Locals exit World Cup; FC Women bow out; Majors play long ball

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (July 24-31) — for London’s teams and athletes.

London’s Jessie Fleming (and Shelina Zadorsky) wrapped up their 2023 Women’s World Cup experience Monday morning. (Photo: Daniela Porcelli / Canada Soccer).

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Women’s World Cup

Londoners Jessie Fleming and Shelina Zadorsky — and the rest of Team Canada — bowed out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup early Monday morning after dropping a lopsided 4-0 loss to the host Australians. The squad finished 1-1-1 in pool play, not good enough to advance to the round of 16. It was a disappointing result for the defending Olympic champs, who were passed over by both Australia (2-1-0) and Nigeria (1-0-2) for advancement.

The Canadians opened with a 0-0 draw against Nigeria on July 20. Fleming, the team’s star midfielder, missed that contest due to injury. The squad regrouped for a 2-1 win over Ireland. Fleming played the full match in that one, while Zadorsky also saw action on the back line. And then it was a difficult 4-0 loss to Australia in a match the Canadians needed to earn a draw for a chance to advance.

Next up for the team will be a two-match playoff series against Jamaica in September as part of the Concacaf Olympic qualifiers. They’ll play away on Sept. 22 and then at home (in Toronto) on Sept. 26. Since their gold medal performance at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Canadian women have won 15 matches, tied five and lost eight in international competition.

To learn more about London’s Team Canada talent, read our previous stories on Jessie Fleming here and here. And Shelina Zadorsky here.

FC London

Meanwhile, on the local soccer pitch, the impressive run by FC London’s women’s team came to an end Sunday night when the team ran out of steam and lost 4-0 to NDC-Ontario in their League1 Ontario semi-final match.

After a scoreless first half, NDC-Ontario’s offense came to life — and was relentless, first scoring twice in a three-minute span, and then adding two more markers for the lopsided win. A tired London squad, playing their fourth match in eight days, had no answer, and unfortunately saw its season come to an end.

The week began with a playoff-clinching 1-0 win over Electric City on Tuesday in the makeup game of the teams’ abandoned match way back on May 13 in London. This contest was played in Milton, a neutral site, in a match that was closed to fans. An early Julia Benati goal (13th minute) was the difference, as FC London claimed the final playoff spot with a win.

Two days later, on Thursday, the women played — and won — a quarterfinal contest against the North Toronto Nitros. On the road, FC London worked the Nitros to a draw after regulation time and then won the contest on penalty kicks, 4-3. Charlotte Cromack, Robyn Scott, Cheyenne Bower and Kyra Gunnel all scored for London, with Gunnell’s serving as the winner. It was the team’s ninth straight unbeaten contest. But that streak would come to an end in the semi.

On the men’s side, FC London picked up their second straight win — and, impressively, earned points in a seventh straight match. It was a 2-1 win Saturday over ProStars FC that extended that run. FC London struck first on a Mateo Goldsztein Herrera goal in the 31st minute. ProStars FC tied things in the second half, but Santiago Fonseca played the hero, scoring the game winner in the 88th minute. 

Up next:

The men’s side, now 5-6-5 on the season, will look to make it eight straight with points this Saturday when they hit the road again for a match against Alliance United FC on Saturday. The men have four games remaining on their schedule.

Men:
Sat. Aug. 5 (6:00pm @ Alliance United FC)

London Majors

The Majors had mixed results last week, as they split their four games — although they took two of three over the weekend. Things didn’t start well, with London losing a 14-6 contest to Hamilton last Tuesday night at Labatt Park. In his Majors debut, import pitcher Wilbur Martinez allowed nine runs over his 4 1/3 innings. Alex Springer also had a rough one, giving up the other five in the eighth inning. Tommy Reyes-Cruz went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs in a losing effort, while Starling Joseph had an RBI double and Byron Reichstein drew four walks.

The Majors got in the win column Friday night, snapping a six-game losing streak in the process. Owen Boon had a strong game on the mound, striking out 12 in eight innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits. Trailing 3-0 in the 8th, the Majors rallied to tie the score — in part, thanks to an RBI double by Brett Graham and an RBI from Reyes-Cruz. And then they won it in the 10th, as Graham, on again with a double, came around to score on a Dan Battel sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by the first baseman.

After a 9-4 loss Saturday to the Barrie Baycats, the Majors’ offense exploded on Sunday as they beat the Kitchener Panthers 18-6 at Jack Couch Park. Wilbur Martinez got the start, pitching six innings and allowing four runs. The Majors flexed their power (on a historic level), hitting a combined eight home runs. Eduardo de Oleo hit four of them, thought to be the first time a London Major has accomplished the feat. He also had 8 RBIs in the contest. Jordan Schulefand, who’d pitched Saturday, hit his first IBL homer, while Starling Joseph added two of his own. Cleveland Brownlee also hit his fifth of the year.

Up next:

The Majors have another busy week ahead, beginning Tuesday with a home game against the Guelph Royals. Then it’s a trio of games (including two more at home) this weekend.

Tues. Aug. 1 (7:35pm vs. Guelph Royals)
Fri. Aug. 4 (7:35pm vs. Toronto Maple Leafs)
Sat. Aug. 5 (7:35pm vs. Brantford Red Sox)
Sun. Aug. 6 (2:00pm @ Toronto Maple Leafs)