Title rematch

Three L1O games take place on Friday night as NDC Ontario look to close the gap on leaders Vaughan Azzurri, but the reigning champions face a tough test with Alliance United heading to the Ontario Soccer Stadium. The last time the two sides faced each other was in last season’s Women’s Premier Division Final where NDC Ontario ended up 3-1 winners.

Our remaining two games on Friday see Darby in action in both divisions. In the Women’s Premier Division, live on L1O's YouTube channel, they face an in-form Woodbridge Strikers who scored seven goals last time out, while the men’s team travel to North Mississauga who beat them 2-0 in the reverse fixture last season.

You can also predict the score of Darby's game against Woodbridge in our weekly fans' poll.

Men’s top three take to the field

Saturday sees 14 teams in action across both divisions, including the Men’s Premier Division’s top three.

Blue Devils need to find a response after they suffered their first loss of the season in midweek against Woodbridge Strikers. The Oakville side travel to North Toronto Nitros where a win for the hosts would keep them in the top-two picture; they currently lie in fifth place, four points behind the division’s leaders.

Table-toppers Scrosoppi are also in action on Saturday afternoon and their visit to Unionville Milliken sees them looking for their sixth consecutive victory. Unionville have struggled this season and sit rooted to the bottom of the table.

Elsewhere, ProStars host Electric City in our Men’s Premier Division Game of the Week live on the L1O YouTube channel on Saturday night. Electric City find themselves in a tight playoff battle with the top ten teams in the division separated by just six points; ProStars are just outside this mix. You can test your knowledge and predict the result on Twitter.

Third-place side Guelph United are in action against Master’s FA and need three points after their loss to Scrosoppi last weekend.  

Electric City and North Mississauga are tied on 20 points in the Women’s Premier Division, but another four teams sit behind them within just two points of Electric City’s playoff spot. The Peterborough side’s weekend opponents are Tecumseh, who need the victory as they chase down a place in the top division on the Road to 2024, while North Mississauga face the dauting task of travelling to the division’s top scorers, North Toronto Nitros, who are in third place and four points behind Vaughan Azzurri.

It will be a special day for North Toronto who are welcoming Scarborough Simbas to pitchside and giving their young players experience of L1O soccer. The Simbas do great work in using the sport to help Muslim children on their journey to settlement and a new life in Canada.

Hamilton United also host Guelph Union with the away side fighting for their chance of a top-division spot for next season

All about the playoffs
 
Women’s Premier Division leaders Vaughan Azzurri host BVB IA Waterloo on Sunday. The Azzurri are four games away from finishing top of the standings at the end of the regular season; BVB IA Waterloo have not won since May and need a turn of fortune to keep their playoff chances alive.

Three of Waterloo’s rivals for that final playoff position are also in action on Sunday. Simcoe County Rovers host Unionville Milliken, Blue Devils are at home to Burlington, and FC London make the journey to ProStars. All three sides are level on 18 points and five wins from 2023.

The focus is also on the playoffs in the men’s division. Sigma and Alliance battle it out on Sunday afternoon in a doubleheader fixture with the Canadian Premier League’s York United and Forge FC. Both teams are one point adrift of sixth place; it was close between them last season, with an early Alliance United goal enough for the win.

Simcoe County Rovers currently hold the last playoff spot and are the Men’s Premier Division top scorers. On Sunday they host fourth-placed Vaughan Azzurri who sit one point ahead of them. Playoff rivals Burlington, meanwhile, will be hoping for a slip-up from Simcoe as they face FC London.

Woodbridge Strikers host St Catharines Roma Wolves needing three points to put themselves in the driving seat for a top-division spot next season, and Windsor City face BVB IA Waterloo in a clash in the bottom half of the table.