Fury women poised for shot at the finals
Ottawa Fury FC W-League’s unbeaten season took a knock this week when team captain Lisa-Marie Woods, a key midfield component of a team that has tied one match and won all others, left the club and flew home to Norway.
“Unfortunately, things were not working out for both parties,” coach Dom Oliveri said Friday. “So we agreed to part ways by mutual consent.”
Oliveri, who declined to elaborate, said defender Shelina Zadorsky, who has represented Canada at both U-17 and U-20 levels, will take over the captain’s arm band.
As the regular season moves into its final stages, the Fury players should be pleased with how they have developed, the possession style they have adopted and the number of goals they have scored.
While Oliveri is more comfortable talking about team concepts, it is clear the contribution made by Arin Gilliland has been a major factor in the Fury success. The speedy U.S. U-23 international has scored five of the 21 goals the team has accumulated so far, including a hat trick against London at the end of June.
Barring major mishaps, this weekend’s two afternoon games at Algonquin College — Laval on Saturday and Quebec on Sunday — should ensure the Fury win the W-League’s Central Conference.
One point is needed from the club’s final three games to clinch the title. The final regular-season game takes place next Saturday at home against Toronto. The club would then await a playoff game between second- and third-place finishers before the conference final at Algonquin.
The winner of that joins winners from the three other conferences across North America to battle for the W-League title.
Oliveri had not been pleased with performances in the first two games of the season, unhappy with both intensity and consistency.
“It was hard to put a framework in place in the early part of the season, but now everybody around the club understands what we’re trying to do here,” he said. “It’s really been an excellent team effort.
“For us, it’s constantly been about building our squad up. Every training session, every game, the goal has been to gear up to the W-League playoffs. It’s an exciting time to be around the club. We’re top of the table by a bunch of points, we’re on top of our form and we’re one point away from clinching first place.”