Busy Women’s Premier Division gameweek

There was plenty of midweek madness in L1O with a full round of women’s fixtures taking place on Wednesday. Please click here to see the results before heading into the weekend.

Will the champions get into the playoffs?

We’ve got three L1O games taking place on Friday night – two in the Men’s Premier Division and one in the women’s top tier.

Reigning men’s champions Vaughan Azzurri will be hoping to move into the top six with three points against St Catharines Roma Wolves. The Azzurri have games in hand on their rivals but sit in seventh place, one point behind the playoff spots.

ProStars can take a step closer to clinching a top-division spot on the Road to 2024 with victory on their visit to Darby. The home side also have an outside chance of joining their opponents in the Premier next season but must overturn an 8.5-point deficit with six games to play.

In the Women’s Premier Division, NDC Ontario will look to put further pressure on leaders Vaughan Azzurri. The reigning champions travel to FC London knowing three points will take them level on points with the Azzurri at the top of the table.

No room for dropped points

The Women’s Premier Division action begins on Saturday with Vaughan Azzurri travelling to Electric City. The Azzurri will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to NDC on Wednesday; meanwhile, Electric City need three points in their battle for a top-six finish.

North Toronto Nitros could secure a playoff position with three points against visiting Darby, but the away side need every point they can get to reach the top division ahead of next season.

Two more clubs aiming to still be in action when the regular season ends are BVB IA Waterloo and Woodbridge Strikers. Fifth-placed Woodbridge are in a healthy position with a six-point lead over the teams below them, while BVB are three points adrift of sixth place but are currently 11th in the table and outsiders for that final postseason spot. They face each other on Saturday evening.

The final playoff hopeful taking to the field on Saturday is North Mississauga. The Panthers host Unionville Milliken who they beat 7-0 last season for their biggest win of 2022. Tecumseh and Hamilton United end Saturday’s action in the women’s division; the teams are separated by two points in the bottom half of the table.

Men’s Premier Division pacesetters Scrosoppi face a tough test on Saturday as they host fourth-placed Simcoe County Rovers. It’s all to play for in this league with the top nine sides separated by seven points.

If other results go their way, Electric City can move into the top three with a home win over North Mississauga. The hosts are unbeaten in six games while the Panthers have lost three of their last four.

Elsewhere, Master’s FA host FC London and the bottom two teams meet with Unionville Milliken facing BVB IA Waterloo in our Game of the Week. You can test your L1O knowledge by predicting the result of this game on our Twitter poll.

Top men’s sides take to the pitch
 
The teams currently in second, third and fifth are all in action on Sunday in the Men’s Premier Division.

Blue Devils host Hamilton United and could end the weekend top of the table should Scrosoppi fail to win. Guelph United travel to Burlington in what is a big game for both sides in terms of their top-six aspirations, with the Bayhawks one point away from a playoff spot and Guelph looking to open the gap to the chasing pack below them.

Fifth-placed Alliance United travel to Woodbridge Strikers and will look to get back to winning ways after they tied 2-2 with Burlington on Thursday. On the Road to 2024, Woodbridge Strikers need three points to keep a good hold on their top-division place.

The final men’s game of the weekend sees Windsor City host North Toronto Nitros, who are still in the hunt for the playoffs. With several tough fixtures before the end of the season, including against Alliance, Scrosoppi, Sigma, and Simcoe, this represents a good chance to add another three points to the board.

There are also four Women’s Premier Division games on Sunday, with NDC Ontario and FC London both playing for the third time this gameweek. FC London travel to Blue Devils and could leapfrog their opponents with victory, while NDC Ontario play ProStars who are winless this season.

Simcoe County Rovers currently occupy sixth place and face St Catharines Roma Wolves on Sunday. It was a 2-2 tie when the clubs met last season, including an 88th-minute equaliser from Simcoe.

Guelph Union play Burlington and need three points in their hunt for a top-division spot next year, currently sitting 1.25 points below the all-important dotted line.