How Forge's Woobens Pacius melted away scoring freeze right in time for CPL playoffs
It's every striker's worst nightmare.
After a red-hot summer hot streak good for 10 goals in 12 games, your feet go cold right before playoffs.
The team starts to slip in the standings. The number of scoreless minutes grows and grows. The attention garnered from interested onlookers abroad begins to fade away.
One match becomes three; three becomes five; five becomes 10. What was once a mild nuisance has become a genuine concern.
You can sympathize with 21-year-old Forge FC forward Woobens Pacius; these are not easy problems to overcome. Forget a starting spot – there's a whole season on the line here. A trophy, too.
Yet for those who've watched Woobens Pacius play, it shouldn't be all that surprising to learn what happened next.
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Despite being on the road against a tough Cavalry FC side to begin their 2022 Canadian Premier League playoffs campaign, Pacius finally managed to bust through his scoring slump, tying up the game for Forge after they had gone down a goal right before half time of this Leg 1 encounter – a goal that eventually secured a crucial away draw.
GOAL 🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 15, 2022
WOOBENS PACIUS finds the equalizer for @ForgeFCHamilton!
It's a case of anything you can do, we can do too as Woobens heads home an early 2nd-half leveller off a Kyle Bekker cross to stun @CPLCavalryFC #CanPL | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/g34kzTUtDJ
As a result, Forge now heads into Leg 2 of this tie on Sunday full of confidence; so does their young striker, back at his scoring best, right when it matters most.
"Man, I was really happy about it!" Pacius told OneSoccer earlier this week. "To be in form in the season, scoring multiple goals, and then to go a stretch without a goal, that's really difficult. But I think it's something that all strikers have to deal with at some point. We all needed that goal, so I'm happy to provide."
In a tough environment against an even tougher team, those are the sorts of margins that can make the difference across 180 minutes. And those are the sorts of moments that can make a star shine, too.
CF Montréal roots a key factor to success
To understand how a 21-year-old striker in just his first full pro season would come up in such a big moment for Forge on the weekend, it's worth looking at how he got to where he is now.
There, you see the story of a youngster from the suburbs of Montréal who has been chasing this dream for a while now, dating back to his days with the CF Montréal academy.
As part of a talented group of talent born in the early-2000s – one that has already started to leave marks on the various levels of the professional scene in North America – Pacius had to really fight to get noticed.
A big and physical striker, he's always had an edge to his play, but he quickly had to learn that size isn't enough to dominate at the highest level - often, the game is played between the ears.
There, Pacius stands out. No matter the occasion, he seems to be carefree, eager to just go out and express himself, and knows that as long as he puts in his maximum effort, good things will just... happen for him. He quickly racked up 11 goals in 11 games for the club's youth teams before signing a pro contract with Forge FC of Hamilton.
Strikers who manifest in this manner are rare, and often prove game-changers on big occasions as a result; of his 20 goals for Forge, two have come from three CPL playoff games, along with two goals in three Canadian Championship games.
"It all started when I was at the CF Montréal Academy," Pacius explained, when asked to reflect on his early-career successes. "We had a tournament in France, and I was so stressed about it, so I didn't play well during that tournament.
"Ever since that day, I've always said to myself that I can't be stressed when we have big games, and every time that I have an opportunity to play in big games, I don't stress myself out about it. It seems to be working!"
He added: "I really liked my time at CF Montréal. It was fun, and I met a lot of good players there, like a lot of the guys at Forge, or Zachary Fernandez, Karifa Yao, Cédric Toussaint, Sean Rea, we all played together at the Academy, so you can see that we're all doing a good job. We have a lot of talent in Montréal and in Québec, so I was proud to play for CF Montréal. I learned a lot there."
GOAL 🔨@ForgeFCHamilton open the scoring vs. @YorkUtdFC as Woobens Pacius gets on the end of a Tristan Borges through-pass before hitting the post!
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) November 21, 2021
It's 1-0 for the home side in this #CanPL PLAYOFF clash 🇨🇦
📺 TELUS ch. 980 | 🔴 https://t.co/hishXepRT3 pic.twitter.com/1dEcjP40J0
Forge FC crucial for development
While Pacius was certainly doing well at the academy level, there was a simple reality that he faced as he entered the summer of 2021 – his road to the CF Montréal senior team wasn't exactly straightforward.
