2018 League1 Ontario season
The 2018 Men's League1 Ontario season was the fifth season of play for League1 Ontario, a Division 3 men's soccer league in the Canadian soccer pyramid and the highest level of soccer based in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Season | 2018 |
---|---|
Champions | Vaughan Azzurri |
L1 Cup champions | Vaughan Azzurri |
Matches played | 136 |
Goals scored | 488 (3.59 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Anthony Novak (18 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Lucas Birnstingl (0.42 GAA) |
Highest scoring | TFC III 10–0 Windsor (Jun 17) Oakville 10–0 Sanjaxx (Aug 26) |
← 2017 2019 → |
Vaughan Azzurri won the league championship and earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship; the top national tournament for men's soccer teams. Vaughan captured the league double for a second time by also winning the L1 Cup, a feat they first achieved in 2016. FC London finished the season with the best regular season record, earning 38 points in 16 games.
Changes from 2017
The men's division grew slightly to 17 teams for this season, with the addition of Darby FC, Unionville Milliken SC, and Alliance United FC (a joint partnership between Markham SC and Wexford SC).[1] Durham United FA and North Toronto Nitros did not return for this season.
During the off-season, Jim Brennan stepped down as head of Aurora FC to accept a position with York 9 FC in the Canadian Premier League.[2] FC London also announced the affiliation of its youth academy with professional side Toronto FC.[3]
This season saw expanded playoffs and a return to single-table competition for the men's division. The top eight teams overall from the men's division entered the playoffs, which consisted of a group stage and a final championship match between the winner of each group. The women's side saw a shorter season which ended in August, followed by a four-team elimination playoff for the league title.[4]
Teams
Aurora Darby London Oakville Ottawa South ProStars Windsor
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Alliance Master's Sanjaxx North Miss. Sigma TFC III Skillz Unionville Vaughan Woodbridge
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- Unless otherwise noted, this information was obtained from team directories on the league website
- Some matches were played at Bronte Athletic Park
- Ottawa South United Force played one home match against Windsor TFC Stars at the Ontario Soccer Centre
- Some matches were played at Terry Fox Park
Regular season
Each team played 16 matches as part of the season; one match against all other teams. The top eight teams competed in the league playoffs at the end of the season, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.[8]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | FC London | 16 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 19 | +30 | 38 | Playoffs |
2 | Sigma FC | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 9 | +24 | 37 | |
3 | Oakville Blue Devils | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 41 | 9 | +32 | 35 | |
4 | Toronto FC III | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 48 | 25 | +23 | 33 | No playoffs[lower-alpha 1] |
5 | Vaughan Azzurri (C, X) | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 23 | +22 | 31 | Playoffs |
6 | Woodbridge Strikers | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 28 | |
7 | Alliance United FC | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 24 | +10 | 24 | |
8 | Unionville Milliken SC | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 23 | |
9 | Darby FC | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 27 | −5 | 21 | |
10 | Master's Futbol | 16 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 19 | |
11 | Sanjaxx Lions | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 26 | −12 | 18 | |
12 | Toronto Skillz FC | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 50 | −25 | 14 | |
13 | North Mississauga SC | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 13 | |
14 | Ottawa South United | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 50 | −31 | 13 | |
15 | Aurora FC | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 40 | −20 | 12 | |
16 | ProStars FC | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 34 | −20 | 10 | |
17 | Windsor TFC | 16 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 55 | −42 | 8 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal differential; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
(C) Champion and qualification to 2019 Canadian Championship; (X) L1 Cup winner.
Notes:
- Toronto FC III voluntarily withdrew from league playoffs.[9]
Playoffs
The top eight teams from the regular season were divided into two groups of four for the playoffs. Each team played three matches; one match against all other teams in their group. The top team from each group advanced to the league championship, the winner of which earned entry into the 2019 Canadian Championship.
Group stage
- Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VGN | DBY | ALU | LON | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Vaughan Azzurri (O) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | League Championship | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | |
2 | Darby FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 4 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | |||
3 | Alliance United FC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | — | 1–0 | ||||
4 | FC London | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
(O) Play-off winner.
- Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WDB | SIG | OAK | UNV | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Woodbridge Strikers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 7 | League Championship | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | |
2 | Sigma FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | |||
3 | Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 4 | — | 2–0 | ||||
4 | Unionville Milliken SC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | — |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) head-to-head points; 4) head-to-head goal differential; 5) playoff match
League Championship
The league champion was determined by a single match between the two group winners in the first round of the playoffs. The winner qualified for the 2019 Canadian Championship.
October 20, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 2–0 | Woodbridge Strikers | Vaughan |
3:00 pm ET | Sacramento 35' Ricci 89' |
Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre |
Cup
The cup tournament is a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all 17 teams from the men's division took part. It is not a form of playoffs at the end of the season (as is typically seen in North American sports), but is more like the Canadian Championship or the FA Cup, albeit only for League1 Ontario teams. All matches are separate from the regular season, and are not reflected in the season standings.
