Union wins again, but path to playoffs is difficult
Guelph Union followed up their impressive win in Hamilton with another victory, 1-0 against a solid North Mississauga SC side, last night at the Centennial Bowl.
Our team scored the only goal of the match in the 30th minute, after an excellent solo run and tidy finish from our leading goalscorer, Victoria Hinchcliffe. The second half saw our guests dominate possession, but our defense held strong, and Union walked away with the win.
However, with 2 games to go in the regular season, the chances to make the playoffs decreased, after a few out-of-town results did not favor our side. As for the race for the 2024 Premier Division, the odds are better, but we still rely on other teams dropping points.
Let’s take a closer look.
Playoff race
Guelph games remaining: vs Burlington, at Alliance.
We are now 4 points behind the only playoff spot within reach. With 2 games to go, this means we need to win both our remaining games, and hope for a lot of upsets involving the teams above us.
Simcoe and Blue Devils should not obtain more than 2 points from their remaining 3 games; Electric City and North Mississauga should not obtain more than 3; and we also need London and Waterloo to drop points.
So, while mathematically not out yet, it’s a very tall task.
2024 Premier Division race
Guelph games remaining: vs Burlington, at Alliance.
Blue Devils games remaining: vs London, at Unionville, at North Toronto.
Things look a bit better in the race for the top 10 teams of the last 2 seasons, which will form the new top-tier Premier Division, once League1 Ontario switches to a promotion/relegation structure from 2024. However, even in this race, we rely on other results, on top of our own.
We are currently 0.25 points behind the Blue Devils. With 2 games to go, this means we need to win our games, and hope Blue Devils will obtain a maximum of 5 points from their remaining 3 games. Their schedule isn’t the easiest, so it’s definitely a realistic possibility, which makes our next game, Sunday at home against Burlington SC, even more important.