GUFC Women ends season on high note; men lose again
That’s a wrap on our women’s 2024 season, and what an ending it’s been. A 7-1 dismantling of 2023 champions Alliance United, and a 4-match undefeated streak (3 wins and a draw), to finish in 6th place of L1O’s Premier Division - our highest ever ranking (after ending 13th in 2022, and 12th in 2023).
Meanwhile, our men’s team is still struggling, and lost another match yesterday, 1-2 against North Toronto Nitros.
Yesterday, Centennial Bowl hosted the last double-header of 2024. With the women’s season ending earlier than the men’s, it was the last chance for our fans to see their women’s team this year, in a match with no meaning other than table positioning, as both our team and our opponents have clinched their spots in the 2025 Premier Division the week before, with relegation no longer a concern.
Our team kept up the solid form of late, and put pressure on Alliance United from the start. The entire game was one-sided from beginning to end. Tori Hinchliffe scored two great goals to start the show; Marisa Oliveira and Olivia Brown added two more before the half. The constant, dangerous attacks from our side continued after the break, and Hincliffe got her hat-trick, before Sasha Marikano added a sixth. But it was the seventh goal of our team, from Reserve call-up Sierra Palermo, that was the goal of the night: an unstoppable curler from outside the box in the top corner.
“We made significant progress from the beginning of the year to this match. I’m super proud of every player that was in the program this season. We showed that we can play with the top teams in the league, having victories against NDC Ontario, North Toronto, Alliance. To end the season with a 7-1 win against the defending champions shows the quality we have in this program, and I’m excited to see where it continues to go next year”
We end 2024 on a high, and in 6th place. Not enough to challenge for the title, but enough to record our best year yet, and to look forward to an even better 2025 in the Premier Division.
With the season over, we’d like to congratulate NDC Ontario, this year’s champions, and also Championship teams Scrosoppi FC and BVB IA Waterloo, who clinched the top 2 spots - one of which will promote to the Premier Division directly, and the other will play a promotion play-off against North Mississauga. Last-place Blue Devils FC relegates to the Championship.
Guelph United - Alliance United 7-1 (4-0)
Goals: Hinchliffe (‘14, ‘31, ‘51), Oliveira (‘42), Brown (‘45), Marikano (‘72), Palermo (‘88) / Staggolis (‘86).
Guelph United: Carreiro (‘85 Mazier) - Ward, Van der Laan (‘77 Heyes), Starcevic, Knafelc (‘85 Decorso) - Mihalopulos, Oliveira (‘71 Palermo), Hipkin - Rizakos (‘77 Sealy), Hinchliffe (‘67 Marikano), Brown (‘61 Johnston).
In the first match of the double-header, our men’s team faced North Toronto Nitros, and, unfortunately, continued the poor string of results, with a third consecutive loss. In the first half, despite neither team playing particularly well, it was Alliance who controlled most of possession and created most of the chances. Carter Robart saved a few, but he was unable to stop the score being opened by Kai Martin, just before the half.
For the first 15 minutes after the break, our team played with a different attitude, pushing the game forward and attacking more, so when Kyle Cordeiro’s beautiful equalizer came, it looked like we have what it takes to turn the match around. After the 60th minute, the match became a back and forth affair, both teams pushing for the lead and creating chances. Unfortunately, a defensive mistake led to League1 Ontario top goalscorer Fadi Salback giving back the lead to North Toronto. Despite a late game push and a huge chance for Gray Yates in injury time, we were unable to score another equalizer.
The loss sees our team stay in 11th place, 2 points below relegation safety, but with one match in hand: the postponed match against last-place Hamilton United, happening this Thursday.
Guelph United - North Toronto Nitros 1-2 (0-1)
Goals: Cordeiro (‘50) / Martin (‘44), Salback (‘63)
Yellow cards: Gander / Drummond
Guelph United: Robart - Ferdinand (‘46 Clack), Green, Obedi, Gander - Cabral (‘79 Ostrun), MacIntyre, Sears, Yates, Cordeiro - Agyemang (‘74 Monterroso).