| Final Score: Halifax Wanderers 0-1 Atlético Ottawa Goalscorers: Ennin 88' Game of the 2025 season: 112 CPL Match: 707 |
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Match in a minute or less
Atlético Ottawa defeated the Halifax Wanderers 1-0 in Halifax on the final day of the 2025 regular season, but saw their CPL Shield hopes extinguished.
Ultimately, it was a match some 1,300 kilometres away in Hamilton, Ontario which sealed the fate of both clubs' final positioning in the table. Forge's 3-0 victory over York United saw the Hamilton club finish two points above the Atleti, and lift the CPL Shield for a second straight year.
York's loss in that match, meanwhile, confirmed Halifax will begin the 2025 playoffs at the Wanderers Grounds as they host the Nine Stripes on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Atleti, meanwhile, begin the playoffs in Hamilton, where they meet Forge in the Championship semifinal on Sunday, Oct. 26. The winner of that match advances to and hosts the 2025 CPL Final.
Three Observations
Atlético Ottawa miss out on CPL Shield, but wrap up brilliant season with win in Halifax
Atlético Ottawa did their part on Saturday night, but didn't get the outcome they truly wanted. Needing to win, and Forge to lose on the final day of the regular season, Atleti defeated the Halifax Wanderers 1-0, but didn't get the assist they needed from Ontario rivals York United, who were soundly defeated 3-0 by Forge in Hamilton.
It is a cruel ending to a brilliant campaign for Atleti, who finished with 56 points, tied for the third most a club has ever managed in CPL history. In four of the other six CPL seasons, that total would have been enough to see them finish top of the table.
They sat second behind Forge for the final 12 matchweeks of the season, having led for 13 of the first 16 weeks of the season. But they were narrowly outdone by a Forge team who went a stunning 20 matches unbeaten and were the only team that Atlético Ottawa did not defeat this season.
Still, they pushed the Hamilton club until the very last day of the season, doing so in style with a CPL single-season record 54 goals scored and losing just twice in 28 CPL regular season matches.
And, impressively, they fought until the very end, even when it was clear Forge would be lifting the Shield after the final whistle. They scored with one of their final kicks of the season to earn an impressive road victory in Halifax -- an important confidence boost heading into the playoffs.
Now, the race resets, and the marathon turns into a sprint. They head into Hamilton next Sunday looking for revenge in the Championship semifinal. Win, and they host the CPL Final for the second time in club history.
Halifax clinch home playoff match, but frustrated as it could have been more
The Halifax Wanderers came into Saturday's match with a simple mission: win and let the rest take care of itself.
In the end, the rest did take care of itself, but they didn't get the win they needed. With Cavalry FC drawing Vancouver FC 2-2 in Langley, a victory for the Halifax Wanderers would have moved them up into third spot -- avoiding having a quick turnaround to play again on Wednesday in the 4th vs. 5th Knockout Match.
"We needed to win," said Patrice Gheisar, "and I'm not sure Ottawa did enough to deserve a win, but I'm not sure I can say we did enough to deserve a win. So maybe a tie, which still would have put us short."
In particular, Halifax didn't create much offensively on the day. After a few early chances, they attempted just two shots in the second half, only one of which was on target. The five shot attempts they finished with were the fewest they had all season.
This was particularly disappointing considering the fact that Atleti were only playing for pride late in the match, knowing the result in Hamilton and pulling off David Rodríguez, Sam Salter and Ballou Tabla.
Chasing the win late, and with the knowledge that York were well behind in Hamilton, Halifax went for broke, moving Thomas Meilleur-Giguère up front to join Ryan Telfer. Unfortunately, the move only opened them up at the back, allowing Richie Ennin to score the match-winner in the 89th minute.
But Halifax still accomplished one of their primary goals, as their fourth-place finish means they will host a CPL playoff match at home for just the second time in club history, when York United come to town on Wednesday.
"The regular season ends," said Gheisar. "We go into the playoffs, I think, third, fourth, fifth, we still have to win the game and move on. So it's one game at a time. And for me, it's not a setback at all. We still get a home playoff, and we've got to win on Wednesday."
As he got up from the podium at the end of the press conference, Gheisar visibly flipped the switch between the regular season that is now behind him, and the playoffs ahead.
"Showtime, let's go," he said.
Ennin marks Atlético Ottawa debut with 88th-minute winner
Having officially signed exactly a month ago, prior to the league's roster freeze on Thursday, Sept. 18, Richie Ennin finally made his debut for the capital club in their season finale.
It was fair to say he made an instant impression, scoring an 89th-minute winner and creating several other chances during 16 minutes of action after replacing David Rodríguez.
The 27-year-old joined the club with a strong pedigree, including time spent in the Russian Premier League and the Hungarian top flight. While his signing was largely with an eye toward next season, Ennin is already making an impact.
"Atlético Ottawa is the future of this league," said Mejía after the match. "So we signed this player that he has amazing capacities, he has an amazing profile, thinking in the future. We know that Sam will go play in another league. So finally, with Richie, I think that we have a very good option."
Ennin proved on Saturday that he could still have a big part to play off the bench in the playoffs.
As Atleti look to play clubs for a fifth time this year, or seventh should they meet York United, having a new weapon could be a crucial difference maker.
What They Said
"We were trying to keep the game in front of us and wait for a transition. We had a few moments, could have done a little bit more, but I thought it was a very tactical game in regards of holding the ball in the middle. And we denied a lot of entries into the 18, and we kept them in front of us til the 89th." — Halifax Wanderers Head Coach Patrice Gheisar
"I'm very happy for the performance today. I think that we play one of the best matches during the season. I didn't see any team playing in this way in this pitch. So it's incredible the performance. Like I said, this team has a personality to play in the same way in every road game." — Atlético Ottawa head coach Diego Mejía
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Manny Aparicio, Atlético Ottawa
The engine in midfield as always for the capital club, Aparicio assisted on Ennin's 88th-minute winner. He also had four shots, completed 60 of 67 attempted passes, and won possession six times.
What’s next?
The 2025 playoffs begin in Halifax, where the Wanderers host York United on Wednesday, Oct 22 (7:30 p.m. AT).
Atlético Ottawa take on Forge in the Championship semifinal on Sunday, Oct. 26 (2 p.m. ET) in Hamilton.
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