Jr. Mustangs ready for playoffs; FC London sweeps weekend; Majors win a pair
Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (July 8-14) — for London’s teams and athletes.
(Photo: Barry Field Photography).
* * *
London Jr. Mustangs Football
In their final game of the regular season, a big matchup against the Hamilton Jr. Ticats, the U18 London Jr. Mustangs won convincingly, 28-1, on Saturday night at Western Alumni Stadium. The win improved the Mustangs’ record to 7-1, tying them atop the standings with the same Jr. Ticats in the OSFL’s AAA West Division. The Mustangs earned the tie-breaker.
Quarterback DJ Fonti completed 9 of 17 pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown (and an interception). That touchdown pass went to Camden Melrose. With 35 yards receiving, Seth Raymer led the ‘Stangs on the night. On the rushing front, Kanye Nethersole ran for 89 yards (and a touchdown) on 17 carries. Cameron Bourdeau had 73 yards on 13 carries. Andre Thompson had London’s other rushing touchdown.
The U18 Jr. Mustangs are now set to embark on the OSFL playoffs. They’ll take on the Cumberland Panthers in a quarterfinal game Saturday (5pm) at home.
At the U16 level, the Jr. Mustangs won a close 17-13 game against their Jr. Ticats counterparts on Saturday night. That improved London’s record to 6-2, good for third place in the OSFL’s AAA West Division. They’ll play a first-round playoff contest this Saturday (4:30pm) on the road against the Durham Dolphins.
FC London
Women
The women’s team (9-4-2) had a big week, winning two matches — including against a rival close in the standings — to earn a more firm hold on third place in the women’s Premier Division. On Wednesday, they won big at home, 6-0, over Blue Devils FC. Six different London players scored goals, including Kimee Liu, Julia Benati, Lindsey Barwitzki, Ally Rowe, Jade Abreo and Charlotte Cromack.
Then, on Saturday, they beat a tough Woodbridge Strikers squad, 2-1, on the road for their ninth win of the season. Down 1-0 in the 34th minute, Lauren Rowe tied the game for London with her third goal in five games. In the second half, London’s captain, Julia Benati, scored the eventual match winner in the 47th minute.
Up next:
Wed. July 17 (8:00pm @ Simcoe County Rovers) (League1 Cup semi-final match)
Sun. July 21 (5:00pm vs. North Mississauga SC)
Men
The Men’s team improved to 9-2-1 last weekend with a 3-2 win over North Mississauga SC on Saturday. London scored first with Ibrahem Saadi scoring in the 20th minute. Daniel Oshana doubled the lead in the 34th minute and London led 2-0 at halftime. North Mississauga responded in the second half with two goals of their own, within five minutes of each other.
But 14 minutes later, FC London responded with Santiago Fonseca scoring the eventual game-winning goal. The men currently sit in second place in the League1 Championship Division standings, a single point behind TFC Academy.
Up next:
Sat. July 20 (2:00 pm @ Master’s FA Men)
The Majors bounced back last week, winning both of their games (with Sunday’s scheduled game against Hamilton postponed due to rain). Taking on the Guelph Royals on Friday at home, London came out on top by a 6-2 margin.
Braeden Ferrington, normally a reliever, made the start for the Majors and pitched very well, allowing just two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings. From there, Alex Springer tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames and Skylar Janisse also worked a scoreless inning to preserve the win. The Majors scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Starling Joseph launched a solo homer. Ty Mosher and Kaiden Cardoso had RBI singles, and Gibson Krzeminski knocked in a run with a double. Krzeminski finished the night 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Majors carried their momentum into Saturday, where they beat the Brantford Red Sox 5-2, again at Labatt Park Byron Reichstein had the big blow in the third inning, hitting a three-run homer to extend the Majors’ lead to 4-0 at the time. Gibson Krzeminski added the team’s fifth run with an RBI double in the 6th. Travis Keys started for London and went five innings, allowing a run on six hits. Jonathan Henry pitched three innings allowing a single run, while Victor Payano earned the save.
Up next:
The Majors (16-9), who enter the week in third place in the IBL standings, will play Chatham-Kent Tuesday before a pair on the weekend (in between the All-Star game Saturday in Welland).
Tues. July 16 (7:35pm @ Chatham-Kent Barnstormers)
Fri. July 19 (8:00pm @ Brantford Red Sox)
Sun. July 14 (1:05pm vs. Kitchener Panthers)
The defending champion London Lightning begin their title defense Nov. 23 on the road vs. Sudbury, the first of a 34-game schedule that runs thru March. Home opener happens Nov. 28 vs. Newfoundland.