Semi-pro Saint-Laurent draws Forge 1-1 to open Canadian Championship quarterfinal

Zakaria Bahous scored the tying goal in the 55th minute as CS Saint-Laurent earned a 1-1 draw with visiting Forge FC on Wednesday in the first leg of their Canadian Championship quarterfinal.

Bahous fired a shot past goaltender Dimitry Bertaud from the Forge’s penalty area to send Saint-Laurent, which plays in the semi-professional Ligue1 Québec, into Sunday’s second leg in Hamilton tied on aggregate goals.

Nana Ampomah opened the scoring in the 15th minute for Forge, which entered the match held in laval, Que., top of the table in the Canadian Premier League.

Forge, runner-up to Toronto FC in the 2020 Canadian championship, advanced to the semifinals last year before losing to the eventual champion Vancouver Whitecaps of Major League Soccer.

Saint-Laurent is looking for its first semifinal appearance after advancing to the quarterfinals in 2024.

All four Canadian Championship quarterfinals played their opening leg Wednesday.

In an all-CPL matchup, Supra du Quebec was set to host Atletico Ottawa in Laval, Que. Later, the Whitecaps were set to continue their run for a fifth straight title when they hosted Calgary-based CPL club Cavalry FC, and 2025 runner-up, CPL club Vancouver FC, opened against CF Montréal of MLS.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.