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Jade Kovacevic
Kovacevic receives L1O Golden Boot award in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-04-10) April 10, 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 AFC Toronto
Youth career
Flamborough Flames SC
Georgetown SC
Oakville SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012 LSU Tigers 17 (3)
2015–2016 Fanshawe Falcons 20 (49)
2018–2019 Fanshawe Falcons 19 (54)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Toronto Lady Lynx
2016 FC London 16 (26)
2017 Győri ETO FC
2017–2018 FC London 30 (58)
2019 Roma CF 11 (8)
2019–2021 FC London 22 (37)
2023 Vaughan Azzurri 1 (3)
2024 North Toronto Nitros 16 (16)
2025– AFC Toronto 0 (0)
International career‡
2010 Canada U17 6 (1)
2012 Canada U20 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of August 4, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of August 20, 2012

Jade Kovacevic (born April 10, 1994) is a Canadian soccer player who plays for AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League. She is the all-time leading goal-scorer in both League1 Ontario and the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association.

Early life

[edit]

Kovacevic was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and raised in Flamborough until she was 10, when her family moved to Georgetown.[1] She began playing youth soccer with the Flamborough Flames, later joining Georgetown SC and then Oakville SC.[2][3] She also played at the district, regional, and Ontario provincial programs, from the age of 14.[2]

College career

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Louisiana State

[edit]

In February 2012, Kovacevic committed to attend Louisiana State University in the fall of 2012, where she played for the women's soccer team.[4] Her debut was delayed, as she began the 2012 season with the Canada U20 team.[5] She made her debut on September 2 against the Houston Cougars, also scoring her first goal in the match.[6][7] In October, she was named the SEC Freshman of the Week.[8] She was named to the All-SEC Second Team and the All-SEC Freshman Team,[9] as well as the Louisiana All-State Second Team,[10] and was named one of the Top 100 Freshmen by TopDrawerSoccer.com.[11] After one semester, she decided to leave LSU.[12]

Fanshawe College

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She began attending Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, where she played for the women's soccer team in 2015 (after being a student the previous year).[13][14] In her first season, she helped the team win the OCAA West title, in a season where she broke the Fanshawe and OCAA records for goals in a single season, and also tied the Fanshawe record for career goals for the school with 26 goals.[15][16][17] She was named Fanshawe’s Female Athlete of the Year and was named the OCAA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.[18]

On September 14, 2016, she became Fanshawe's all-time scoring leader after scoring six goals in a 10-0 victory over the Redeemer Royals, which also set the record for most goals in a single game by a Fanshawe player (a record she would later break again).[18] After leading the league in scoring for the second consecutive year, she was again named the OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year, as well as being named an OCAA All-Star and a CCAA All-Canadian.[19]

She did not play in the 2017 season, returning to the team in 2018.[20][21] In the first game of the season on September 8, 2018, she broke the single-game OCAA scoring record, scoring nine goals in a 16-0 victory over the Lambton Lions.[22][23][24] For the 2018-19 season, in addition to being named Fanshawe's Athlete of the Year,[25] she was named an OCAA All-Star, a CCAA All-Canadian for the third time, and the OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year, after finishing as the league scoring champion with 30 goals,[26][27] breaking the OCAA single-season regular season goals record,[28][29] as well as being named the CCAA Women’s Soccer Player of the Year.[30][31][32] She was also named the OCAA Female Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Fanshawe woman to win the honour.[33][34][35] With Fanshawe, she helped them win their first OCAA championship title in nine years, earning Tournament MVP honours,[36] as well as helping them win bronze at the CCAA nationals.[37]

She played her fourth and final season with Fanshawe in 2019.[38] On September 21, she became the OCAA all-time leading scorer, after scoring her 84th in a 5-0 victory over the Mohawk Mountaineers, in which she scored four goals.[39][40][41] On October 7, she became the first player to score 100 career OCAA goals.[42] She led the team to their second consecutive OCAA title, once again earning Tournament MVP honours.[43] She was named the OCAA player of the year for the fourth time in her four seasons (2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019),[44][45] also being named the CCAA Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.[46] She finished her OCAA career with 103 regular season goals (not including playoff championship matches).[47]

Club career

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In 2012, she began playing with the Toronto Lady Lynx in the USL W-League as a defender. In June 2012, she was named to the W-League Team of the Week.[48]

Kovacevic playing for FC London in 2017

In 2016, she began playing for FC London in FC London. In her first match on May 14, she scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Vaughan Azzurri.[49] She was named to the league mid-season all-star team to play against the all-stars from the PLSQ.[50] On August 27, she scored five goals in a 6-0 victory over the Sanjaxx Lions.[51] In her first season, she captained the team to the league championship won the Golden Boot with 26 goals,[52] was named league MVP, and was named to the mid-season and year-end First Team All-Star.[53][54]

