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FC London And Oakville Blue Devils Beat Vaughan, Woodbridge To Earn Spot In 2019 L1O Finals

By League1 Ontario staff, 08/26/19, 4:45PM EDT

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(Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)


(Photo: Kevin Raposo Photography)

FC London won the second leg of their 2019 League1 Ontario Semi-Final 1-0 on Sunday, taking out Vaughan SC with a 5-3 aggregate score over the two legs, taking a berth in the 2019 League1 Ontario Women's Championship Final on Saturday August 31 at the Ontario Soccer Centre. 

London will meet Oakville Blue Devils, after team top scorer Mahira Ali deposited the winning penalty over Woodbridge Strikers and the Blue Devils beat the Strikers 2-1 on aggregate. 

Check out full match recaps + match video, and detail on the 2019 League1 Ontario Women's Championship Final, below!


(Photo: Martin Bazyl Photography)

FC London advance to the 2019 League1 Ontario Women's Championship Final with a 5-3 aggregate score, Jade Kovacevic (9') from the penalty spot giving her side the 1-0 victory in the second leg of the Semi-Final against Vaughan Azzurri after a strong 4-3 result at home in the first leg.

It was a strong start for the visitors as they were able to get into the final third in the opening minutes. Vaughan defence held on during a few good early opportunities, but a mis-timed tackle on London's Kovacevic inside the 18-yard box gave London a chance to increase their aggregate lead to reassure their advancement into the finals.

The 2019 regular season Golden Boot winner confidently stepped up to the spot and placed the penalty strike in a spot that was unreachable for the Vaughan keeper. Vaughan then needed two goals to have a chance at making it to the Final.

Vaughan came out revived and motivated in the second half, creating counter-attacks and tripling their shots on net. The pressure was on for FC London's keeper, Emily Gillet, as Vaughan gained momentum. Gillet was put to the test on various occasions but managed to keep her side in the lead.

Gillet earned her second clean sheet during playoffs, her fifth when including regular season games.

FC London were able to hold on to their 1-0 lead in Vaughan and advance to next weekend's Final, when they have a chance to win their third title in four seasons.

FC London will play the Oakville Blue Devils on Saturday August 31st (7 p.m.) at Ontario Soccer Centre in the 2019 League1 Ontario Women's Championship Final

(Analia Sordi)


(Photo: Kevin Raposo Photography)

The Oakville Blue Devils advanced to the League1 Ontario play-off finals after defeating the Woodbridge Strikers in a penalty shootout on a sunny day at Bronte Athletic Park, Oakville.

The first half was a slow encounter with Oakville doing much of the attacking and Woodbridge sitting back and countering when the opportunity arose. Both goalkeepers made two saves each to keep the match scoreless.

The best chance of the half for Oakville occurred when the ball was passed to Mahira Ali at the top of the 18 and she fired a strong shot that just went over the crossbar.

Woodbridge also had a scoring opportunity when Diamond Simpson cut into the box and fired a low shot but Elisa Lapadula did well to keep the ball out of her net.

The second half started out much the same but tempo began to shift as the clock ticked and Oakville searched for the equalizer. Woodbridge played very well defensively and even broke forward on the counter on several occasions.

In the dying minutes, the deadlock was finally broken when Danielle Vis met the ball outside the 18-yard box and fired a laser into the top right corner.

In the ensuing penalty kicks, Oakville goalkeeper Elisa Lapadula made two fantastic diving saves to ultimately give the Blue Devils leading scorer, Mahira Ali, the chance to end the shootout in Oakville's favour. She calmly slotted her penalty kick home.

Oakville now advance to the 2019 League1 Ontario Women's Championship Final, which is to be played Saturday, August 31 (7 p.m.) at the Ontario Soccer Centre (7601 Martin Grove Road, Woodbridge.

The opponent will be FC London, setting up a showdown between the league’s top two goalscorers, Jade Kovacevic and Mahira Ali.

(Lucas Lucchetta)