The cup tournament for the men's division is a single-match knockout tournament with a total of four rounds culminating in a final match in the start of August, with initial matches determined by random draw. Each match in the tournament must return a result; any match drawn after 90 minutes advanced directly to kicks from the penalty mark instead of extra time.[10]
Preliminary Round | ||
Alliance United | 2 (4) | |
Darby FC | 2 (5) | |
First Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | |||||||||||
FC London | 2 | |||||||||||||
Darby FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
FC London | 0 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 8 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 4 | |||||||||||||
Sanjaxx Lions | 0 | |||||||||||||
Sigma FC | 1 (5) | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 1 (6) | |||||||||||||
ProStars FC | 2 (4) | |||||||||||||
Aurora FC | 2 (3) | |||||||||||||
ProStars FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 3 | |||||||||||||
Windsor TFC Stars | 1 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 4 | |||||||||||||
Toronto FC III | 1 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
Master's Futbol | 4 | |||||||||||||
Unionville Milliken SC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Master's Futbol | 2 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 3 | |||||||||||||
Toronto Skillz | 1 | |||||||||||||
Oakville Blue Devils | 0 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
North Mississauga SC | 0 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 6 | |||||||||||||
Vaughan Azzurri | 2 | |||||||||||||
Woodbridge Strikers | 0 | |||||||||||||
Woodbridge Strikers | 4 | |||||||||||||
Ottawa South United | 1 | |||||||||||||
Preliminary Round
First Round
May 26, 2018 | FC London | 2–0 | Darby FC | London |
Seymour 50' Pucci 90' |
Report Article |
Stadium: German Canadian FC Stadium |
May 27, 2018 | Sanjaxx Lions | 0–4 | Sigma FC | Toronto |
Report Article |
Zajac 23', 86' Buchanan 34' Thomas 74' |
Stadium: Monarch Park Stadium |
May 27, 2018 | Aurora FC | 2–2 (3–4 p) | ProStars FC | Aurora |
Rennie 10' Juta 80' |
Report Article |
George 40' Chrysanthou 90' |
Stadium: Stewart Burnett Park | |
Penalties | ||||
|
|
May 27, 2018 | Windsor TFC Stars | 1–4 | Toronto FC III | Windsor |
Pio 55' | Report Article |
Dada-Luke 17' Hamilton 38' Corbeanu 53' Bilousov 71' |
Stadium: University of Windsor Stadium |
May 26, 2018 | Master's Futbol | 4–0 | Unionville Milliken SC | Toronto |
Reid 4' Rollocks 36' De Sousa 65' Brown 69' |
Report Article |
Stadium: L'Amoreaux Park |
May 26, 2018 | Toronto Skillz | 1–3 | Oakville Blue Devils | Toronto |
Jashan 54' | Report Article |
Hernandez 12' Khalon 46' Santos 65' |
Stadium: Birchmount Stadium |
May 26, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 6–0 | North Mississauga SC | Vaughan |
Raposo 22' Lay 48', 76' Kloutsouniotis 85', 92' Kotsopoulos 90' |
Report Article |
Stadium: McNaughton Park |
Quarterfinals
June 22, 2018 | Sigma FC | 8–0 | FC London | Mississauga |
9:00 pm | Report | Stadium: Hershey Centre |
June 23, 2018 | ProStars FC | 0–3 | Toronto FC III | Brampton |
8:30 pm | Report | Stadium: Victoria Park Stadium |
Semifinals
July 21, 2018 | Toronto FC III | 1–1 (6–5 p) | Sigma FC | Toronto |
4:00 pm |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: BMO Training Ground |
Penalties | ||||
|
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July 22, 2018 | Oakville Blue Devils | 0–2 | Vaughan Azzurri | Oakville |
4:00 pm | Report |
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Stadium: Sheridan Trafalgar Stadium |
Final
August 4, 2018 | Vaughan Azzurri | 2–1 | Toronto FC III | Woodbridge |
7:30PM |
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Report |
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Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre Stadium |
Statistics
Top goalscorers
Updated to matches played on August 18, 2018. Source:
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Top goalkeepers
Updated to matches played on August 18, 2018. Minimum 270 minutes played. Source:
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All-Star Game
The league announced that an All-Star Game between League1 Ontario and the Première Ligue de soccer du Québec (PLSQ) would once again take place this season. The game was hosted by the PLSQ and was played on June 30.
References
- Cudmore, John (December 21, 2017). "League1 expansion focus zooms in on Unionville, Markham entries". Markham Economist & Sun. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Cudmore, John (December 30, 2017). "Former TFC captain Jimmy Brennan steps down as Aurora FC executive director". Aurora Banner. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Dalla Costa, Morris (November 29, 2017). "FC London's academy changes look, adds programs with Toronto FC link". The London Free Press. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- Glover, Robin (May 5, 2018). "May 5, 2018 League 1 Ontario--North Mississauga Panthers vs Pro Stars FC game report (by Rocket Robin)". Rocket Robin Soccer in Toronto. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- Glover, Robin (July 7, 2018). "July 7, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Unionville Milliken FC vs Sigma FC game review (by Rocket Robin)". Rocket Robin Soccer in Toronto. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- Vanza, Ricardo (April 15, 2017). "Windsor TFC finds new head coach". iHeartRadio. CKLW. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- "2018 League1 Ontario Season To Feature New Format, Divisional Configuration And Several Exciting New Additions". League1 Ontario. March 14, 2018.
- Glover, Robin (June 26, 2018). "L1O Game of the Week: Woodbridge falls to Vaughan in League Cup quarter-final". Waking The Red. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- "Mens L1 Cup". League1 Ontario. Retrieved May 9, 2018.