In early 2017, she joined Hungarian club Győri ETO FC in the Női NB I.[55][56]

Later in 2017, she returned to FC London, where she scored 40 goals in 20 league matches,[57] as London won the league championship again, also winning the league cup title;[58] while earning league MVP, First Team All-Star, and Golden Boot honours for the second consecutive season.[59][60][61] In 2018, she scored 18 league goals in 10 league matches, leading the league in scoring again, despite missing a month-and-a-half due to injury.[62] For the third consecutive year, she was named league MVP, a First Team All-Star, in addition to winning the Golden Boot.[63][64][65]

Kovacevic presented with 2017 L1O MVP award

In 2019, she signed with Italian club Roma CF, in the Serie B,[66][67][68] an affiliate club of A.S. Roma.[69] She scored eight goals in 11 matches.[70]

After her stint in Italy, she returned to FC London.[71] In 2019, she scored 21 goals in 12 league matches and scored another 8 in five playoff games.[72] She scored the winning goal in the 2019 final to win the league championship in a 1-0 victory over Oakville Blue Devils FC.[73][74] She was once again named league MVP, as well as winning the Golden Boot and being named a First Team All-Star.[75][76][77] After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kovacevic returned to the team in 2021, despite holding a full-time job in Toronto, two hours away.[78][79] In September, she scored back-to-back hat tricks.[80] In 2021, she scored 16 goals in 10 league matches, while also playing in one playoff match.[81] She won her fifth consecutive Golden Boot and First Team All-Star selection.[82] She departed the club after the 2021 season.[83]

In 2023, she returned to League1 Ontario, joining Vaughan Azzurri. In her debut, on May 7, she scored a hat trick against Hamilton United.[84] However, she suffered a ruptured Achilles in the match, ending her season.[55][85]

In 2024, she joined the North Toronto Nitros.[86] She scored 21 goals in 20 games for the club, across all competitions.[87] At the end of the season, she was named a league First Team All-Star.[88]

In October 2024, Kovacevic signed with AFC Toronto in the Northern Super League for the inaugural 2025 season,[89][90] becoming the first official signing in club and league history.[91][92]

International career

[edit]

Born in Canada to a Serbian father and a Canadian mother, she applied for her Italian citizenship and passport in 2016.[93]

She first joined the Canada program in 2010 at age 16, being invited to a Canada U17 camp.[94] She played in three friendlies with the Canada U17 in June 2010,[95] scoring against Japan on June 10.[96] She also played three games at the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.[94]

In July 2012, she was invited to a camp with the Canada U20 squad.[97] The following month she was named to the squad for the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.[98][99]

In 2013, she was called to her first Canada senior team camp.[100]

Coaching career

[edit]

In 2017, she served as an assistant coach with Fanshawe College, before returning to play for the team in 2018.[101] While playing with FC London, she also was a coach with the side's U21 team, winning the provincial title in 2018.[102] She also spent time coaching the club's U16 team in 2018 and with the London Mini-Stars house league program.[103]

In October 2023, she joined the North Toronto Nitros, where she would serve as a coach with their women's League2 Ontario and Reserve programs.[2]

Career statistics

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As of August 4, 2024
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC London 2016[104] League1 Ontario 16 26 — — 2 3 18 29
2017[57] 20 40 — — 4 5 24 45
2018[105] 10 18 1 1 — 1 0 12 19
Total 46 84 1 1 0 0 7 8 54 93
Roma CF 2018–19 Serie B 11 8 — 0 0 — 11 8
FC London 2019[72] League1 Ontario 12 21 5 8 — — 17 29
2021[81] 10 16 1 0 — — 11 16
Total 22 37 6 8 0 0 0 0 28 45
Vaughan Azzurri 2023[106] League1 Ontario 1 3 0 0 — — 1 3
North Toronto Nitros 2024[107] League1 Ontario 16 16 — — 4 5 20 21
Career total 96 148 7 9 0 0 11 13 114 170

