

Forge FC Hamilton advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the Canadian Championship after a 3:0 home win over first-time participants FC Laval.

Noah Jensen scored two goals before Woobens Pacius completed the scoring from the penalty spot. Forge FC will host either Halifax Wanderers or Atlético Ottawa in the Canadian Championship Quarter-Finals in May.

While it took Hamilton until the 36th minute to score the opening goal, the result was never in doubt for the three-time North Star Shield winners. Mamoudou Davilmar did create a couple of chances in the 15th minute, but after that there next best chance came near the end of the match in the dying minutes.

Forge FC initiated the play on their first goal down the right side, with the ball going from Alexander Achinioti Jönsson to Dominic Samuel to David Choinière. On the Choinière cross into the box, Woobens Pacius just got a touch on the ball before Laval defender Alexander Katsaros and the ball dropped back to Noah Jensen. The Hamilton midfielder Jensen made no mistake with his low shot.

In the second half, Jensen’s free kick in the 55th minute was deflected by Laval’s Wandrille Lefèvre from the wall past goalkeeper Karl Gouab.

Then less than 90 seconds later, Pacius on a breakaway was taken down in the box by Gouab. Pacius made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 57th minute.

For the 21-year old Pacius, it marked the third year in a row that he has scored in the Canadian Championship (also his third career goal in the competition). For Jensen, it was his first two career goals in the competition.

With the win, Forge FC Hamilton improved their all-time record in the Canadian Championship to three wins, three draws and two losses in eight matches. With the start, Ashtone Morgan featured in the Canadian Championship for his 11th season and ranks third all time with 22 appearances in the competition.

About Canadian Championship
Canada Soccer’s Canadian Championship, also known as the Battle of the North, is the nation’s highest men’s domestic competition featuring clubs from coast to coast across the country, notably professional teams in Major League Soccer and the Canadian Premier League as well as league winners in League1 BC, League1 Ontario and Québec’s Premier League (Première ligue de soccer du Québec). Winners of the 2023 Canadian Championship lift the Voyageurs Cup and qualify to the annual international competition, Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League. Winners of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.