Women’s Premier Division Playoffs: Quarterfinals Preview

The third against sixth playoff quarterfinal sees Woodbridge Strikers host Alliance United.

Despite mustering just two points from their first three games, the Strikers’ only loss this season came against FC London on May 7 – meaning they come into the postseason having not tasted defeat for nearly three months.

Since that loss, the reigning Women’s Premier Division champions have found scintillating form, winning 12 of their next 16 matches and putting together a nine-game win streak – a replica of the form that helped them charge to the title last year.

Alliance United had a similarly tough start to the 2022 season with two losses and two ties from their first four matches. They were less consistent than their quarterfinal opponents in the regular season, but come into this knockout fixture having won five on the bounce and scored 21 goals in the process. 

They were also able to beat both Vaughan Azzurri and NDC Ontario this season, something Woodbridge were not able to do. 

Head-to-head

The Strikers will be hoping top scorer Jessica Lisi is on form; she’s scored 14 goals in 16 games this season. The goals for Alliance United have predominantly come from Laura Gosse and Chelsea Cheung, both notching 12. 

The meeting between the two teams earlier in the season was a tightly fought affair and resulted in a 1-0 victory for Woodbridge. Mikayla Morton was the match-winner in the 74th minute, scoring her first of four goals this season.

How it works

Top seeds Vaughan Azzurri will host the lowest-ranked seed left in the playoffs in the semi-finals. That means if Woodbridge Strikers (the third seeds) go through, they are guaranteed to face NDC Ontario, whereas a win for sixth seeds Alliance United would see them play Vaughan Azzurri. 

The result between Woodbridge and Alliance will determine who either FC London (the fourth seeds) or Simcoe (the fifth seeds) will face in the semifinals. 

Originally published by League1 Ontario here.