It’s three wins in a row for Forge FC, who dispatched a visiting FC Edmonton on Wednesday evening by way of a 2-0 scoreline, with Tristan Borges scoring the first and crafting the second to give his team another valuable three points, as well as an advantage in CONCACAF League qualifying.

Forge’s first half seemed destined for tribulation as striker Anthony Novak was forced off with injury in the 25th minute of play, but Borges’ drawn penalty 10 minutes later, which he coolly slotted home, gave the Hamilton-based outfit a slender lead heading into half-time.

Edmonton goalkeeper Connor James was then called into action on a number of occasions in the second, making a seated save on a fortuitous glance at goal by Borges off a Bekker chipped through pass, before parrying away a rocket by Bekker moments later. Another massive block on a Borges shot in the 69th minute compounded Forge’s scoring inquiries, which nearly held steady throughout but for a corner kick swung in by Borges in the 70th minute, which found the head of Daniel Krutzen.

The Eddies, for their part, struggled to find clean looks at goal, with substitute Randy Edwini-Bonsu coming closest to beating Triston Henry with a long-range effort, to no avail. As such, Forge held firm to claim a 2-0 victory at the final whistle – and now sits atop the three-team race (between Valour, Forge, and Edmonton) for the CONCACAF League spot on offer come July 1.

Forge now prepares to switch tracks and take on fellow CPL challengers Cavalry FC in the first leg of Canadian Championship Qualifying Round 2 action (June 04, 7:00 p.m. ET, available on OneSoccer). Meanwhile, FC Edmonton returns home to Clarke Field to host Valour FC in CPL regular season play on June 1 (6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. MT, available on OneSoccer).

Box Score

Goals
35′ – Tristan Borges (Penalty, Forge FC)
70′ – Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC)

Discipline
54′ Yellow Card – Kareem Moses (FC Edmonton)
80′ Yellow Card – Oumar Diouck (FC Edmonton)
93′ Yellow Card – Mele Temguia (FC Edmonton)

Key Performers

Tristan Borges (Forge FC)

A penalty, a goal, and an assist by Tristan Borges, who continues to lead the league’s scoring charts with his fourth effort of the 2019 season. Borges was an ever-present attacking threat throughout his 74 minutes of play, serving as a nuisance down the right wing and causing problems throughout.

Connor James (FC Edmonton)

Borges’ night could have been much, much more fruitful if not for goalkeeper Connor James, who thrice denied his opponent through a series of excellent saves, including a massive block on a Kyle Bekker rocket at the hour mark. James continues to show as one of the top ‘keepers in the CPL.

Kyle Bekker (Forge FC)

Enjoyed an industrious evening of counter-attacking soccer, crafting four key passes and leading his team in overall distribution, all while testing the Eddies’ ‘keeper consistently. But it was the way Bekker has begun to connect with his teammates that looks most promising; his carving through-passes caused problems throughout the evening.