Ruthless from the spot

Wednesday, July 16 saw Scrosoppi reach the semifinals of the L1 Cup for the first time. Following an entertaining 3-3 tie with North Toronto under the lights at St Francis Xavier, which saw Paiman Sultani, Miles Green, and Mashhood Rehman score, a 6-5 victory on penalties set up a clash with Simcoe County Rovers.

It was the visitors who took an early lead through Cyrus Rollocks, but three first-half goals put SFC into a 3-1 lead at half-time. Rollocks scored his second three minutes into the second half, and the game looked to be ending 3-2, but Bilal Abou Reslan ensured it was going all the way. 

Both sides looked comfortable from the spot, with Green finding the net again, alongside Matteo Cotrone, Javier George, Pau Sanchis, Faris Ammari, and Lucas Spinosa. In sudden death, though, North Toronto’s Sufyan Fraj failed to find the net, sending the home side into the next round.

Looking for revenge

With Simcoe County Rovers in the next round, Scrosoppi will be searching for a statement win against an opponent with whom they have plenty of recent history. Both sides still compete in the League1 Ontario Men’s Premier Division, but SFC fans will remember the 2023 playoff final, which ended in a 4-2 defeat. 

The two sides currently sit side-by-side in the top tier, level on points, with the Rovers having played two extra games. This fixture was the opening game of the season, with Scrosoppi taking the points in a 1-0 win at J.C. Massie Field. They faced off again on July 5, with the game ending level after an entertaining 3-3 tie. 

Simcoe finished fifth in the league in 2024, as SFC won their first league title. The former enjoyed more success in the L1 Cup last year, however, reaching the final. They were eventually defeated on penalties by Vaughan Azzurri, so they are aiming to go one step further in 2025. 

Aiming for two in a row

Away from the L1 Cup, tensions are rising in the Men’s Premier Division title race. Woodbridge Strikers currently hold top spot, three points ahead of Alliance United in second, and four points ahead of Scrosoppi, who are third. 

With six games left, Scrosoppi will need to adapt to be the chasing side rather than the leaders that they were last season, and a crunch match against Woodbridge on August 16 is set to be the headline fixture. They head straight back into regular-season action this Saturday, hosting a Burlington side who are just outside the top four. 

Searching for silverware

Scrosoppi’s women are also well in the hunt for a division title, currently sitting second in the L1ON Women’s Championship. The first-place team is automatically promoted from the second tier, and a win this weekend against Hamilton United would send SFC to the summit with two games remaining. 

Following a second-place finish in 2024 and qualifying for the Pro/Rel Playoffs, a 3-1 defeat to North Mississauga meant SFC had to go again in the second tier this year. Heading into the final three games of 2025, the goal is to take the next step and earn a deserved promotion. 

In League2, Scrosoppi are still enjoying life in the Women’s Northeast Conference. They currently sit third in the standings after 11 games and have a strong chance to reach the playoffs; they are two points behind and with two games in hand on Alliance United who are second. 

The Men’s League2 team are currently sixth in the Central Conference after three narrow defeats, and have one game left this season against Burlington on July 22.