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League1 Canada Men’s Review: Week 14
By The action never stops across League1 Canada as we have now reached our fourteenth recap of the season. All four top flights across the province have yet to be decided, making it very worth following along.
Northern Tribune gets you up to speed on everything that has happened across the country over the past week. This article covers the men’s leagues, but you can view the women’s review here.
League1 BC: TSS Rovers Back On Top
The incredible title race in League1 BC took another dramatic turn last week. It all started on Wednesday, as TSS Rovers produced a dominant 7-1 victory over Burnaby FC. Koji Poon netted four times in the resounding win. The other game that night saw Evolution and Unity draw 2-2 after both sides scored in stoppage time.
Things did get better for Evolution on Saturday as they got past Nanaimo United 3-1. As for Unity, they were involved in another draw – albeit less dramatic one, in a 1-1 stalemate at Kamloops United. Tyreese Meas’ double for Altitude on Sunday kept them in the title race with a narrow 4-3 defeat of Langley United in the game of the week.
What a turn of events in BC! TSS Rovers goes back in front with just two weeks left in the season. Langley’s defeat saw them drop to second, two points back. Altitude is level on points with them, but their hopes of winning a maiden title are next to nil given they have played a game more.
Next weekend’s penultimate round starts off with Burnaby hosting Revolution on Friday night. On Saturday, TSS Rovers faces bottom side Nanaimo, Langley welcomes Kamloops, and Unity meets Vancouver Whitecaps Academy.
League1 Alberta: Foothills, BTB Claim Double Wins
League1 Alberta has been having fun of its own in their league title battle. Tuesday had three clashes. BTB Academy edged Edmonton Scottish 2-1 thanks to Tao Hein’s double on either side of the break. Calgary Foothills got past Calgary Villains 4-0, while Calgary Blizzard drew 1-1 with Cavalry U21.
Friday saw four matches to cap off the week. St. Albert Impact did their damage in the first half in a 2-0 defeat of Calgary Rangers. The Foothills grabbed their second victory of the week in a 5-0 drubbing of Edmonton Scottish. BTB joined them in winning twice as they defeated the Villains 5-1. As for Calgary Blizzard, they prevailed 5-4 against Callies United in an incredible match which saw all nine goals occur in the opening half.
The Blizzard and Impact are in the best position since they have played less games. This is despite the Foothills leading on 25 points. They only have two matches left, while BTB, also owning 25 points, have three.
It will be another double gameweek next time around. BTB and St. Albert’s clash highlights the midweek action, while the Blizzard welcomes the Impact on Friday night in a huge clash.
League1 Ontario: Title Races and Playoff Hunts Intensify
While there was no L1 Cup play in Ontario last week, it allowed for a double gameweek in the top two divisions. That, combined with League2 Ontario’s own drama, provided plenty for fans to enjoy. Here is what happened in League1 Ontario play last week.
League1 Ontario Premier: Woodbridge Jumps In Front
There was a lead change at the top of the Premier Division, after two rounds of play last week. Simcoe County Rovers commenced the play with a 2-1 win at Burlington SC. Scrosoppi did the same as part of Wednesday’s four-game night, at the expense of Sigma.
Nine-man Oakville SC held on for a 1-1 draw at home to Woodbridge Strikers, with Vaughan defeating leaders Alliance United 3-0 on the road. The guests scored all three goals in the second period to come out on top. The real drama of the round came at Downsview, as a Michael Solomon brace lifted St. Catharines Roma Wolves to a 4-3 success at North Toronto Nitros.
The second half of the double gameweek commenced on Saturday as Burlington rallied to get past FC London 4-2. Sunday was quieter, though Ryley Wishart’s late leveller for Simcoe got them a 1-1 draw versus Oakville.
Sigma topped North Toronto 3-1, while Vaughan and Scrosoppi were involved in a scoreless draw. The match of the week, however, ended 1-0 for Woodbridge over Alliance, thanks to Alban Boci’s winner in the 88th minute.
Although they collected four points out of a possible six, it was the perfect week for Woodbridge, who now leads the pack. Alliance is three points back, though they have already played 16 matches in comparison to their rival’s 13. Scrosoppi and Simcoe are also still in the running, though the latter only has five matches left.
