FC Women eyeing big things; Return to League1 final?

FC London, a historically talented club, is looking to build off last year’s semi-final appearance and reach the League1 Ontario finals this summer — for the first time since 2019. Can they do it?

(Photo: Zoe Keck / League1 Ontario).

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Last year, he inherited a team that, since its inception in 2016, had won three championships and reached the league’s semi-final in every year of its existence. No pressure, coach.

But Garrett Peters continued that tradition in 2022, as he led FC London’s women’s team to the semi-finals last summer, where they ultimately fell to Ontario’s National Development Centre (NDC-Ontario). Now, Peters and the squad are looking to outdo that performance in 2023. Perhaps a return to the League1 Ontario final?

This year’s women’s squad has undergone more player turnover than it did last year, and it’s even younger than in years passed, but Peters is confident his talented group can achieve big things this summer.

“At minimum, we’re going to be a very competitive team. I think we’ll be very tough to play against, similar to last year,” said Peters, who hails from Saskatoon, SK. “Best-case scenario, hopefully we can eclipse what we did last year. There’s definitely that potential. We have a lot of really good players. It’s going to be fun.”

Among returnees, some key players include Avarie Thomas, Morgan Blair, Jen Milligan, Ally Hicks, Sadie Waite, Rachel Rosborough, Mackenzie Bilotta, Briana Garcia and Robyn Scott.

Milligan had six goals in 10 games last year, second on the team behind only Julia Benati, who has pursued a couple of pro opportunities since last fall. Ally Hicks scored five times last season, while Sadie White, a talented young midfielder, delivered four goals.

“We have a lot of starters back. Morgan, Rachel and Avarie were back line players. Mackenzie played a lot of minutes in the midfield,” said Peters. “Sadie was a big player in the midfield. She was a rookie at [the University of] Nebraska this year and had an incredible year. She’s coming home, and she’s bigger, stronger, faster.”

Meanwhile, Peters, who remained in London throughout the winter, was busy on the recruiting end during the offseason. Some key additions? Lauren Rowe, Tia Schaffer, Penny Mulenga, Olivia Brown, Laurie Moise, and goalkeeper Cassidy Joslin.

As he did last year, Peters tapped into his Saskatchewan connections to bring a few players to the Forest City. Mulenga is one of them. A midfielder, she’s played three seasons at Texas Tech University. A grad student this past season, she played in all 19 matches for the Red Raiders, starting the final eight. She attended a U20 national team camp back in 2019.

Schaffer is another Saskatchewan catch. A defender, she’s been playing for the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the OUA for the last two seasons. She was actually a member of the Simcoe County Rovers last year – playing against FC London in a League1 quarterfinal match. But she’s in London now.

And so, too, is Cassidy Joslin. A third Saskatoon native, she’s the keeper for the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who won last fall’s OUA championship and reached the semi-final of the U Sports national championship. She previously spent time at the University of Detroit Mercy, a Division I school.

“She’s got a massive resume,” said Peters. “She was also at FISU Americas in Mexico with a group that won gold. Don’t get me wrong, we’re going to miss Jadyn [Steinhauer, last year’s keeper]. We wish she was back. But having Cassidy here as a replacement is just as good. We’re really happy about that.”

(Photo: Zoe Keck / League1 Ontario).

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Lauren Rowe, a young addition, has also been to a U20 national team camp. A striker, she plays at the University of Cape Breton. Laurie Moise, who has spent years playing in Quebec’s League1 circuit, also attended Texas Tech before a transfer this winter to Cal State Fullerton. And Olivia Brown comes to London via Guelph, where she scored a team-leading 10 goals for Guelph’s League1 side last summer.

“She’s a striker, and she’s a very good player that we’re excited to have. These are six really nice additions for us to have this year.”

Some have already seen action, while others will be arriving soon from their school commitments. That’s the one challenge early in the spring for League1 clubs. FC London, for instance, has played several callups from its reserve squad in the first three matches of the season. But it’s gone pretty well so far, as the team is 1-1-1 heading into their home opener Saturday (May 13) at Tricar Field.

Goal scorers in the first three games of 2023 include Mackenzie Bilotta, Tia Schaffer, Olivia Brown, and callups Cheyenne Bower and Charlotte Cromack. The latter is new to London from out west, where her dad, Will, recently coached the TSS FC Rovers men’s squad to a match win over Valour FC in the 2023 Canadian championship. They’ll play a quarterfinal match May 10 vs. Pacific FC.

“The family has moved to the area. (Charlotte) is a great young player, and she’ll definitely be seeing some opportunities with the first team,” said Peters.

It’s been a tough opening schedule, especially without everyone available – and all their games on the road thus far. But the women have looked good in the early going. They opened with a 3-2 win over BVB IA Waterloo (3-1) on April 22. A 2-0 loss to last year’s runners up, Alliance United FC, followed on April 29, and then the women played to a 2-2 draw against Tecumseh SC last Wednesday.

It's time to return home. That’ll happen this Saturday against Electric City FC – and home will be Tricar Field for the full season.

“Especially after the playoff success game we had at Tricar last year, we just relayed to management that we wanted to play as many games as possible there. So, it’s becoming our home,” said Peters. “That’s where we train every day, so there’s a familiarity piece, too, that makes it easy to adjust for games.”

With 19 teams on the League1 Ontario women’s side this year, FC London will play an 18-game regular season schedule, playing every team once. The one non-Tricar home game will be an annual match in Strathroy (in partnership with the Strathroy Soccer Club), which will happen June 21 – against NDC-Ontario, the squad that knocked them out of the playoffs last summer.

“That’ll be a fun one,” said Peters. “People will need to make the 15 or 20-minute drive out to Strathroy and pack the stands there for that match with NDC coming to town.

“Compared to last year, our schedule is looking a lot nicer,” the coach added. “In June, we have a homestand of six straight games, and we play a lot of the top teams in that period. That’s a huge advantage. And the entire squad is going to be here in June, so that gives me a lot of confidence in our ability and knowing we’re going to have some of the best quality players in Canada here.”

(Photo: Zoe Keck / League1 Ontario).

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Can the women improve on their 2022 season? They posted a record of 13-4-2 during last year’s regular season, tying them for fourth in the standings. Winning the tie breaker, they hosted a quarterfinal match against the Simcoe County Rovers, which they won 4-3. Then they were bounced by NDC-Ontario, 2-0, in the semis.

“Last year we scored a lot of goals. We were dynamic. This year will be much the same – except we’re probably going to be bigger, faster and stronger,” Peters said. “We have a lot of girls that I’m really excited about in terms of their athleticism. We recruit players that are extremely versatile and who are able to adjust on the fly to whatever you’re facing. While we have possession, you’re going to see a very free-flowing offense. That’s our style, and I think the girls enjoy playing it.”

And what is Peters most looking forward to enjoying this season?

“I’d say two things. First, I’m very excited to see how some of the younger girls do because we’re trying to give young girls in London opportunities to succeed at the highest level. And the second is getting back to our home field and playing in front of the fans … having the young kids come out and enjoy a game. I’m looking forward to being back in front of the fans, and hopefully we’ll give them a good show.”