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Photo Courtesy: BTB Academy
PSL Canada Men’s Review: Week 14
By July is in full swing, and the Premier Soccer Leagues Canada never fail to deliver. The season may have ended in one province, but the others still have much to follow over the next two months.
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Northern Tribune has you covered with everything that has taken place across the country over the last few week. This report covers the men’s leagues, but if you wish to read the women’s recap, that can be found here.
BC Premier League: Langley Champions Again
The final week of the BC Premier League campaign was last week, with the title being confirmed. The first game was on Tuesday, where TSS Rovers saw past Unity FC 3-1. Massud Habibullah’s hattrick kept the Rovers in the running for the cup, at least for another few days.
Nanaimo United ended their season with a 3-2 defeat of Altitude on Wednesday thanks to two late goals from Felipe Morales Moya. Kamloops United topped Vancouver Whitecaps Academy 1-1 on Friday before claiming a 1-1 draw versus Nanaimo United.
That led to Sunday’s final match of the season, where Langley United edged Burnaby FC 3-2 at home. The job seemed to be done by the home side a little more than an hour in, but after losing a man with five minutes left, Burnaby scored twice late on to add some pressure. But, there was no stopping Langley in claiming the win.
With 11 victories on the year, Langley United defends their title, holding off TSS Rovers once again. The Whitecaps Academy and Nanaimo United round out the top four. At the bottom, Kamloops’ four points from their final two games ensured they jumped ahead of Unity, who ends up in last spot.
Alberta Premier League: BTB With Huge Result
There was a very important result in the Alberta Premier League title race after another week of play. Tuesday was where things started off, with Calgary Blizzard scoring six times en route to a 9-2 success at Calgary Villains.
That led to Friday, where both sides were back at it again. This time, the Blizzard was not as lucky, falling 2-1 to BTB Academy. Goals on either side of the break saw the Edmonton-based BTB go two goals ahead as they held firm in the final 40 minutes to claim a huge three points.
In the other two matches, the Calgary Rangers earned their second point of the year in a 1-1 draw with Calgary Foothills, while St. Albert Impact topped Calgary Villains 4-1 on the road.
BTB stays ahead after their Friday night victory, though they have played a game less than the Blizzard and Foothills.
Next week will have five matches in total. On Tuesday night, the Blizzard and Foothills square off in another key game. Before that, Cavalry II takes on Callies United. The Cavs then face BTB on Friday, while St. Albert hosts the Rangers. As for the Blizzard, their other game that week is at home to Callies United.
Prairies Premier League: Thunder Bay Stays On Top
The Prairies Premier League’s inaugural season is also coming to a close, with another exciting week of play having concluded.
Friday night had two matches, with started with QC United getting past Forza Academy 7-1. Five different players got in on the goals for the side from Regina in a big win. The other clash ended 1-0 in Sask Excel Academy’s favour as they handed the Thunder Bay Chill their first loss.
Sunday saw the Chill bounce back as they beat Forza 6-1 on the road. Nick Phyllis netted a hattrick, while Matteo Bosch chipped in with a pair of goals to lead the Northern Ontario club to victory. Sunday’s other contest ended in a 2-1 FC Manitoba success over Bonivital.
Thunder Bay’s win on Sunday keeps them on top of the PPL as the season draws to a close. QC United and Bonivital are still in the running as well, as they are three points back, the former having played a game less.
Five more games are to come next week, with the biggest one being on Tuesday between Queen City and Thunder Bay. It could very well decide the title. On Friday, Forza hosts Bonivital, before Sask Excel welcomes FC Manitoba the next day. Forza and FC Manitoba square off on Sunday, while the other game pits together QC United and Bonivital.
Ontario Premier League: Cup Back With Semis
After a month without OPL Cup play, the province’s domestic cup is back with semifinal action on the horizon.
Both games will take place next Wednesday night. The first semi sees Cambridge United take on the Woodbridge Strikers, while the other pits together Master’s FA and Waterloo United. Woodbridge is the only OPL1 team left of the quartet as they look to win the cup for the third time.
As for the domestic play, here is what took place across the province over the last week.
Ontario Premier League 1: Woodbridge Goes In Front
Seven games occurred across the OPL1 in a week where the title race took another fascinating turn. Wednesday’s opener had four goals evenly split between St. Catherines Roma Wolves and Woodbridge Strikers in a 2-2 draw. Malcolm Shaw netted a 98th minute leveller for the hosts in their two-goal comeback.
The Strikers were back in action on Friday, earning a 3-2 victory over Burlington SC. This time, they managed to hold onto the lead for all three points. Also that night, Unionville Milliken edged the Sudbury Cyclones 1-0, while North Toronto Nitros and Sigma played to a thrilling 3-3 tie.