After going through preseason with the club at the beginning of the year, he was unable to crack the roster, leaving him to either play with the club's U-23s in the PLSQ, or head elsewhere.
There, after some discussions with Sporting Director Olivier Renard, it was decided that he'd head out and make the jump to the pro ranks, in search of valuable minutes after his injuries. He left on a free transfer and joined Forge in August, as the Hamiltonian outfit were looking for some insurance up top.
It turned out to be a perfect fit, as he then went on to score eight goals in 27 games in 2021, quickly climbing from depth piece to regular starter for Forge.
This year, Pacius took a further step forward, notching 12 goals in 32 games, good for a total rate of a goal every three games (20 in 60) – not bad at all, especially when considering his summer slump.
More importantly, Pacius has done well to round out his overall game since joining Forge.
Having had a chance to work with head coach Bobby Smyrniotis – who can count players such as the all-time Canadian men's top scorer Cyle Larin among his former pupils – Pacius has done well to pick up the details that really make a difference for a striker as you climb the ranks.
Always a strong poacher, he's now turned into a player that can hold up the ball, stretch defences and be active in the box, allowing him to stay more involved in games.
"When we look at players like Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo or Robert Lewandowski, they're always they always trying to find different ways to score goals," Pacius explained. "So for a striker, these are the type of players you look up to. Sometimes it's difficult for strikers, because you're not always involved in the play, but we know that we always have to stay focused, so that when we have that chance to score, we take it.
"Growing up, I watched a lot of Luis Suárez and Robert Lewandowski; those are two strikers that have always found a way to score, so I've tried to do the same."
He continued: "I've progressed a lot to be honest since I came here last August. When I was at the CF Montréal academy, I was the big man in front of everyone. Now that I actually play against men, I feel smaller but I've learned how to hold up the ball, how to position myself in the box, how to finish.
"I've improved a lot this season in those aspects, and I know I still have a lot more to improve on to be able to go to the next level. Then we'll see what's going to happen in the future."
GOLAZO 🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 23, 2022
MY WORD, WOOBENS PACIUS 😱
You can't do it to 'em like that 👀#CanPL | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/nGhFBhtkQz
Finishing the job the latest goal
Speaking of the future, the next milestone to further help bolster his resume? A strong showing to close out the 2022 CPL playoffs.
Forge enters the second leg of this Cavalry tie eager to finish the job they've started as they look to return for their fourth consecutive CPL finals.
They know it won't be easy, as a tough test awaits in the form of their long-time CPL rivals, but, as they showed in Leg 1, it's a battle they're more than up for, especially at home.
As Forge get set for Leg 2, Pacius and his team are eager to give their home fans plenty to cheer about, as usual.
"We're expecting nothing other than what we saw last game," Pacius said. "I'm really excited to have this game here in front of our crowd, and I know that all of us on Forge, we're going to put in a shift. We’re going to really put in a strong effort to get that win.
GOAL 🔨
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) October 15, 2022
WOOBENS PACIUS finds the equalizer for @ForgeFCHamilton!
It's a case of anything you can do, we can do too as Woobens heads home an early 2nd-half leveller off a Kyle Bekker cross to stun @CPLCavalryFC #CanPL | 🔴 https://t.co/7JFAUhgjL6 pic.twitter.com/g34kzTUtDJ
Fuelled by a desire to make up for losing their first-ever final last year, that hunger for glory also burns deep within this Forge team.
Pacius will look to play a key role in this latest tilt – just as he did in the first leg – as he tries to cap off an already memorable first full professional season.
"Of course that final last year hurt us a lot," Pacius admitted. "We had a good season with Concacaf League, and with all the games that we had to play every three-four days, but it still hurt.
"We've thought about it a lot this season – in every game that we've played, we've always had that fire from last year, knowing that we lost the final.
"We want to get back to that this season, and win it this time. It's something that drives us to play well, something we're looking to do this weekend so we can get back and get to that final again."
