RECAP + HIGHLIGHTS: Forge FC vs. Halifax Wanderers | October 03, 2026

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Forge FC lost a pair of two-goal second-half leads in dramatic fashion on Saturday, settling for a 3-3 draw with the Halifax Wanderers after Tavio Ciccarelli struck to pull the visitors level in the 103rd minute at Hamilton Stadium.

The result represented a missed opportunity for Forge in the race for the CPL Shield after league-leading Cavalry FC dropped three points in a loss to Inter Toronto earlier in the day. A victory would have moved the Hammers within three points of Cavalry with a game in hand, but a fourth draw in five matches prevented Forge from fully capitalizing.

The result elsewhere also raised the stakes for Halifax on the day. Inter Toronto’s victory saw the side temporarily leapfrog the Wanderers into fifth place in the standings, putting added pressure on Halifax in the playoff race. The Wanderers had to respond without one of the CPL’s top performers in 2026, with Isaiah Johnston unavailable due to yellow-card accumulation and Adonijah Reid stepping into the front line.

For much of the afternoon, Forge appeared on course to take advantage. The Hammers carried a 2-0 lead into the final 10 minutes before the match erupted, with four goals scored from the 81st minute onward as Halifax twice fought back from a two-goal deficit to salvage a point.

"We were the better team but here’s the thing: we were the better team the last three weeks and we got three points, so sometimes you don’t need to be the better team maybe,” said Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. “But ya, that’s the tough thing, the last three weeks we’ve been the better team … We’ve just got to be better at closing out the games but that’s this time of the year I guess.” 

The afternoon had started far more comfortably for Forge. It took Lucas Cavallini just four minutes to give the Hammers the advantage. Making his home debut, the Canadian international converted at the back post after Aghilas Sadek’s corner and a crafty scorpion-kick assist from Antoine Batisse created the opportunity. It was Cavallini’s first goal for Forge and the fastest goal the Hammers have scored in CPL play this season.

Forge thought it had doubled its advantage when Tristan Borges beat Halifax goalkeeper Marco Carducci from long range early in the second half, but the goal was called back for a foul by Cavallini on Wanderers midfielder Lorenzo Callegari in the buildup.

The Hammers eventually found their second in the 78th minute. Former Wanderer Dan Nimick rose to head home Noah Jensen’s free kick, giving Forge its second goal from a set piece on the afternoon.

Halifax had struggled to find a way back into the match to that point, managing just three shots and failing to register one on target through 80 minutes. The Wanderers had also never won in Hamilton and entered Saturday with just one victory this season when conceding first.

Wanderers head coach Vanni Sartini chalked Forge's early intensity up to Cavalry's result earlier in the day and said his side was initially overwhelmed by it.

But his squad grew into the game and the match changed dramatically over the final stages.

Nelson Pierre gave Halifax life in the 81st minute, scoring his first CPL goal to cut Forge’s lead to 2-1. The goal came against Dino Bontis, who was once again between the posts for the Hammers with Dimitry Bertaud away on international duty with DR Congo.

Substitute Ismaël Oketokoun restored Forge’s two-goal advantage in the 90th minute with his fifth goal of the season, seemingly putting the match beyond Halifax’s reach.

The Wanderers had other ideas. Fellow substitute Liam Mackenzie scored his first CPL goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to make it 3-2 before Tavio Ciccarelli struck at the death, finding the equalizer in the 103rd minute to complete Halifax’s comeback.

"We haven't been that lucky the entire season and maybe today the gods of football wanted to reward us," said Sartini.

The point moved Halifax back ahead of Inter Toronto into fifth place. The two sides finished the day level on points, with the Wanderers holding the first tiebreaker with one more win.

For Forge, the dramatic finish meant a fourth draw in five matches and two points dropped on a day when the Hammers had an opportunity to make significant ground on Cavalry in the CPL Shield race.

"I think today’s is a big wake up call," said Nimick post game. "We’ve probably had a few wake up calls in the past few weeks. We should have learned from last week, we should have learned from the week before conceding late against Cavs. But we have great leaders in the locker room, there was a great conversation that just went on there and now it’s up to the rest of the guys to really lift our game, learn from this, learn from the past few weeks and come out stronger to end the season.

"There’s still a lot to play for, we’ve still got three trophies to play for so now it’s time to really look within, look at ourselves and push on."

Box Score

Starting XIs

Forge FC: Bontis; Rama, James, Nimick, Paton; Aromatario, Borges (Jensen 69’), Batisse; Sadek (Johnson 78’), Cavallini (Oketokoun 78’), Bourgeois (Krutzen 90+1’)

Halifax Wanderers: Carducci; Sow, Linder (Baï 85’), Meilleur-Giguère, Alphonse; Callegari, Olguin, Zitman (Ciccarelli 85’); Reid (Mackenzie 56’), Bahamboula (Pierre 69’), Arilla (Troisi 85’)

Goals

4' - Lucas Cavallini (Forge FC)
78’ - Daniel Nimick (Forge FC)
81’ - Nelson Pierre (Halifax Wanderers)

90’ - Ismael Oketokoun (Forge FC)

90+4’ - Liam Mackenzie (Halifax Wanderers) 

90+13’ - Tavio Ciccarelli (Halifax Wanderers)

Discipline

60’ - Daniel Nimick (Forge FC) 

90+16’ - Manjrekar James (Forge FC)

CPLSoccer.com Player of the Match

Lorenzo Callegari, Halifax Wanderers

With Isaiah Johnston unavailable, Lorenzo Callegari stepped up when Halifax needed him most, taking control in midfield and playing a central role in the Wanderers’ comeback.

What's Next?

Forge is back in action in short order, as they welcome Pacific FC to Hamilton Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 7 (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT). The match was rescheduled after a July meeting between the two clubs was postponed due to poor air quality.

Halifax returns home to host another match on the Monday of a long weekend.