Saturday’s only match saw International FC top Simcoe County Rovers 5-3, where the hosts found the back of the net four times in the second half. Both of Sunday’s games ended 1-1. Oakville SC and Scrosoppi dropped key points at home to St. Catherines and Vaughan Azzurri, respectively. Shaw again netted in stoppage time for the Roma Wolves to help them avoid defeat.
With both Scrosoppi and Oakville failing to win, Woodbridge’s four points won in the week saw them go top of the standings. All three sides have played the same number of games, meaning it is a direct shootout from here. Simcoe is still last, with Sudbury holding the playoff spot.
Next week has a full round of play as Roma starts things off once again at home. Vaughan makes the trip to Club Roma for the Friday night clash. On Saturday, Sigma hosts Simcoe, Sudbury takes on Scrosoppi, North Toronto welcomes Burlington, and International meets Unionville. Sunday’s lone clash is the match of the week between Woodbridge and Oakville.
Ontario Premier League 2: Guelph Shows Signs of Life
Only five games occurred in the OPL2 after Windsor City and Waterloo United’s clash was postponed. That left only one match on Friday night, which saw The Borough beat Inter Toronto II 2-0.
Pickering FC grabbed the biggest win of the week in a 5-0 beating of North Mississauga on Saturday. A four-goal haul in the opening half sent them on their way. Master’s FA topped Hamilton United Elite 3-1 in their game, while Whitby and Cambridge United completed a scoreless stalemate.
On Sunday, Guelph United earned their second league success of the year, holding firm to beat FC London 4-3. Ben Hasimoto netted a hattrick for the home side as they held on for a much-needed three points, with new head coach Alan Koch recording a win in his first OPL match.
Windsor holds top spot despite having not played their match, but the gap has closed a bit thanks to Whitby and The Borough. Guelph’s win saw them close the gap with the trio above them in the relegation race.
Guelph will play two matches next week as they host The Borough on Wednesday night, with a win taking them off bottom spot. Hamilton has Inter Toronto II on Friday, while North Mississauga hosts Windsor. Pickering and Master’s face off on Saturday, with Cambridge taking on London. Sunday completes the week as Guelph plays Waterloo and The Borough faces Whitby.
Ontario Premier League 3: Senior Sides All Win
All four senior teams in the OPL3 managed to claim a win last week, which could be key given how close we are to the end of the regular season.
In the Northeast Conference, the high-flying Kingston Sentinels got past Whitby B 3-2. Having twice taken a two-goal advantage, the visitors had to hold on towards the end to complete the victory. Richmond Hill lost 3-1 to The Borough B in their first match, but bounced back to top International B 2-0 on the road.
Also in the Northeast Conference, Unionville B edged Pickering B 1-0, International B got past Master’s B 4-3, while The Borough B defeated Whitby B 3-1.
Central Conference play saw Rush Canada complete a 3-2 victory at home against North Toronto B. Dominik Malinowski got the winner eight minutes from time to help the Oakville club come out on top.
Sigma B won 1-0 against Simcoe B, only to lose 3-1 versus Vaughan B a few days later. Sudbury B prevailed 4-1 over North Mississauga B, while Woodbridge B earned a 4-2 victory at the expense of Scrosoppi B.
There were just two games in the Southwest Conference, the big one seeing Railway City claim an important 2-1 win over St. Catherines B at home. Hanz Soraca’s quick-fire brace in the first half led them to the success. Windsor B beat Guelph B 5-1 in the other game that week.
Kingston and The Borough B are well on their way to playing in the playoffs from the Northeast. Woodbridge B and Vaughan B are fighting it out for top spot in the Central, while the same occurs in a tight Southwest as Burlington B, Railway, and Oakville B are all still in the running there.
The big game next week sees Kingston face Richmond Hill for the final time this season. That is on Friday, with the former taking on The Borough B in another decisive contest three days later. Rush Canada is away to Simcoe in their clash, while Railway meets Guelph B.
LS PRO Quebec: Ottawa Derby Ends Level
The group stage is nearing its end in the Coupe de Quebec with a few sides still trying to get to the knockout stage. In a busy week, where 10 games occurred, there were few surprising results.
The biggest shock came in the nation’s capital, where West Ottawa SC held Ottawa South United to a 2-2 draw. In fact, the Ligue 1 team had to come from two goals down to earn a point. It also ended 2-2 between CS Trident and Venturi de Saguenay as the latter earned a respectable point against a side one tier higher than them.
Boreal d’Alma beat Phenix des Rivieres 3-0, while AS Chaudiere-Ouest got past CS Fury de Rimouski 2-0. CS Levis-Est triumphed 5-1 over Mondial de Riviere-du-Loup, Mistral de Sherbrooke edged Cosmos de Granby 2-1, and Panellinios St-Michel benefited from a 3-0 forfeit win caused by interregional club FC Loro.