Honours

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Club

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Individual

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References

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  1. ^ Pyette, Ryan (November 7, 2018). "Fanshawe College soccer star Jade Kovacevic's love of game rekindled on local fields". London Free Press.
  2. ^ a b c Lennox, Bobby (October 20, 2023). "Jade's Journey to North Toronto Soccer". North Toronto Nitros.
  3. ^ "Oakville Soccer Club recognizes its best". Burlington Post. November 13, 2009.
  4. ^ Stafford, Will (February 1, 2012). "Soccer Signs Five Standouts for 2012". LSU Tigers.
  5. ^ Stafford, Will (August 28, 2012). "Soccer Signee to Join Team Following U-20 World Cup". LSU Tigers.
  6. ^ Stafford, Will (September 2, 2012). "Freshmen Lead Soccer Past Houston, 2-0". LSU Tigers.
  7. ^ "Soccer: Freshmen providing early returns for LSU offense". The Daily Reveille. September 11, 2012.
  8. ^ Stafford, Will (October 26, 2012). "Kovacevic Claims SEC Freshman of the Week Honor". LSU Tigers.
  9. ^ Stafford, Will (October 29, 2012). "Kovacevic Named to All-SEC Soccer Team". LSU Tigers.
  10. ^ "Four Soccer Players Named to All-State Teams". LSU Tigers. December 16, 2012.
  11. ^ Stubbs, Mike (August 4, 2017). "FC London's Jade Kovacevic keeps on scoring". Global News.
  12. ^ Kovacevic, Jade. "Biography".
  13. ^ Thompson, Jessica (September 14, 2015). "Falcons welcome former Canadian national team soccer player". The Interrobang.
  14. ^ "Jade Kovacevic Fanshawe profile". Fanshawe College.
  15. ^ "Halton Hills's Kovacevic Fanshawe's top female athlete". Independent Free Press. May 17, 2016.
  16. ^ Michalik, Amanda (October 12, 2015). "Women's soccer Jade Kovacevic breaks Falcon record for most goals in a season". The Interrobang.
  17. ^ Michalik, Amanda (October 26, 2015). "Kovacevic breaks OCAA record". The Interrobang.
  18. ^ a b Kindla, Kaine; Thompson, Jessica (October 3, 2016). "Jade Kovacevic: No record she can't break". The Interrobang.
  19. ^ "Kovacevic headlines OCAA women's soccer awards". Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. October 26, 2016.
  20. ^ Pyette, Ryan (September 7, 2018). "Kovacevic returns to score for Fanshawe after two-year break". London Free Press.
  21. ^ "Fanshawe's All-Time Scoring Leader Caps Strong Recruiting Class". Fanshawe Falcons. September 7, 2018.
  22. ^ Pyette, Ryan (September 10, 2018). "Fanshawe College striker shatters OCAA record with nine goals in Falcons relaunch". London Free Press.
  23. ^ "Jade Kovacevic: Personal Bests to Beat the Rest". CIXX-FM. September 10, 2018.
  24. ^ "Kovacevic Breaks OCAA Record for Most Goals in a Game". Fanshawe Falcons. September 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Pyette, Ryan (April 12, 2019). "Kovacevic, Gundrum named Fanshawe's top athletes". London Free Press.
  26. ^ "Fanshawe College's Jade Kovacevic headlines OCAA awards". Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. October 25, 2018.
  27. ^ "Kovacevic Named OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". Fanshawe Falcons. October 25, 2018.
  28. ^ Pyette, Ryan (October 15, 2018). "Fanshawe College soccer star Jade Kovacevic breaks single-season scoring record". London Free Press.
  29. ^ "Kovacevic Breaks OCAA Record for Most Goals in a Season". Fanshawe Falcons. October 13, 2018.
  30. ^ "Kovacevic named CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. November 6, 2018.
  31. ^ Scott, Amy (November 16, 2018). "Fanshawe's Jade Kovacevic awarded CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". The Interrobang.
  32. ^ "Fanshawe's Jade Kovacevic Named CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". Fanshawe Falcons. November 6, 2018.
  33. ^ Pyette, Ryan (April 17, 2019). "Fanshawe College's Jade Kovacevic chosen Ontario's top collegiate female athlete". London Free Press.
  34. ^ McInnes, Angela (April 18, 2019). "Jade Kovacevic named top Ontario Colleges female athlete". The Interrobang.
  35. ^ "Fanshawe's Kovacevic Named OCAA Female Athlete of the Year". Fanshawe Falcons. April 17, 2019.
  36. ^ McInnes, Angela (November 2, 2018). "Fanshawe soccer teams claim OCAA Championships". The Interrobang.
