FC Women continue climb; Majors drop a pair

Gameday in 5: A look to the week ahead — and a recap of the week that was (June 5-11) — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Zoe Keck / League1 Ontario).

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London Majors

The Majors had a tough week, as they lost both of their contests and dropped to 4-6 on the season through their first 10 games. They opened the week with a 9-2 loss to the Kitchener Panthers Friday night at Labatt Park. Majors starting pitcher Owen Boon, uncharacteristically, was the victim of four long balls, and he allowed five runs over his first three innings of work. The right-hander did settle in afterwards and logged seven strikeouts over six innings of work.

Trailing 5-0 in the 8th innings, things went from bad to worse for the Majors, as the bullpen allowed four more runs to the high-powered Kitchener offense. Though London managed to pick up nine hits, they managed to score just two runs in the game. Both came on a two-run home run from Starling Joseph in the bottom of the 8th. Byron Reichstein reached base three times in the contest, while Drew Lawrence had a pair of hits.

The Majors didn’t fare much better on Saturday, losing 9-6 to the Guelph Royals. Edisson Gonzalez got the start, and he allowed all nine runs (seven earned) in his five innings of work. Down 3-0 after the first inning, the Majors got two runs back in the third with back-to-back solo homers from Tommy Reyes-Cruz and Reichstein. But Guelph quickly blew the game open, scoring six times in the fourth inning to take a commanding lead. London did score four times in the 8th, but it wasn’t enough for a full-scale comeback.

Reichstein finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs and a pair of RBIs, raising his batting average to .464 in the seven games he’s played so far this season. Reyes-Cruz and Joseph also had a pair of hits in the game.

Up next:

The Majors are at home for both their games this weekend — against Toronto Friday and Barrie Sunday for Father’s Day — as they try to climb back to .500.

Fri. June 16 (7:35pm vs. Toronto Maple Leafs)
Sat. June 18 (1:00pm vs. Barrie Baycats)

FC London

The Women’s team had a good week, winning their first game (Wednesday) and earning a draw on Saturday. The team began the week with a convincing 4-0 win over the Simcoe County Rovers. After a scoreless first half, London’s offense broke out. Charlotte Cromack scored two of the team’s four unanswered goals, while Gabrielle Kohut and Olivia Brown added scores of their own. Saturday’s game wasn’t as successful, but FC London did manage a point in a scoreless draw against Hamilton United at home.

The Men’s team, meanwhile, were dealt their fifth loss of the season on Saturday, losing 2-1 to Vaughan Azzurri, a top three team in the league. London went up 1-0 in the 9th minute thanks to Kuhle Bekwayo, and the home side led for most of the first half. But Vaughan tied the game in the 45th minute and then knocked home the eventual winner early in the second half. 

Up next:

Both FC London teams are up for a challenging week as they face top opponents in their respective League1 Ontario divisions. The men (1-5-2) will host Scrosoppi FC, who entered the week tied for first in the men’s division, while the women (3-2-3) will battle second-place Vaughan Azzurri.

Women:
Sat. June 17 (5:30pm vs. Vaughan Azzurri)

Men:
Sat. June 17 (6:00pm @ Scrosoppi FC)