Atletico Ottawa clinch spot in CPL final
Tied Pacific FC 1-1 on Sunday, won series 3-1 on aggregate
Atletico Ottawa has clinched a spot in the Canadian Premier League final for the first time after securing a tie at home Sunday against Pacific FC.
Sunday's 1-1 draw at TD Place was enough for Atletico to win the home-and-away series against last year's CPL champions by an aggregate score of 3-1.
The club shut out Pacific FC 2-0 last weekend on the road in British Columbia.
Pacific FC drew first blood Sunday, however, when Thomas Meilleur-Giguère put one past Atletico netminder Nathan Ingham in the 28th minute.
They would keep the lead until late in the second half, when Atletico forward Malcolm Shaw tied things up with less than 10 minutes remaining.
📣 FINALS HERE WE COME!!! <br><br>We finish our first ever <a href="https://twitter.com/CPLsoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CPLsoccer</a> playoff match at home tied at ⤵️<br><br>🔴⚪️ 1 - 1 🔱<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForOttawa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForOttawa</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PourOttawa?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PourOttawa</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATOvPAC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATOvPAC</a>
—@atletiOttawaAtletico Ottawa finished first in the CPL standings in 2022, a stark contrast to last year when the club came in last in the eight-team league.
Their solid run comes under new manager Carlos Gonzalez, who took over as head coach in February.
Ottawa will have home field advantage when they play Forge FC in next weekend's CPL final, after the Hamilton club beat Calgary's Calvary FC Sunday evening by a score of 2-1.
Forge FC won that series 3-2 on aggregate after the two sides battled to a 1-1 tie in Calgary last weekend.
The final is slated to get underway Sunday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. ET at TD Place.