League 1 Ontario released a statement on March 20to immediately postpone the beginning of the 2020 soccer season until further notice.
The decision is made in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic and is in response to Canada Soccer's recent proclamation on March 13.
Despite the negative consequences this virus has caused, with all sports being cancelled, that does not mean speculation of the upcoming season is prohibited.
The League will hopefully return to action at some point and the Women's League 1 program in Aurora is excited for the upcoming year.
From the periphery, it is a tough record to lay your eyes on. Aurora FC finished in second-to-last place with a 1-10-2 record last season. From inside the club, there was a feeling above satisfaction.
“To be honest, I was very pleased with what I saw, as far as the performance of the team and keeping possession and a lot of times, dominating games,” explained Technical Director David Diplacido.
The team is very young. Most players just finished their first season in the league. With a lot of growth and learning on the horizon, it's only going to go up from here.
Some of the girls on the roster have been with the club since five- or six-years-of-age, Diplacido says.
“Players Olivia Scott, Meaghan Phillips…. Michaela Iacono, Laura Marrelli, these are all players that have been playing 10, 12 years with the club and now they're on our first team.”
It is a grassroots organization. Other players have been with the club since the age of 12. The camaraderie is quite significant within this roster and this team is prepared to elevate their game to the next level.
This is, bearing in mind, avoiding some errors like conceding some soft goals and easy opportunities. This is, also bearing in mind, that the team will not be plagued with injuries for a second consecutive year, and have to resort to calling players from the U21 roster.
The team conceded 23 of their 27 goals last year in the second half. The positive news is the girls scored 11 goals out of their 21 in the first half.
Returning player Courtney Chocol, tied for 4th in League scoring last season with nine goals, is expected to return.
Another piece of good news is head coach Gianni Cimini will be returning this year to manage the team.
“What he's been trying to implement over the last year or two, the girls are really starting to grasp. Another year of Gianni, I believe the girls will flourish. That's why we put him in place. We recognize there are good quality young players there and I think he's one of the top guys to get that out of them,” Diplacido said.
The team was expected to begin training in early April indoors. Assuming school was still in session, the team would await the arrival of players who are returning home from their postsecondary education elsewhere to begin training outdoors.
Despite this setback, the team will be ready to begin the year whenever the League decides it will begin. This team is hopeful to finish in a playoff spot this time around.
By Robert Belardi
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