There will be six matches next week in Premier Division play. St. Catharines takes on Vaughan on Friday, before a trio on the menu for Saturday. Sigma meets Woodbridge, Scrosoppi welcomes Burlington, and FC London faces North Toronto in a vital match for both. Oakville battles Alliance on Sunday, before the Roma Wolves meets Simcoe in Barrie.
League1 Ontario Championship: Unionville Doubles Up On Victories
The battle for the Championship Division title, as well as promotion, continues to heat up as the weeks go by. Tuesday commenced the 11-game week. Master’s FA and Pickering FC posted 3-0 away wins at Waterloo United and Guelph United, respectively. As for Unionville Milliken, a goal in each half saw them past Windsor City 2-0.
The Borough and Whitby drew 1-1 as part of Wednesday’s play. Christian Keshishian’s opener for the hosts was cancelled out by Kalen Adonu closer towards the end. Sudbury Cyclones defeated York United Academy 2-0, while North Mississauga prevailed 5-1 at Hamilton United Elite.
Sunday had the last five matches of the week. Unionville completed a second win in a matter of days, this time topping Whitby 3-1 away. Guelph and North Mississauga drew 2-2, with the hosts being pegged twice in the first half. York Academy edged Pickering 2-1, while leaders Sudbury suffered a 3-0 setback away to Windsor. The Borough pounced on their loss with a 2-1 win over Waterloo.
Unionville has now firmly announced themselves in the title race, as they are five points back of Sudbury with a game in hand. The Borough’s second place is under threat as well. York and Master’s are still chasing for that third spot which is the playoff. So, still a lot to be decided in Ontario’s second tier.
There will be a midweek contest happening on Wednesday, as Hamilton looks to finally win. They will host Whitby. Two days later, the latter will again be in action as they take on North Mississauga. Windsor faces Master’s as the other Friday match. Saturday has Guelph meeting Waterloo, and York Academy facing Hamilton. As for Sunday, The Borough meets Pickering, and Unionville takes on Sudbury.
League2 Ontario: Rush Still With Hope?
There are just a couple of rounds left in League2 Ontario, as the playoff spots are just about decided. We start in the Northeast Conference, where Alliance B topped Pickering B 3-1 on Wednesday. Simcoe B followed that up with a 3-0 success against Whitby B the next night.
The weekend saw The Borough B top Unionville B 2-1, Alliance B defeat Pickering B once again – this time 2-1 – and Vaughan B prevail 6-2 over Sudbury B. Master’s B completed the week with a 5-1 win against Unionville B.
The Central Conference saw a surprise result in the race for top spot. Before that occurred, Oakville B defeated Sigma B 3-1 on Thursday, as Friday’s lone match ended 5-1 in Woodbridge B’s favour over North Mississauga B.
The leaders Burlington B fell to their first defeat on Saturday, losing 4-2 to North Toronto B. Rush Canada capitalized on the loss the following day courtesy of Oliver Barta’s 93rd minute winner. That was enough for them to edge Scrosoppi B 1-0.
In the Southwest Conference, St. Catharines B beat Hamilton B 3-0 on Tuesday. Waterloo B got past Guelph B 3-1 on Friday night, before Cambridge United cruised to a 4-0 defeat of FC London B on Sunday. Matthew Civarro scored twice for the hosts in that one. Windsor B closed off the week with a 2-1 success against Guelph B on Monday.
Cambridge’s win assured them a spot in the playoffs as they now have 30 points. Even if they finish second in the Southwest, they cannot be caught by any of the other potential runner ups. They join Vaughan B in the four-team playoffs next month.
Cambridge will have two games next week. Thursday has them meeting Guelph B before they head to St. Thomas to battle Railway City on Saturday. Win both, and they clinch their conference. Rush heads to Mississauga to meet Sigma B on Thursday hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Ligue1 Quebec: League Leaders Keep Clean Sheets
There just seems to be no stopping the three unbeaten teams left across the Ligue1 Quebec circle. Another week of football has come and gone in Quebec as several sides looked to remain in contention in their division’s title race. Here is what transpired in the province last week.
