Gameday in 5

A recap of the week that was (Oct. 18-24) — and a look to the week ahead — for London’s teams and athletes.

(Photo: Luke Durda).

London Knights

The Knights kept their undefeated streak going to start the year with a 2-1 win over the visiting Owen Sound Attack on Friday night at Budweiser Gardens. Cody Morgan opened the scoring on the powerplay in the second period (on a goal assisted by Luke Evangelista and Colton Smith). With the game tied 1-1, Evangelista scored the game-winner, 1:23 into the third period, with a short-handed goal on a breakaway — his fifth goal of the season. Goaltender Brett Brochu stopped 36 of 37 shots and is second in the OHL (as of Monday) with a 2.25 goals against average.

Up next:

The Knights (6-0-0-0) have a pair of games this week as they look to continue their undefeated ways. They’ll play a rematch against Owen Sound (2-4-0-1) on the road, and then return home to face the Sarnia Sting (1-2-2-0).

Wed. Oct. 27 (7:00pm @ Owen Sound Attack)
Fri. Oct. 29 (7:30pm vs. Sarnia Sting)

FC London

Men

The Men’s season came to end on Sunday afternoon following a 2-0 loss to Blue Devils FC on the road. FC London finished third in their division with an 8-4-0 record, falling just short of a playoff spot. The team needed to win outright on Sunday to earn the final spot. Due to the condensed 2021 season, only the top two teams in each division make the playoffs this year. In the West, that will be Guelph United (10-2-0) and Blue Devils FC (9-1-2). Ethan Gopaul finishes the year as FC London’s top scorer with 11 goals in 12 games.

Women

The Women’s team clinched first place after beating the North Toronto Nitros, 2-0, on Wednesday night at the Hellenic Community Centre, thus earning the Ron Smale Cup. FC London (8-1-2) will play the fourth-place team in the semi-finals this weekend (date/time TBD). That opponent will most likely be Blue Devils FC, although it won’t be confirmed until Vaughan Azzurri plays its final regular season game on Thursday.

Up next:

The Women have one final regular season game left, against Tecumseh SC (2-8-1), before they enter the League1 playoffs and square off against their semi-final opponent this weekend.

Tue. Oct. 26 (8:00pm @ Tecumseh SC)
Semi-final match (TBD, Oct. 29-31)

London Nationals

The Nationals swept their home-and-home series with the Sarnia Legionnaires, winning 6-0 at home and 5-3 on the road. Zach Power led the Nats’ scoring in the first game, with two goals and two assists, while Owen McGowan, Jacob Julien, Thomas Harbour and Josh Cornfield also scored in the win. Owen Flores earned the shutout, stopping all 25 shots he faced.

In the second game, the Nationals entered the second period up 3-1, thanks to goals by McGowan, Julien, and Jack Bunker. After a Sarnia goal put them within one at the end of the second, the Nationals scored two in the third, including McGowan’s second of the game, to put the game away. McGowan finished the night with two goals and an assist, and he’s third on the team in scoring (14 points) through nine games.

Up next:

The third-place Nationals will look to gain ground in the tough Western Conference when they take on the St. Marys Lincolns and Komoka Kings this week.

Wed. Oct. 27 (7:00pm vs. St. Mary’s Lincolns)
Sat. Oct. 30 (7:15pm @ Komoka Kings)

Western Mustangs

The Mustangs football team improved their record to 4-1 with a dominant 48-13 road win over the Waterloo Warriors Saturday afternoon. Running back Keon Edwards had 237 yards on the ground and three touchdowns (including a 97-yard run). Quarterback Evan Hillock completed 11 of 18 passes, including a pair of touchdowns to Savaughn Magnaye-Jones.

Up next:

The Mustangs will look to end their season on a high note when they visit the Windsor Lancers on Saturday. With a win, the Mustangs will secure the top spot in the West Division, setting them up for an OUA quarter-final game against the fourth-place team (TBD) the following weekend.

Sat. Oct. 30 (2:00pm @ Windsor Lancers)