CH-CH-CHANGES
The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) women's soccer regular season kicks off with a half dozen matches, the first of 222 scheduled over the next five and a half weeks.
If that number seems higher than usual, that's because it is. An additional team plus an expanded schedule means more soccer on OCAA pitches.
Teams will now play a 10-game schedule, except for clubs in the east region, which now play a dozen regular season matches. Each team played eight matches in 2014.
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
Instead of an east-west regional format, the OCAA has been split into three groups this season, with a newly created central division.
Former west region teams Humber, Niagara and Sheridan will take its talents to the central, along with crosstown rivals George Brown and Seneca, formerly of the east. UTM will also play in the central.
Algonquin, Cambrian, Centennial, Durham, Fleming, Loyalist and St. Lawrence remain in the east region.
Conestoga, Fanshawe, Lambton, Mohawk, Redeemer and St. Clair stay put in the west region.
Teams will play a double round robin within their respective regions, facing every team both home and away.
WE LIKE THOSE ODDS
The Fleming Knights have a 12.5 per cent chance of winning a provincial championship this season. They also have a one-in-eight chance of winning a national championship.
That's one guarantee heading into the new season, as Fleming plays host to both provincials and nationals this year, earning a spot in both tournaments as host.
Eight teams will make provincials in Peterborough, with division winners earning a bye into the tournament along with Fleming. The OCAA champion, plus Fleming, will represent Ontario on the national stage.
Fleming visits reigning OCAA silver medalist Algonquin on Saturday to begin its journey to nationals. The OCAA championship takes place Oct. 29-31.
BIRDS OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER
Hawks. Condors. Falcons. Now Eagles.
The University of Toronto Mississauga makes its debut in OCAA women's soccer this Sunday as the Eagles host rival-in-the-making Sheridan.
UTM and Sheridan's Trafalgar Campus are separated by 11 kilometres.
UPCOMING GAMES
| Date | Away | Home | Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept. 12 | Durham | Cambrian | 12:30 PM | ||
| Lambton | Redeemer | 1:00 PM | |||
| Fleming | Algonquin | 1:00 PM | |||
| Centennial | St. Lawrence (K) | 1:00 PM | |||
| Humber | Niagara | 2:00 PM | |||
| St. Clair | Mohawk | 5:00 PM | |||
| Sept. 13 | Loyalist | Cambrian | 12:00 PM | ||
| Sheridan | U of T Mississauga | 1:00 PM | |||
| Centennial | Algonquin | 1:00 PM | |||
| Fleming | St. Lawrence (K) | 1:00 PM | |||
| Sept. 14 | Fanshawe | Conestoga | 6:00 PM | ||
| Sept. 15 | Lambton | St. Clair | 5:00 PM |
Source: OCAA Communications