Ligue1 Quebec: St-Laurent Goes Further Clear
It was a full slate of action in Ligue1 Quebec, as all 10 teams took the pitch. Celtix du Haut-Richelieu started things off on Friday night as they came back to top AS Laval 2-1. Guy Baronet Tchahou Tchahou’s double in the second half made the difference. Royal Select Beauport won 5-2 at Ottawa South United in one of Saturday’s two games.
The other clash was the big one for the week, as leaders CS St-Laurent continued their unbeaten run with a 1-0 defeat of FC Laval. Olivier Andres Correa bagged the winner 17 minutes from time in what was a huge result. CS St-Hubert prevailed 1-0 at AS Blainville on Sunday, as CS Mont-Royal Outremont edged CS Longueuil 3-2 in the other match.
St-Laurent has now opened up a six-point lead at the top, as AS Laval failed to keep up with them. They are in fine form, and look good to claim their second league title.
Next weekend has five more games. Saturday has Beauport meeting AS Laval, Longueuil battling Blainville, and FC Laval facing Celtix. St-Hubert hosts Ottawa as part of Sunday’s doubleheader. After that, all eyes will be on the key clash between St-Laurent and CSMRO.
Ligue2 Quebec: Top Teams Getting the Job Done
There were 12 matches in Ligue2 Quebec last week as the battle for the top five positions, plus a top 14 place, are still ongoing. Tuesday’s lone clash ended in a 3-0 win for Phenix des Rivieres over AS Brossard. Friday saw CS Montreal-Centre defeat CSRDP 3-1, with Mahdi Abbassi scoring twice.
CS Roussillon kicked off Saturday’s action with a 2-1 at CS St-Lazare-Hudson. Revolution FC followed that up with a key 3-2 victory over CS Trident. Souleymane Maro came up with the winner in the 83rd minute. AS Montis edged CS Boucherville 1-0 away, while AS Gatineau prevailed 5-0 over St-Jerome.
AS St-Leonard ended up 6-2 victors over Brossard, before CS LaSalle beat Phenix des Rivieres 1-0. Panellinios St-Michel got past CF L’International de Quebec 4-1, completing an impressive comeback. Lakeshore SC won once more, 2-1 at CS Trois-Rivieres. Union Lanaudiere Sud defeated CS Braves Ahuntsic 1-0, with Mistral Sherbrooke coming away with a 3-0 win at AS Chaudiere-Ouest.
The top five remains unchanged from last week, though AS Gatineau has now jumped into sixth. They are well and truly in the playoff hunt. As for 14th, Phenix des Rivieres currently is holding off both Trois-Rivieres and Roussillon. Even better news for them is that they have a game in hand, which they will need to make the most of.
Trident will try to get back to winning ways next weekend against Montreal-Centre in the standout match of the week. Phenix, meanwhile, faces St-Lazare-Hudson, who is just above them.
Ligue3 Quebec: Home Sides Dominate Week
Only one of the nine Ligue3 Quebec games from last week did not see the home team win. That came on Wednesday, as CS Longueuil B continued their impressive form with a 2-0 defeat of Notre-Dame-de-Grace. AS Laval B won by the same scoreline over CS Titans, while Chevaliers NDMC prevailed 6-3 over CS Lanaudiere-Nord. A five-goal second half made the difference for the hosts.
Chevaliers continued their good for into Saturday with a 5-0 success against AS Laval B. Boreal d’Alma also won by that same score versus Celtix B, while Mondial de Riviere-du-Loup topped CSMRO B 3-0. Senior Venturi got past CS Haute-St-Charles 2-0, CS Fury de Rimouski was victorious once more by beating FS Salaberry 1-0, and Vallee Blizz’Or topped FC Anjou 2-1.
Everyone has now played between seven and 11 matches. Longueuil B is still perfect after eight matches. That puts them well on the way to the playoffs. Venturi and Fury are in close pursuit, with Boreal d’Alma holding Mondial RDP for the final playoff place at the moment.
Mondial RDP will have their chance to jump into fourth place next week with two games. First, they meet FS Salaberry on Saturday. Then, they are back on the road on Sunday to take on CS Titans.