Woodbridge Strikers
 | |
| Full name | Woodbridge Strikers Soccer Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 / 2014 |
| Stadium | Vaughan Grove Park |
| Head Coach | Peter Pinizzotto (men) David Porco (women) |
| League | League1 Ontario |
| 2024 | L1O-P, 3rd (men) L1O-P, 4th (women) |
| Website | https://woodbridgesoccer.ca/ |
Woodbridge Strikers Soccer Club is a Canadian semi-professional soccer club based in Woodbridge, Ontario. The club was founded in 1976 as a youth soccer club and added its semi-professional club in League1 Ontario in 2014.[1] The team plays home games at Vaughan Grove Park.[2]
The club was one of the ten original founding men's teams in League1 Ontario, which was established in 2014, as well as one of eight original founding teams in the League1 Ontario women's division, which was established in 2015.
History
[edit]The club's history dates back to 1972, when the East Woodbridge Soccer Club and West Woodbridge Soccer Club were created to serve the Woodbridge Community. In 1976, these two clubs merged to form Woodbridge Soccer Club.[3]
In 2014, the semi-professional club was established to play in the newly formed League1 Ontario as one of the founding members.[4][5]
Woodbridge played their first match on June 1, 2014 against ANB Futbol, which they won 2–1.[6] They finished in second place in the league in each of their first two seasons.[7]
In 2015, Woodbridge won the League1 Ontario League Cup, defeating Sigma FC 2–1 in the finals.[8] They repeated as champions in the 2017 League1 Ontario League Cup with a 3–1 victory over Vaughan Azzurri in the finals.[9] They lost in the 2017 League1 Championship final to the Oakville Blue Devils in a penalty shoot-out,[10] narrowly missing out on the opportunity to represent the league in the 2018 Canadian Championship as a result.[11] They again lost in the 2018 Playoff Final, this time against Vaughan Azzurri, missing out on the Canadian Championship for the second consecutive year.[12]
They added a women's club to participate in the inaugural season of the League1 Ontario women's division in 2015.[13] In their debut season, they finished second in the league.[7] In 2018, the women won their first trophy, capturing the League Cup.[14] In 2021, the women captured their first League1 Championship, defeating Blue Devils FC 1-0 in the finals.[15]
Coaching staff
[edit]- Head coach – Peter Pinizzotto
- Boys technical director – Marco Reda
- Technical advisor – Paul Stalteri
- Goalkeeping coach – Roberto Stillo
Squad
[edit]- As of 16 April 2023[17]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Seasons
[edit]Men
[edit]| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | League1 Ontario | 9 | 10–3–3 | 2nd | – | Group stage | [18] |
| 2015 | 12 | 15–2–5 | 2nd | – | Champions | [18] | |
| 2016 | 16 | 15–2–5 | 2nd, Eastern (2nd overall) | did not qualify | Runner-up | [18] | |
| 2017 | 16 | 15–5–2 | 1st, Eastern (3rd overall) | Runner-up | Champions | [18] | |
| 2018 | 17 | 8–4–4 | 6th | Runner-up | Quarter-finals | [18] | |
| 2019 | 16 | 8–1–6 | 8th | Quarter-finals | – | [18] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[19] | ||||||
| 2021 | 15 | 6–1–5 | 3rd, East (7th overall) | did not qualify | – | [18] | |
| 2022 | 22 | 8–5–8 | 11th | did not qualify | – | ||
| 2023 | 21 | 6–8–6 | 12th | did not qualify | – | ||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Premier | 12 | 10–7–5 | 3rd | – | Round of 16 | |
Women
[edit]
| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | League1 Ontario | 7 | 13–2–3 | 2nd | – | Semi-finals | [20] |
| 2016 | 9 | 11–3–2 | 2nd | – | Finalists | [20] | |
| 2017 | 11 | 9–2–9 | 7th | – | Finalists | [20] | |
| 2018 | 13 | 9–3–0 | 2nd | Finalists | Champions | [20] | |
| 2019 | 14 | 7–1–5 | 4th | Semi-finals | – | [20] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[19] | ||||||
| 2021 | 7 | 6–3–3 | 2nd | Champions | – | [20] | |
| 2022 | 20 | 12–6–1 | 3rd | Quarter-finals | – | ||
| 2023 | 19 | 10–4–4 | 5th | Quarter-finals | – | ||
| 2024 | League1 Ontario Premier | 10 | 9–3–6 | 4th | – | Quarter-finals | |
Notable former players
[edit]The following players have either played at the professional or international level, either before or after playing for the League1 Ontario team:
Men
[edit]
Women
[edit]
Honours
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hayakawa, Michael (April 10, 2014). "Vaughan to field 2 teams in inaugural soccer league". Vaughan Citizen. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Kelly, Tim (April 14, 2014). "Soccer season in Vaughan a sure sign of spring". Vaughan Citizen. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "History of WSC". Woodbridge SC. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "Ontario launches provincial semi-professional men's league". Canadian Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020.
- ^ "OSA announces League1 Ontario teams". Ontario Soccer Association. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 18, 2014.
- ^ Kelly, Tim (May 29, 2014). "New soccer club in King Township fills gap for rising stars". King Connection. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "A Bluffer's Guide to Woodbridge Strikers". League1 Ontario. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers Hold On to win League1 Ontario Men's L1O Cup". Ontario Soccer Association. August 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "L1 Cup 2017 Champions crowned". Vaughan Citizen. August 8, 2017. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Cudmore, John (October 22, 2017). "League1 Soccer: Oakville Blue Devils top Woodbridge Strikers in kicks". Vaughan Citizen. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Davidson, Neil (June 5, 2018). "Oakville Blue Devils look to impress in first Canadian soccer championship appearance". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Baldwin, Dan (October 23, 2019). "L1O Final: Azzurri give Woodbridge the Blues". Northern Starting XI. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ Rowaan, Dave (January 29, 2015). "League 1 Ontario announces expansion teams for 2015 season". Waking The Red. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Top 2018 Performers Recognized At Year-End Awards Gala". League1 Ontario. November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ Cheng, Jonathan (November 7, 2021). "Woodbridge wins 2021 L1O Women's title in 1-0 result over Blue Devils". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
- ^ "WSC Technical Staff". Woodbridge SC. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
- ^ "Woolbridge Strikers". League 1 Ontario.
- ^ a b c d e f g "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Men's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
- ^ a b "League1 Ontario cancels Fall season plans for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions". Canadian Premier League. September 4, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "League1 Ontario Historical Standings Women's Division". Canadian Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
