The Simcoe County Rovers women were on the road Saturday to face North Mississauga for the second time in seven days with three big points on the line in the battle for top spot in the League1 ON Premier Division.
The Rovers beat North Mississauga, 4-0, the last time out and headed to North Mattamy Park brimming with confidence knowing a win would go a long way to securing a league title.
As they have done all the season, the Rovers got off to a quick start and pressed for the opening goal. Striker Stefanie Young got things going early when she scored in the seventh minute. Young continues to deliver in big moments for the club. After conceding, North Mississauga dug in and the half finished 1-0.
The Rovers attacked from the opening whistle of the second half and were rewarded in the 50th minute when substitute Sydney Atwell fresh from entering the game made it 2-0. Striker Ally Rowe then delivered two goals in three minutes, and the Rovers had a comfortable 4-0 lead which they saw out to secure the win.
Rowe continues to score at will for the club. She broke the all-time women’s team goal-scoring record the week prior and continues to add to her total. She now has 18 goals on the season in only 14 matches played. Rowe scored another two goals during League1 Ontario Cup play.
“It was a strong performance and a well deserved 4-0 win,” said head coach Zack Wilson. “We were sharper in the second half, cleaned up a few things from the first, and executed well on both sides of the ball.
"With two games to go, our mindset doesn’t change," Wilson added. "We want to be the hardest team to play against in this league."
With two games left and the ability to control their own destiny in the standings, the next week will be an exciting one for the club. The team now sits with 12 wins, one loss and three ties, good for 39 points in the table.
The Rovers have a game in hand on rivals NDC and North Toronto. They will not face either of these teams in their last two games.
Wednesday, July 30 sees the team head to Waterloo and the final game of the season happens on Saturday, Aug. 2 at J.C. Massie Field in Barrie.
There is a real opportunity for the Rovers to win the league and represent League1 Ontario in the Canadian Championships.
The 2025 Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship will be contested in Sherwood Park, Alta. It will once again bring together the top women’s pro-am teams from across the country: the champions of League1 BC, League1 Alberta, League1 Ontario and Ligue1 Québec.
The competition will kick off with a pair of semifinal matches on Friday, Aug. 8. The winner of each semifinal will advance to the championship final on Sunday, Aug. 10, while the other two teams will compete in a third-place match that day.
The Rovers men were on the road to face Sigma after a hard-fought 1-0-win Wednesday at home against FC London.
The team got off to a flying start when defender Luke Green scored in the sixth minute to provide a 1-0 lead.
The first half was a see-saw affair, but the scoreline remained unchanged at the Rovers went into the break up 1-0.
The Rovers came out with purpose at the start of the second half and were rewarded when winger Aidan Hugo netted in the 50th minute.
Lucas Correa added to the league when he netted in the 83rd minute to give the Rovers a 3-0 lead.
The Rovers conceded a late goal to Sigma, but closed the game out, winning 3-1 and collecting three points.
“Great win,” said head coach Doneil Henry. “It was a professional performance from the boys who managed to play good football in spells and handled the challenging weather conditions.
"We see them again next week, so we will spend some time during training looking for new ideas to break them down," Henry added.
The Simcoe County Rovers men's team travel to RIM Park in Waterloo to face Waterloo United on July 30 at 7:30 p.m. They return home to J.C. Massie Field on Aug. 2, to face arch rivals Vaughan Azzurri at 6 p.m.
