News release - Simcoe County Rovers FC
The Simcoe County Rovers women’s team (7-1-1) has taken League1 by storm ever since their inaugural win over Blue Devils FC all the way back in April.
But now, after a dominant 5-0 home win over Hamilton United (2-7-1) on Saturday, followed by a 4-3 road win over Darby FC (4-6-0) on Tuesday, it is safe to say they are one of the teams to beat.
The women came into Saturday on a high after beating first-place FC London a week earlier, but that did not stop them from quickly turning their focus to Hamilton United on Saturday, as just two minutes into the game, they took the lead on an own goal after applying early pressure to begin the match.
From there, they doubled their lead in the 15th minute on a goal from Marlene Siwula – her first of the season – before getting a pair of goals from Brianne “Buckets” Desa in the 31st and 70th minutes to put the game out of reach.
Jordan Tortolo added a fifth goal for good measure in the 75th minute to give the Rovers their largest win in franchise history.
If that is not impressive enough, the Rovers recorded clean sheets in back-to-back games for the second time in franchise history (already) and scored eight straight goals going back to their game against London.
Head coach Zack Wilson said he could not be more impressed with his team after the win, starting with the fact that his players were willing to do whatever it takes to pick up yet another win.
“We had a couple of players playing out of position, with Ashlynne Koly coming in as
a right-back – a position she has not played in four or five years – and Jordan coming out and playing on the wing.
“We talked before how if we keep playing like this we will one day start to put the ball in the back of the net and we did it today.”
For as impressive as the offensive performance was for Wilson, he was more amazed by how his team played defensively.
“It’s unbelievable. Cooper Lee, our captain, is leading the backline and everybody is just really organized. Adriane Devlin did a great job filling in for Abby Wroe and I think that just goes to show that it doesn’t matter who we have back there. I am confident in every single one of them.”
Wilson also noted that it was important for the team to not have a letdown game against Hamilton after their most notable win of the season a week earlier against London.
“That was something the players focused on all week. We knew we could not let our standards drop and that we had to continue to raise our standards. We started fast in this game and we have to continue that because it can be one of our strengths. That is what is so unique with this group. The players push each other and have really high standards for themselves.”
The women continued their torrid pace against Darby FC on Tuesday, striking for three straight goals in the first half on goals from Courtney Chochol, Desa, and Wroe to extend their goal streak to 11 before having it snapped in the 48th minute.
However, Chochol found the back of the net again in the 78th minute to put the game out of reach, despite Darby FC scoring goals in the 82nd and 90th (+3) minutes to make the game look closer than it actually was.
The Rovers, who are now second place in the League1 standings, return to action on Saturday when they host NDC Ontario (5-0-3) from J.C. Massie Field in Barrie.
Unfortunately for the men (now 4-2-2), they were not able to secure a Saturday sweep after suffering a close 1-0 loss to ProStars FC (now 4-3-1) in their first game of the Credit River Cup.
ProStars opened the scoring in the 23rd minute on a goal from Faris Ammari before locking things down from there, though it was not for the lack of chances from the Rovers.
Despite the loss, the Rovers remain in a playoff spot in the League1 standings, sitting fifth place and only three points out of first place.
They return to action on Saturday as well when they host 1-5-2 FC London.
The positive news does not stop there for the men, who are happy to announce that local native Aodhan O’Hara is being sent to Ireland for a two-week trial with Fin Harps in the Ireland Premier League.
This news comes two weeks after star striker Leaford Allen transferred to the New Zealand Central Premier League for the first transfer in franchise history.
Single and group tickets to Saturday’s home matches can be bought on our online store by clicking here. For more ticket information, email arthur@roversfc.ca.
We are expecting standing room only for both matches on Saturday, so we strongly recommend buying tickets as soon as possible!
The kickoff for the women is at 4 pm, with the kickoff for the men set for 7 pm.
Feature image - file photo - Barrie 360
