[18] Forge won the game 1–0 but defender Dominic Samuel picked up two yellow cards and was automatically suspended for the first leg of the finals.
[18] Forge's home of Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, with a reduced seating capacity of 10,016 hosted the first leg.
[5] Forge had the first close chance when captain Kyle Bekker's long shot hit the crossbar in the 35th minute.
[19] Minutes later, Cavalry defender Joel Waterman handled the ball in his own penalty area while sliding to prevent a scoring chance.
CPL-leading scorer Tristan Borges took the penalty kick but it was stopped by Marco Carducci to keep the game scoreless.
Late into first half stoppage time, Borges would beat Carducci with a left-footed strike to give Forge the lead going into halftime.
[21] The governing body's disciplinary committee upheld the red card to Cavalry's Joel Waterman for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity, and confirmed he would be suspended for the second leg of the finals.
The red card and suspension to Tristan Borges was overturned, with the committee citing that his actions "did not meet the threshold of a violent conduct offence.
"[22] Man of the Match: Tristan Borges (Forge FC)[citation needed] Assistant referees: Lyes Arfa Peter Manastrysky Fourth official: Yusri Rudolf Man of the Match: Daniel Krutzen (Forge FC)[citation needed] Assistant referees: Peter Pendli Stefan Tanaka-Freundt Fourth official: Juan Marquez First leg[23] Second leg