August 15, 2023...Weekly Rewind by League1 Ontario staff (from League1 Ontario website)
Weekly Rewind
By League1 Ontario staff, 08/15/23, 10:30AM EDT
IT’S BEEN MAKE OR BREAK FOR SOME TEAMS WITH THE PLAYOFFS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.
Milestone victory for Master's FA
Losing that Friday feeling
The first game of the Men’s Premier Division weekend saw Alliance United’s postseason chances take a hit as they now sit three
points off the playoffs after losing 2-0 to Hamilton United. Ideal Shefqeti and Alban Boci scored in the 28th and 54th minutes
respectively, and moved Hamilton into the top 12 on the Road to 2024 – prime position for a 2024 Premier Division spot going
into the final gameweek.
An undefeated run of six games for Darby ended as Simcoe County Rovers won a close matchup that ended 2-1. Shawn Claud-Lawson
scored in the first half to give the Rovers the lead, before Simcoe’s Paul Karagianakos and Darby’s Russel Robertson scored
within a minute of each other to set up an exciting last 15 minutes.
High-scoring Saturday
Electric City put on an electric performance in their final home game of the season as they defeated Unionville Milliken 11-0,
leaving them two points off the playoffs. The Peterborough side were 3-0 up at the end of the first 45 minutes, before a further
eight goals were scored in the second half. Baldwin Igbinobaro and Alex Lewis both netted braces.
A 5-1 victory over FC London for Sigma wasn’t enough to keep their playoff push alive as the gap to sixth remained at five
points, but they are now guaranteed to be in the Men’s Premier Division next season. A win still looked obtainable
for London who were 2-1 down at the break but 55th- and 60th-minute goals from Emery Welshman, either side of a Miles Green
finish, quickly put the game to bed.
North Toronto's postseason hopes also faded away as they lost 2-1 to St Catharines Roma Wolves. In the first period
the Nitros were ahead with a 44th-minute Tadija Vukas goal, but both Nicholas Andreola and Michael Solomon scored
in the second half for Roma to steal the win.
North Mississauga ensured they stayed ahead of Master’s FA at the bottom end of the table with a 7-1 win over ProStars.
Karamvir Mehmi scored a hat-trick in a bitter loss for ProStars who, with other results going their way, still qualified
for the 2024 Men’s Premier Division – their chances boosted by finishing in the playoffs last year.
North Mississauga are back in action on Tuesday night as they visit St Catharines Roma Wolves, rounding off Week 18.
Sigma are one of three teams who confirmed their 2024 Premier Division place this week
Milestones made on Sunday
A 4-1 victory for Master’s FA over BVB IA Waterloo saw them win three matches on the bounce for the first time in four years.
It was still anyone's game at the end of the first half with Master’s only leading by one goal, but they scored another three
in the second 45 to guarantee the three points.
At the top of the regular-season table, Vaughan Azzurri secured a playoff bye spot as they cast aside fourth-placed Blue Devils
with a 3-1 win – their second victory of the week after beating North Mississauga 1-0 on Wednesday. It was a quiet first half
with all the goals coming in the second period, and Vaughan are now tied on points with Scrosoppi who beat BVB IA Waterloo 5-0
in midweek and have a game in hand that, if they win, will confirm them as regular-season champions.
Woodbridge Strikers and Guelph United tied 2-2 – a result neither side wanted. Woodbridge have now sunk below the all-important
dotted line on the Road to 2024 table, and Guelph missed out on confirming their playoff spot with one game remaining.
Burlington’s 2-0 win over Windsor City was enough to secure them a spot in the 2024 Men’s Premier Division and obtain fifth place
in the regular-season table. Burlington scored in the 44th and 81st minutes with goals from Keani Fairbanks and Augustus Oku
respectively, and a fourth consecutive win in the final gameweek will guarantee a playoff spot.
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