  37. ^ "Best Of 2018 - League1's Wolever, Kovacevic, Mitchell Front Of Pack At 2018 USports And CCAA Awards". League1 Ontario. January 10, 2019.
  38. ^ Pyette, Ryan (October 23, 2019). "Kovacevic leads Fanshawe to quarterfinal win over Niagara". London Free Press.
  39. ^ Stubbs, Mike (September 22, 2019). "Jade Kovacevic sets OCAA goal-scoring record". Global News.
  40. ^ Stewart, Emily (September 27, 2019). "Fanshawe soccer star Jade Kovacevic breaks record". The Interrobang.
  41. ^ "Kovacevic Breaks OCAA Record for Most Career Goals". Fanshawe Falcons. September 21, 2019.
  42. ^ "Kovacevic Becomes First OCAA Soccer Player to Reach 100 Career Goals". Fanshawe Falcons. October 7, 2019.
  43. ^ "Fanshawe Women's Soccer Team Repeat as OCAA Champions". Fanshawe Falcons. October 26, 2019.
  44. ^ Pyette, Ryan (October 24, 2019). "Fanshawe College's Kovacevic, Pereira claim top OCAA soccer honours". London Free Press.
  45. ^ "Kovacevic Named OCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". Fanshawe Falcons. October 24, 2019.
  46. ^ "Kovacevic Named CCAA Women's Soccer Player of the Year". Fanshawe Falcons. November 5, 2019.
  47. ^ Stewart, Emily (October 18, 2019). "Falcons' soccer star Kovacevic proud of individual and team accomplishments". The Interrobang.
  48. ^ Stafford, Will (June 22, 2012). "Kovacevic Named to W-League Team of the Week". LSU Tigers.
  49. ^ "Kovacevic Topples Vaughan In London Women's Home Opener". League1 Ontario. May 15, 2016.
  50. ^ "Three players from FC London's women's team to play on League1 Ontario all-star team". London Free Press. July 14, 2016.
  51. ^ "Kovacevic Rings Five Past Sanjaxx In 6-0 Victory". League1 Ontario. April 29, 2016.
  52. ^ "FC London's Gigolaj And Kovacevic Claim League1 2016 Men's and Women's Golden Boot". League1 Ontario. November 21, 2016.
  53. ^ "FC London star MVP". The London Free Press. November 25, 2016.
  54. ^ "FC London's Kovacevic Selected 2016 League1 Ontario Women's Division MVP". League1 Ontario. November 25, 2016.
  55. ^ a b Davidson, Neil (October 21, 2024). "Forward Jade Kovacevic is the first player signing announced by Northern Super League". Toronto Star.
  56. ^ "AFC Toronto Signs League 1's All-Time Leading Goal Scorer, Jade Kovacevic as First Signing". AFC Toronto. October 20, 2024.
  57. ^ a b "Jade Kovacevic 2017 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  58. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (June 21, 2018). "Kovacevic, FC London on a major winning streak". London Free Press.
  59. ^ "Woodbridge's Carreiro And FC London's Kovacevic Selected As 2017 League1 Ontario Men's And Women's MVP". League1 Ontario. November 10, 2017.
  60. ^ "FC London's Kovacevic And Vaughan Azzurri's Whiteman Claim 2017 League1 Ontario Women's And Men's Golden Boot". League1 Ontario. November 4, 2017.
  61. ^ "League1 Ontario Announces 2017 Women's First, Second And Third Team All-Stars". League1 Ontario. November 7, 2017.
  62. ^ Pyette, Ryan (August 24, 2018). "Kovacevic's kick-start helps push FC London into playoffs on high note". London Free Press.
  63. ^ "Sacramento And Kovacevic Selected As 2018 League1 MVPs". League1 Ontario. November 23, 2018.
  64. ^ "Novak And Kovacevic Win 2018 League1 Golden Boot Awardsdate=November 20, 2018". League1 Ontario.
  65. ^ "Men's And Women's 2018 First, Second And Third Team All-Stars". League1 Ontario. November 13, 2018.
  66. ^ Testai, Lorenzo (February 1, 2019). "Dal Canada Arriva l'attaccante Jade Kovacevic" [From Canada comes forward Jade Kovacevic]. Calcio Donne (in Italian).
  67. ^ Di Camillo, Giulia (February 1, 2019). "Roma Calcio Femminile: ecco Jade Kovacevic" [Rome Women's Football: here is Jade Kovacevic]. Donne Nel Pallone (in Italian).
  68. ^ Stubbs, Mike (January 30, 2019). "Londoner Jade Kovacevic signs first professional contract with Italy's Roma Calcio". Global News.
  69. ^ Rea, Cormac (March 6, 2019). "League1's All-Time Top Goalscorer, Jade Kovacevic, Signs With Italian Club Roma CF". League1 Ontario.
  70. ^ Vanderhoeven, Paul (July 12, 2019). "Kovacevic brings Italian pro experience back to FC London". The London Free Press.
  71. ^ Pyette, Ryan (June 2, 2019). "Jade Kovacevic's scoring spree helps FC London to third straight win". London Free Press.
