September 5, 2024...Preview: Men's L1 Cup Final (from League1 Ontario website)

5 September 2024
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Preview: men’s l1 cup final

The first Men’s L1 Cup Final since 2018 is taking place on Friday, September 6.

Vaughan Azzurri and Simcoe County Rovers have earned their right to fight for silverware on Friday in the Men’s L1 Cup Final.

Both teams have won titles before, with Vaughan being the last winners of the cup in 2018 as well as three-time Men’s Premier Division winners, and Simcoe won the 2023 Men’s Premier title in what was their second season.

Recent form

Both sides rank highly in the Men’s Premier standings with Vaughan finishing second in the league, a comfortable 15 points ahead of fifth-placed Simcoe.

The end to the season has been strong for both sides. Vaughan navigated through August undefeated with five wins in their last five in all competitions, while Simcoe’s only loss since June was a 2-0 defeat against eventual champions Scrosoppi.

Last meeting

It was an entertaining last clash between these two teams, which only builds the excitement ahead of a highly anticipated final.

The sides tied their game 4-4 in August with both Ijah Halley and Raheem Rose coming up with braces for Simcoe and Vaughan respectively.

It was a game that tested fan’s nerves as Simcoe took an early 3-1 lead inside 27 minutes, before Vaughan replied and made it 4-3 just before the hour mark with three goals coming in just 20 minutes of play. The Rovers then scored a penalty in the 76th minute to tie the game.

Road to the Final – Vaughan Azzurri

Vaughan scored 10 goals on their way to the final, opening their campaign with a 4-1 win over St Catherines Roma Wolves. Reshaun Walkes was on hand with a brace, supported by goals from Chris Campoli and Andy Baquero.

Another 4-1 victory against Sigma then saw Vaughan progress in the competition to the semifinal stage, where they knocked out a dangerous North Toronto team with two goals and a clean sheet.

Road to the Final – Simcoe County Rovers

Simcoe have only conceded once in the competition so far. In the Round of 16, they held off Championship side Darby with a goal either side of the break. It was a closer game in the quarterfinals against Guelph United who led early on, before Shawn-Claud Lawson and Jevontae Layne scored for Simcoe to turn the match on its head.

The Rovers then booked their place in the final with a convincing 3-0 victory over mid-table Blue Devils thanks to three different scorers, and now face their biggest test in the Men’s L1 Cup yet.

Key player: Reshaun Walkes (Vaughan Azzurri)

One player to watch in this game is Vaughan’s striker Reshaun Walkes, who finished as the top scorer in the Men’s Premier this season with 18 goals, including eight in his last two games.

Walkes’ cup form does not differ from his league form, as he added three goals in three games to help lead his side to the final. He has also scored against Simcoe before, netting in their 1-1 tie on April 29 in the opening week of the Men’s Premier season.

Key player: Jevontae Layne (Simcoe County Rovers)

Simcoe have a lethal goal scorer of their own in the form of Jevontae Layne – a forward who has shown his worth with 13 goals in the Men’s Premier this season, including one in the last meeting with Vaughan.

Layne has also proved he can perform under pressure. He has scored twice in the cup for Simcoe so far this year and also netted two goals for the Rovers in last year’s memorable Men’s Premier Division Final.

Published On: 5 September 2024
League1 Ontario staff

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