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Promotions Secured Across League1 Ontario Tables
By UPDATE (2024/08/19): Following Guelph United’s Loss to Woodbridge on Sunday night, Burlington SC and ProStars FC are now safe from the Pro/Rel Playoff.
n the wake of the exciting and historic League1 Canada Inter-Provincial Championship, footy fans in Ontario were treated to another busy and intense series of games to round out the 2024 season.
Across the new League1 Ontario promotion and relegation ecosystem, teams battled hard for spots in the L1O-M Premiership, L1O-M Championship, and L1O-W Premiership, with three sides coming out on top, securing their futures.
FC London Takes Top Spot
Having failed to take all three points and close the gap on TFC Academy in the week prior against Unionville Milliken, FC London were able to get the job done this past Saturday over BVB IA Waterloo to ensure promotion.
Due to the impending departure of TFC Academy from the L1O system, FC London and their St. Catharines Roma Wolves rivals both found a new drive as they sought to move up into the upper echelon. Having remained neck and neck the entirety of the season, either side had a shot at the top promotional slot coming into these final weeks.
Come Saturday, in what was expected to be a highly competitive and tense meeting between the Black and Yellow and Forest City’s finest, the game came out swinging, starting with Thomas Ribeiro’s 8′ missed penalty. FC London then took that advantage and struck back with the 2-1 lead as a Ryan Baker found mesh in the 10′ and 29′ for the brace. This brace was broken up however by Ribeiro getting one of his own and close the gap.
Unrelenting, Die Schwarzgelben were able to make the match level once more, this time off the foot of Mahmoud Alqahwaji just over two-thirds of the way through. BVB Waterloo needed a victory to stay ahead of the relegation battle as they sit in 9th with 16 points, tied with Windsor City, who both sit one-point ahead of Pickering FC. Had they capitalized on one more opportunity, it would place them in fifth and well outside of the relegated last-placed position
Alas, this would not come about as substitute Ibrahem Saadi went on to break the hearts of Waterloo fans just minutes after entering the game as he marked his third goal of 2024 in the 88′.
With their win on Sunday – although unable to claim the League1 Ontario Championship title that lies in the hands of TFC Academy – FC London have guaranteed their place in the Premiership come 2025 as they sit six points ahead of the St. Catharines Roma Wolves with a game in hand.
Consequently however, the Wolves’ 4-1 win over Unionville Milliken on Friday night has also since granted them the honours to represent the Championship division in the L1O Pro/Rel Playoff to take place later this season. While unconfirmed their opponent remains unconfirmed, with three games left each, it quite possible that the Wolves will face either Guelph United or Sigma in a battle to stay afloat.
Alliance II Promoted on Pens over the Azzurri
In a mirrored image of the League2 Women’s final from last weekend, Saturday night’s meeting between Vaughn Azzurri II and Alliance United II presented fans with a whirlwind of a game. Unfortunately for the York Region side, their women’s L2 side’s success would not be replicated thanks to a 10th-round penalty save by Alliance’s Arvin Raveendran.
Despite Alliance’s night starting off slow with Abbaglivo’s saved PK in the 7′, he ended up redeeming himself 17-minutes later to open the scoring. A major miscue and failed catch by AUFC’s Raveendran would then grant Vaughan’s Nathan Baker an open net to level it, later followed by teammate Mateo Caride who headed home a gorgeous arching pass from Adriano Iannello to give Vaughan the lead.
Just as hope was beginning to dwindle for the Gaffer Eric Nelson’s Alliance II squad, Michael Maslanka renewed their spirits with the tying goal in the 86′. It came off of a series of redirects and bounces that is better seen than read, so watch above!
Come the ensuing penalties and the teams forced each other to the wire with a back and forth rapport that sent them to 10 rounds. With the first two going in, both Vaughan and Alliance’s third attempts were blocked by the opposing keepers. Entering the 10th round, following Alliance’s Ian Shibata’s conversion, the proceeding save on Jelani Brathwaite’s shot gave Alliance the victory and a berth into the League1 Ontario Championship division in 2025.
North Miss. Don’t Miss, Remain in Premiership
Having suffered a disappointing season in the Women’s Premiership where they ended 3W-4D-11L in 9th place, Laura Arduini’s North Mississauga Panthers side had one final opportunity to keep their spot in the top flight on Saturday against Scrosoppi FC.
On the other hand, the visiting Saints from Milton have had a spectacular first season in the semi-pro system. After having acquired the (former) Pickering FC women’s license, the club went on a tear across their division, amassing 37 goals over 18 games to end up just one point out of first place. Thus going into Saturday’s playoff, they sought to join their sisters on BVB IA Waterloo in the Premiership and all that stood in their way were 90 minutes and the NMSC Panthers.
Following a 30-minute rain delay that relocated the match indoors, the Panthers came right out of the gate with the match’s opening goal, courtesy of Jordan Archer. Receiving a quick throw from teammate Reese Fowler, Archer wasted no time in positioning herself properly to send a 25-yard screamer into the top right corner past Scrosoppi keeper Elisa Paolucci.
Come the 30′ and the Panthers were up by two thanks to a chip by Nyla Dore-Anderson. What should have been an easily-intercepted through ball by Kennedi Herrmann ended up bouncing under the leg of Scrosoppi defender Tierra Bennett to an open Dore-Anderson who was left with nothing else to do but slot it over the diving keeper.
The Milton-based side would find their way onto the board in the 63′ following a handball-turned-penalty shot. Despite having taken his time to blow the game dead, the match official ultimately awarded the shot upon confirming with his Assistant Referee that NMSC Captain Fowler did in fact commit the infraction.
Mya Newcombe had the easy job of netting the penalty, which she did to bring life back to her bench and fight for the promotion at stake. But this life would soon die out once more as five minutes after Newcombe’s conversion, Jordon Archer found her second to close out the scoring at 3-1.
With the vast majority of games having wrapped up in the 2024 League1 Ontario Season, here’s where we stand for promotions and relegations going into 2025:
There remain a few variables before this graph is completed, however, as we wait for the men’s division’s to round out their remaining games, all of which centre around crucial battles and point differences that are less than five in both.
In the Premiership with at most two games remaining a-piece, Guelph United and Sigma are now in a tight battle as to who will avoid taking on the Roma Wolves in the Men’s promotion and relegation playoff.
Moving down a division and we see over half of the table – from fifth to tenth place – all potentially at risk of adding the L1O-Championship Wooden Spoon to their trophy cabinets. For 2024, L1Ontario has instituted special rules for Pro/Rel between the Championship and League2.
For the L2 sides who bowed out in the Semi-Finals (Scrosoppi L2-M and Sigma L2-M, Blue Devils L2-W and BVB Waterloo L2-W), they will take face off one final time in a repechage match to determine who will take on the last place side from the Champioship. Thus, both Rush Canada Women’s squad and whoever finishes the season in last in the Men’s Championship will have one last chance to avoid relegation as they take on these League2 Repechage winners for that spot in the 2025 Championship.
Going into this final weekend of games and included in this relegation race are Pickering, Windsor City, BVB IA Waterloo, Master’s, Darby, and the North Mississauga men’s sides. With just one game left a-piece, it has all come down to this.
2 Comments
“Guelph United, Sigma, Burlington SC, and ProStars are all in contention to take on the Roma Wolves in the Men’s promotion and relegation playoff” – after Guelph’s loss yesterday, Burlington and ProStars are safe.
Thank you! The article was written on Sunday evening before the result was final. An update has been added to reflect this result and its effects on the Premiership table. -N.M.