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Photo Credit: Zoe Keck / League1 Ontario
League1 Canada Men’s Review: Week 16
By As the League1 Canada women’s season came to a close last week with the Inter-Provincial Championship, the men’s campaign continued on in Ontario and Quebec.
While the BC and Alberta leagues are all done, there is still much on the line on the other side of the country.
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As we near the end of the League1 Canada men’s season, here is our latest recap of the last week of play. For the review of the League1 Canada Women’s Interprovincial Championship final, you can read that here.
League1 Ontario Premier: Scrosoppi and Vaughan Neck and Neck
There were two rounds of play across League1 Ontario Premier Division as well as two extra matches. Those two games, played Wednesday and Thursday last week, saw Vaughan Azzurri defeat Burlington SC 4-0, while Guelph United and Hamilton United elite drew 1-1.
Saturday had four games to start the weekend, as Sigma and Burlington drew 1-1. Both goals cake in the second half as Joseph Willingham-Murphy’s 84th minute leveller denied Alex Gordon’s opener.
Simcoe County Rovers and Vaughan played to a thrilling 4-4 draw in Barrie. In a match that saw both teams lead at some point, the Rovers took a 3-1 lead, only to find themselves behind later. Ijah Halley still won them a point via a 77th minute penalty.
Saturday’s other two matchups saw Prostars top Alliance United 1-0 away, and North Toronto Nitros defeat Hamilton 3-0. Sunday’s outings included a 1-1 tie between Blue Devils and Guelph United, while Scrosoppi held their nerve to beat Woodbridge Strikers 2-1.
A full round of play also occurred on Wednesday. Simcoe grabbed a 4-0 win at Burlington, with Scrosoppi defeating Guelph by the same result at home. As for Vaughan, they got two first half goals from Raouf Mohamed to get past Alliance 2-1 away. North Toronto also picked up another home win, 2-0 over Prostars.
We had another entertaining draw in Woodbridge, as the Strikers drew 3-3 against the Blue Devils. Despite taking a 3-0 lead, the hosts could not hold on, as the Blue Devils roared back with three goals of their own to grab a point.
In Hamilton, the visiting Sigma dominated the hosts in a 6-0 success. Five different players found the back of the net for the guests as they picked up a crucial three points.
Scrosoppi and Vaughan are the two teams who can win the title this term, as the former holds a one point lead, having played a game more. The Azzurri also have the L1 Cup final on 27 August against North Toronto.
At the bottom, Hamilton United had their relegation confirmed following their defeat on Wednesday. Guelph is currently in the playoff spot, and will finish 11th if they lose, and Sigma wins.
Prostars versus Hamilton and North Toronto against Simcoe County Rovers are Saturdays games. On Sunday, the other four matches will occur. Blue Devils faces Alliance, Scrosoppi takes on Burlington, Guelph has Woodbridge, while Vaughan meets Sigma.
League1 Ontario Championship: TFC On The Cusp
The League1 Ontario Championship Division had a full five-game schedule last weekend. Draws were the theme, as all but one game ended all square. Friday kicked off with a 2-2 stalemate between Pickering and Master’s FA. The latter took a two-goal lead with two late first half strikes. Pickering had other ideas, also producing a quickfire double at the start of the second period to claim a point. Friday’s other two games finished 1-1, between Darby and Windsor City, and North Mississauga and BVB IA Waterloo.
Saturday’s two games produced six goals each. TFC Academy ended St. Catharines Roma Wolves’ eight game winning streak with a 4-2 victory. The guests took a 2-1 lead, but it barely lasted, as TFC equalized right after, adding two more goals for the win. Luca Ragagnin also failed to convert a penalty for the Roma Wolves, which would have tied the game at that point.
FC London drew 3-3 with Unionville Milliken in Saturday’s other match. The goals came in three second half, with three goals in three minutes. In the end, the sides had a share of the spoils.
TFC is on the precipice of the division title, while FC London is a point away from promotion. Things are still intense at the bottom, where Pickering currently sits last. They need a win on the weekend to keep their hopes of avoiding the promotion/relegation playoff.
Friday’s game between St. Catharines and Unionville will likely decide who will finish third and partake in the playoffs. Darby meets Pickering in the other match. Saturday’s other matches pit together London and Waterloo, Master’s and North Mississauga, and Windsor and TFC.
League2 Ontario: Vaughan, Alliance Seal Promotion
The semifinals of League2 Ontario occurred last weekend with both games having six goals. For the unitiated, the winners of both matches secured promotion to the Championship Division for next season, while the losing sides will face each other to determine who will meet the last place team in thr Championship Division.
Friday had an excellent match as Vaughan got the better of Scrosoppi 4-2. Despite conceding first, the Azzurri responded with four goals. Mateo Caride scored all of the team’s goals in what was a remarkable performance.
The other semifinal was rather one-sided, as Alliance topped Sigma 6-0. Matthew Glavanov got a hattrick in the first half, coupled with a Lorenzo Abbaglivo brace. That put the game to bed, with David Chen adding a sixth 12 minutes from time.
The two teams from the Northeast Conference, Vaughan and Alliance, will meet in the final on Saturday, just as they did last weekend in the women’s League2 Ontario final. The third place playoff between Scrosoppi and Sigma goes Friday night.
Ligue1 Quebec: St-Laurent Not Giving Up
There were only four games in Ligue1 Quebec last week, with two games each on Saturday and Sunday. Longueuil kicked things off with a 2-0 win over AS Laval. Both goals came in the second half through Armand Ella Ken and Elliot Viel in what was a crucial result for Longueuil.
Saturday’s other game also had a 2-0 result in favour of the home team. CS St-Laurent got the job done against CF Montreal Academy. Mouhamadou Kane scored what would be the winner 20 minutes in, before Tarik Ghamraoui added a second in the final stages.
Ottawa South United was the only team to win away from home this weekend, as they topped CF Montreal 3-1. A pair of Adam Ross goals late on decided this fixture as OSU picked up their fifth victory of the season.
The round’s final game ended in a 1-1 draw between Royal Select Beauport and CS Mont-Royal Outremont. The goals came just before, and immediately after the interval in what was a tight contest.
With a few rounds left to play, FC Laval holds a five-point advantage over St-Laurent, who has played a game more. Should the former collect one more point, they will be champions. These two are the only ones who can still win the league.
Next weekend has four more games, with Friday pitting together AS Blainville and St-Hubert. Saturday’s duo of matches see Celtix du Haut-Richelieu meet Beauport, and AS Laval battle OSU. On Sunday, CSMRO hosts FC Laval, who is on the cusp of the title.
