Forge claimed another victory, defeating Pacific 1-0 in Victoria to move to the top of the table.
Brian Wright converted the only goal of the game in the 76th minute, heading a deflected ball past Sean Melvin and into the net.
The Hammers started on the front foot, suffocating Pacific and rarely allowing them near Dimitry Bertaud, who had a quiet afternoon between the posts. Despite dominating possession in the first half, Forge struggled to create clear-cut chances, with their best opportunity falling to Noah Jensen, who found himself in a great position but opted to play a pass to Ismael Oketo rather than shoot, the ball moving too quickly for the Spanish striker to control.
Maxime Bourgeois, making his first start for Forge, made a threatening run down the right channel and delivered a cross that would have resulted in an easy Oketo tap-in had Sean Melvin not gotten across to claim it.
Pacific made a change at the break to address their attacking issues, with Sami Keshavarz making way for Aidan Daniels in the number ten role.
The Hammers thought they had broken the deadlock within a minute of the restart, with Mo Babouli's cross finding Antoine Batisse, who eventually put the ball in the net. The goal was immediately disallowed for offside, and after a lengthy FVS check initiated by fourth official Alain Ruch, the original decision was upheld.
NO GOAL❌
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 26, 2026
Forge thought they had the opening goal vs. Pacific, but Antoine Batisse was determined to have been just offside after an FVS review
🔴 Watch #CPLSoccer on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/7LSgddNAdr
Still searching for the opener, Bobby Smyrniotis turned to his bench, with Brian Wright, Tristan Borges, and Maxime Filion coming on for Ismael Oketo, Noah Jensen, and Hoce Massunda, respectively. Filion, the 23-year-old striker, was deployed out wide rather than in his usual number nine role.
Pacific's best chance of the afternoon fell to substitute Ronan Kratt, who found himself in a one-on-one with Bertaud from a tight angle but fired well wide.
Forge finally broke the deadlock in the 76th minute through Wright, who headed home after a deflection off former Forge man Matteo Schiavoni, sending the ball to the opposite side of Sean Melvin, who didn't stand a chance. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but a review by Alain Ruch clearly showed Wright was onside at the moment of the original shot, and the goal was given.
Wright's header puts Forge in front! ⚒️
— Canadian Premier League (@CPLsoccer) April 26, 2026
The Forge striker was initially flagged offside, but under the daylight offside rule, part of his body was in line with the second-last Pacific defender.
📺: @onesoccer pic.twitter.com/RaMEa8iH54
Strangely, Pacific head coach James Merriman then used a challenge card to review the same play, to the same outcome. The decision stood.
Pacific threatened in the closing stages but could not find an equalizer, leaving them winless through four games with three defeats. Forge, meanwhile, go top of the table with 10 points from four matches, winning three. Notably, Bertaud has been barely tested in three of those four games, with the Hammers yet to concede a shot on target against Atlético Ottawa, Cavalry, and now Pacific.
Up next, The Tridents host Vancouver FC in the Salish Sea Derby at Royal Athletic Park on Sunday, May 3 at 4:00 pm PT, while Forge travel east to face Halifax at Wanderers Grounds on Saturday, May 2 at 2:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm AT.