  72. ^ a b "Jade Kovacevic 2019 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  73. ^ Stubbs, Mike (August 31, 2019). "Jade Kovacevic plays hero as FC London wins playoff championship". Global News.
  74. ^ Cheng, Jonathan (August 31, 2019). "FC London Take 2019 League1 Ontario Championship After Dramatic Late Kovacevic Goal". League1 Ontario.
  75. ^ "London's Kovacevic And Vaughan's Kowal Win 2019 League1 Ontario MVP Awards". League1 Ontario. October 2, 2019.
  76. ^ "Kowal, Kovacevic Win 2019 League1 Ontario Golden Boot Awards". League1 Ontario. August 27, 2019.
  77. ^ "Men's And Women's 2019 First, Second And Third Team All-Stars". League1 Ontario. September 30, 2019.
  78. ^ Pyette, Ryan (August 23, 2021). "Jade Kovacevic's hat trick powers unbeaten FC London over Oakville". The London Free Press.
  79. ^ Devlin, Todd (October 19, 2021). "Kovacevic the key to FC's fortunes". Gameday London. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021.
  80. ^ Pyette, Ryan (September 16, 2021). "Ethan Gopaul, Jade Kovacevic lead FC London's offensive charge". London Free Press.
  81. ^ a b "Jade Kovacevic 2021 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  82. ^ "2021 L1O Women's Premier Division Awards: Twidle Earns MVP, FC London Dominate Again". League1 Ontario. December 21, 2021.
  83. ^ Devlin, Todd (April 28, 2022). "FC Women eyeing another chance at fourth title". Gameday London.
  84. ^ "Weekly Rewind: The reigning champions show their class, and L1O all-time top goalscorer Jade Kovacevic returns in style". League1 Ontario. May 9, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023.
  85. ^ "AFC Toronto unveil Jade Kovacevic as Northern Super League's first player". Canadian Soccer Daily. October 21, 2024.
  86. ^ @NT_SoccerClub (April 9, 2024). "Moving up to our threats in the final third! North Toronto Soccer is excited to announce our Forwards for the 2024 League1 Women's Premier season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  87. ^ "Jade Kovacevic becomes first Northern Super League player". League1 Ontario. October 21, 2024.
  88. ^ "Premier Division stars celebrated in 2024 awards". League1 Ontario. November 1, 2024.
  89. ^ Ranney, Julia (October 21, 2024). "Jade Kovacevic excited to live dream as AFC Toronto's first-ever signing". Sportsnet.
  90. ^ Molinaro, John (October 21, 2024). "Veteran striker Jade Kovacevic 1st signing for AFC Toronto". TFC Republic.
  91. ^ Butler, Signa (October 21, 2024). "'Dream come true': Jade Kovacevic makes history as 1st Northern Super League player, signs with AFC Toronto". CBC Sports.
  92. ^ Jacques, John (October 21, 2024). "Meet The NSL's First Signing: Jade Kovacevic". Northern Tribune.
  93. ^ Dalla Costa, Morris (September 19, 2016). "FC London: Though happy scoring goals for local soccer teams, Jade Kovacevic is exploring other possibilities, too, including overseas". London Free Press.
  94. ^ a b Jade Kovacevic at the Canadian Soccer Association
  95. ^ "Jade Kovacevic LSU profile". LSU Tigers.
  96. ^ "Canada's U17 women's team begins road to World Cup". Canadian Soccer Association. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2010.
  97. ^ Stafford, Will (June 30, 2012). "Soccer Signee Invited to Canadian Team Camp". LSU Tigers.
  98. ^ Stafford, Will (August 8, 2012). "Soccer's Kovacevic Named to Canadian U-20 Team". LSU Tigers.
  99. ^ "Kovacevic to play for Canada under-20 squad". Independent Free Press. August 9, 2012.
  100. ^ "Canada WNT launches first camp of EXCELeration program". Canadian Soccer Association. February 6, 2013.
  101. ^ Novacaska, Melissa (September 14, 2018). "Fanshawe women's soccer team off to a great start with a win and the return of Jade Kovacevic". The Interrobang.
  102. ^ Bowman, Greg (August 29, 2018). "FC London: Growing Soccer For Young Women". CHRW-FM Radio Western.
  103. ^ Stubbs, Mike (November 7, 2018). "Fanshawe's Jade Kovacevic named CCAA player of the year". Global News.
  104. ^ "Jade Kovacevic 2016 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  105. ^ "Jade Kovacevic 2018 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  106. ^ "Jade Kovacevic 2023 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
  107. ^ "Jade Kovacevic 2024 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario.
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