Woodbridge Strikers
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| Full name | Woodbridge Strikers Soccer Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1976 | ||
| Stadium | Vaughan Grove Park, Vaughan, Ontario | ||
| Capacity | 1000 | ||
| President | Mike Rietta | ||
| Head Coach | Peter Pinizzotto (men) Gabe Cremonese (women) | ||
| League | League1 Ontario | ||
| 2024 | L1O-P, 3rd (men) L1O-P, 4th (women) | ||
| Website | https://woodbridgesoccer.ca/ | ||
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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]Foundation and Youth Development
[edit]Woodbridge Strikers originated as a youth-focused soccer organization in 1976 under the name Woodbridge Soccer Club.[citation needed] Based in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, the club initially concentrated on grassroots player development, serving the local community with recreational and competitive programming. Over time, the club grew into one of the most prominent youth academies within the York Region Soccer Association.[citation needed]
Semi-Professional Era
[edit]In 2014, Woodbridge launched a semi-professional men’s team, becoming one of the founding members of League1 Ontario, the province’s top-tier pro–am soccer league.[3] A semi-professional women’s team was added shortly afterward, competing in the League1 Ontario Women’s Division. Both teams were designed to serve as a bridge from the club’s long-established youth program to higher levels of competition.[citation needed]
The men’s team quickly gained recognition in League1 Ontario. In 2015, the club won its first major silverware, capturing the League Cup with a victory over Vaughan Azzurri.[4] The team added a second League Cup title in 2017.[5]
The women’s team also became a consistent contender in League1 Ontario’s top flight, regularly finishing near the top of the standings and contributing to the development of players advancing to university, professional, and national team opportunities.[6]
Woodbridge continued to achieve success at the youth level. In 2018, the club’s U-15 boys team won the Ontario Cup, advancing to represent Ontario at the Canadian National Championships.[7] The club’s U-14 girls followed with an Ontario Cup win in 2021, highlighting the strength of its girls’ development program.[8] These achievements further solidified the Strikers’ reputation as a leading developmental club in the province.
League1 Ontario Reorganization
[edit]In the 2024 season, League1 Ontario introduced a major structural reorganization, establishing a three-tier competition format comprising the Premier Division, Championship, and League2. The new system features promotion and relegation between tiers, aimed at enhancing player development and competitive balance across Ontario-based semi-professional clubs.[9]
The team competed in the Premier Division during the inaugural season under this new format. They finished third in the regular season with a record of 10 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses, earning 37 points.[10] The team reached the Round of 16 in the playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals of the League Cup. Forward Ronaldo Marshall was the team’s top scorer with 16 goals and received Honourable Mention recognition in the league's end-of-season All-Star selections.[11]
The Woodbridge Strikers women's team also competed in the Premier Division, finishing fourth in the table with 9 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses.[12] Their League Cup run also concluded in the quarterfinals. Forward Samantha Murphy was among the league's top scorers, finishing the season with 18 goals in 16 matches and delivering consistent offensive performances throughout the campaign.[citation needed]
Honours
[edit]Record
[edit]As of August 2, 2025,[13]
Year-by-year
[edit]Men
[edit]League1 Ontario 2014-2023
[edit]| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | League1 Ontario | 9 | 10–3–3 | 2nd | – | Group stage | [14] |
| 2015 | 12 | 15–2–5 | 2nd | – | Champions | [14] | |
| 2016 | 16 | 15–2–5 | 2nd, Eastern (2nd overall) | did not qualify | Runner-up | [14] | |
| 2017 | 16 | 15–5–2 | 1st, Eastern (3rd overall) | Runner-up | Champions | [14] | |
| 2018 | 17 | 8–4–4 | 6th | Runner-up | Quarter-finals | [14] | |
| 2019 | 16 | 8–1–6 | 8th | Quarter-finals | – | [14] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[15] | ||||||
| 2021 | 15 | 6–1–5 | 3rd, East (7th overall) | did not qualify | – | [14] | |
| 2022 | 22 | 8–5–8 | 11th | did not qualify | – | ||
| 2023 | 21 | 6–8–6 | 12th | did not qualify | – | ||
League1 Ontario 2024-present
[edit]| Season | League | Playoffs | League1 Cup | CC | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. | Pos. | ||||
| 2024 | League1 Premier | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 32 | +13 | 37 | 3rd | – | R16 | – |
| 2025 | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 33 | 9 | +24 | 37 | 1st | – | SF | – | |
Women
[edit]League1 Ontario 2015-2023
[edit]| Season | League | Teams | Record | Rank | Playoffs | League Cup | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | League1 Ontario | 7 | 13–2–3 | 2nd | – | Semi-finals | [16] |
| 2016 | 9 | 11–3–2 | 2nd | – | Finalists | [16] | |
| 2017 | 11 | 9–2–9 | 7th | – | Finalists | [16] | |
| 2018 | 13 | 9–3–0 | 2nd | Finalists | Champions | [16] | |
| 2019 | 14 | 7–1–5 | 4th | Semi-finals | – | [16] | |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[15] | ||||||
| 2021 | 7 | 6–3–3 | 2nd | Champions | – | [16] | |
| 2022 | 20 | 12–6–1 | 3rd | Quarter-finals | – | ||
| 2023 | 19 | 10–4–4 | 5th | Quarter-finals | – | ||
League1 Ontario 2024-present
[edit]| Season | League | Playoffs | League1 Cup | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts. | Pos. | |||
| 2024 | L1O Premier | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 30 | +16 | 30 | 4th | – | QF |
| 2025 | 17 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 40 | -21 | 15 | 7th | – | SF | |
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]
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.
- ^ "League1 Ontario". Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers Capture 2015 League1 Ontario Cup". League1 Ontario. August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers Win 2017 League1 Ontario Cup". League1 Ontario. August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Women's League1 Ontario Standings and Player Development". Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers U15 Boys Capture Ontario Cup". Ontario Soccer. July 23, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers U14 Girls Win Ontario Cup". Ontario Soccer. August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "League1 Ontario introduces promotion and relegation in 2024". League1 Ontario. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers Men 2024 Season Stats". SoccerPunter. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "2024 League1 Ontario Awards". League1 Ontario. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Woodbridge Strikers Women 2024 Season Stats". SoccerPunter. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ "Schedules & Standings". League1 Ontario. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
- ^ 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.