The other Ligue 1 teams in action last week all won. FC Laval prevailed 5-0 over AS St-Leonard, while struggling CS Mont Royal Outremont beat Soccer Pointe Claire 2-0. CS St-Laurent ended the week with a 3-0 defeat of FS Salaberry.
Just seven games are left in the group stage, six of which will be played next week. In total, 26 sides are already guaranteed a spot in the next round, with six more places up for grabs. Four groups are still to be decided.
In next week’s matches, Soccer Pointe Claire hosts CS St-Lazare Hudson, while Ottawa South United takes on FC Gatineau. Ambassadeurs St-Jerome meets Revolution FC, CSMRO has Inter Montreal, West Ottawa faces AS Gatineau, and LaSalle will end the week at home to St-Jerome.
Ligue 1 Quebec: St-Laurent Closes the Gap
The title race is brewing in Ligue 1 Quebec after the latest round of results. Defending champions CS St-Laurent earned a 2-0 success over Celtix du Haut-Richelieu on Thursday, before CS Longueuil came out on top in a 4-3 match against CS St-Hubert. In what was a remarkable comeback, Longueuil scored four times in the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time to stun their opponents.
FC Laval won the derby 2-0 at AS Laval, with AS Gatineau also claiming a massive 2-1 victory at the expense of leaders Ottawa South United in a local rivalry. Sunday’s games saw Royal Beauport defeat CS LaSalle 3-1, and AS Blainville top CSMRO 2-0 on the road.
With eight games left for the majority of the league, Ottawa’s lead at the top is now down to just one over St-Laurent. That makes things a lot more interesting heading into the final two months of the campaign. CSMRO and AS Laval remain the bottom two, though things are far from decided there as well.
While there are six games next week, St-Laurent will be off due to their Canadian Championship commitments. Instead, Longueuil will go to LaSalle on Thursday before facing Beauport on Saturday. Celtix welcomes AS Laval on Friday, while other Saturday contests have AS Gatineau hosting St-Hubert and FC Laval battling CSMRO. Blainville will complete the round on Sunday against Ottawa.
Ligue 2 Quebec: Trident Closes In On Promotion
All 12 sides in Ligue 2 Quebec took to the pitch this past week as the regular season nears its conclusion. Friday’s sole match ended 3-0 in Lakeshore SC’s favour against CS Roussillon.
On Saturday, CS Montreal Centre prevailed 4-0 at CS St-Lazare Hudson. As for Revolution FC, they found a way past CF L’International de Quebec 3-2 as the hosts nearly surrendered a three-goal lead. Union Lanaudiere Sud edged Panellinios 1-0 away, while CS Trident triumphed 4-2 over Chaudiere-Ouest. CSRDP won the other game, beating Mistral de Sherbrooke 3-1.
Trident is on the precipice of winning their group and securing promotion in Group A, while Group B sees L’International and Union battle it out for top spot. Revolution is also in the running there, making for an exciting end. CSRDP’s big win over Sherbrooke sees them jump off bottom, while Montreal Centre has closed the gap on St-Lazare.
Roussillon and CSRDP face off in next week’s play, while Revolution welcomes Montreal Centre. Panellinios hosts St-Lazare Hudson, with Trident heading to Kirkland to take on Lakeshore, knowing a win will see them win promotion to Ligue 1. Chaudiere-Ouest plays Sherbrooke, and Union takes on L’International in the week’s other massive game.
Ligue 3 Quebec: Group Leaders All Prevail
It was a clean sweep for all four group pacesetters in Ligue 3 Quebec as they all won last weekend. St-Jerome had it most difficult, topping AS Saint-Lambert 5-3 with four different players scoring. CS Levis-Est beat Venturi 5-2, Wet Ottawa SC prevailed 7-0 at home to Boreal FC, and Optimum de Victoriaville defeated CS Trois-Rivieres 5-1 on the road.
Elsewhere, CS Boucherville got past Fury de Rimouski 4-2, Phenix des Rivieres triumphed 3-1 over CS Haute-St-Charles, and Chevaliers NDMC piled further misery on Fury with a 3-0 win. Vallee Blizz’Or earned a point in a 0-0 draw with AS Brossard, but lost 5-0 to St-Leonard a day later. AS Montis and Notre-Dame-de-Grace both won 2-0 on the road against Cosmos de Granby and Dollard des Ormaux, respectively.
Victoriaville is about to become the first team to secure a place in the playoffs, while Haute-St-Charles is running out of time to maintain their Ligue 3 status. St-Jerome increased their lead at the top of the Northwest Division, though it is still a pretty tight group there.
Haute-St-Charles will not have it any easier next week when they take on Levis-Est at home. Victoriaville can clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday against Phenix des Rivieres, while West Ottawa has Notre-Dame-de-Grace.
