NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY ROVERS FC
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This past weekend saw the women travel to Waterloo while the men played their last home game of the regular season at J.C. Massie Field on Sunday.
While both the men’s and women’s teams have secured spots for League1 Premier division next season, there was still plenty to play for. Prior to the weekend, the women took to the pitch on Wednesday in the final match of the Trent Severn Cup, a unique second-year event that featured a combined effort from both the men’s and women’s squads with the trophy being handed to the club with the best head-to-head combined scores. Should the score remain level after the men’s and women’s matches have concluded, the ultimate winner of the cup will be decided through penalties following the last match.
The men won the first game in exciting fashion, coming back from a 1-0 deficit and winning 2-1, with the winning goal coming in the 90th minute. The Rovers conceded the first goal of the game in the 38th minute and found themselves trailing 1-0 at halftime. The Rovers started the second half on a positive note as Michelle Plowman equalized in the 48th minute. The game went back and forth, but ended with a draw. That was enough, as the Trent Severn Cup was lifted by the Rovers for the second straight year in front of the home crowd.
The women had a quick turnaround as they travelled to Waterloo to face BVB IA Waterloo on Saturday. The team was shorthanded going into the match as key players including captain Cloey Uddenberg were injured and striker Sam Murphy was unavailable to play. Striker Courtney Chochol returned to Quinnipiac University early while Soumaya Bouak was away on international duty, making it a steep hill to climb for the Rovers. The team fell behind 2-0 within the first 20-plus minutes and never recovered, losing 3-0. The result has negative consequences for the squad as with the loss they fail to qualify for the playoffs this season.
“We knew it would be tough,” said coach Dave Kelly, “and we gave it what we had but we made an uncharacteristically slow start against a team who were fast out of the blocks, showing they used those seven days to fully prepare. After going down 2-0, we played some fantastic football, but with our key goal scores missing, we just couldn’t capitalize on the chances we created as, ultimately, we didn’t have experience and quality to convert them.”
The men took to the pitch Sunday evening at home with a large crowd in attendance to face Guelph, a team tied with the Rovers heading into the game. In a tightly contested affair, the Rovers came away with a well-deserved 1-0. The Rovers improved to a 10-4-1 record and sit third in the league, just two points out of second with five regular-season games left.
“Very pleased with the win, and it’s a massive three points for us,” said coach Jason Beckford. “It’s one of the best performances of the season in terms of professionalism, understanding when you play quick, when you play slow and dealing with the positive and negative moments in the game. Pleased with everyone today. We showed our depth today with guys out due to injuries and suspensions. Very proud of our two 16-year-olds, Alan Blegay and Chiemeka Azurunwa, as they were fantastic. Great win for our club and on to the next.”
With their final games on the road, the Rovers’ 2023 home record under coach Jason Beckford stands at 8-0-1. The team scored 30 goals over those games, a 57 per cent increase in goals scored in front of supportive home fans and confirmation of the attacking style of football the team promised to play. Attacking midfielder Orlendis Benitez-Hernandez finished with 10 goals at home, closely followed by striker Jevontae Layne, who netted eight goals.
The men travel this week to face North Mississauga on Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m.
For more information on the Simcoe County Rovers FC, including schedule details, ticket purchase options and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.roversfc.ca.
Single and group tickets to the match can be purchased by visiting www.roversfc.ca.
Be sure to check our latest episode of Rovers FC TV: www.rogerstv.com/show?lid=12&rid=23&sid=8897.
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