NDC Ontario will make its debut appearance at the 2024 League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship looking to follow in the footsteps of previous host provinces by walking away with a trophy.

AS Blainville won the inaugural competition in 2022 on Québec soil, while Whitecaps FC Girls Elite lifted the trophy near home in Langley, B.C. in 2023.

Now it’s NDC Ontario’s chance to prove itself in front of a hometown crowd.

The club already made a mark in League1 Ontario play this season and will pose a challenge for CS Mont-Royal Outremont when the two teams kick off the Championship on Friday, Aug. 9 at Tim Hortons Field. The competition’s two easternmost teams will go head-to-head in semifinal play starting at 5:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. PT, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s championship final.

NDC Ontario had the regular season provincial title wrapped up by July 19, after going on an unbeaten run that dated back to April. The club finished eight points clear at the top of the table and scored 30 goals more than they conceded.

It marked the second time in three years that NDC Ontario earned the Women’s Premier Division title.

“It’s been a great journey throughout the season. … The players have been playing well,” said NDC Ontario head coach Melissa Bigg. “They played hard all year. It was just a fantastic season overall.”

There is no shortage of talent within the NDC Ontario squad. Among those vital to the team’s success this season were Teegan Melenhorst, a midfielder who can create chances for the team as well as score; ‘keeper Noelle Henning, who helped ensure NDC Ontario conceded fewer than one goal per game; April Lantaigne, who led the team with 11 goals; and Annabelle Chukwu and Mikayla Coore-Pascal, who combined to score 13 times at the provincial level this year.

NDC Ontario’s goalscoring power helped them beat opponents by as many as five goals and allowed them to claim the League1 Ontario title nearly two weeks prior to the season ending.

“We’re super honoured and super excited to be able to represent Ontario,” said Bigg. “I know the players are very, very excited to be that team, to be able to represent (Ontario), and hopefully hold a cup at the end of the weekend.”

Bigg is bringing a younger roster to this weekend’s competition, giving her players a chance to face high-quality opponents on a national stage. Age notwithstanding, she’s still expecting her squad to play some good soccer.

Despite coming off a strong season at the provincial level, NDC Ontario will not underestimate CS Mont-Royal Outremont on Friday. The Québec-based side knows how to pull off an upset; the fourth-seeded team going into the Ligue1 Québec Féminin playoffs, CS Mont-Royal Outremont upset AS Blainville as well as CF Montréal en route to their provincial title.

NDC Ontario knows that if it wants to keep the burgeoning tradition of a home win at the League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship alive, following in the footsteps of previous winners AS Blainville and Whitecaps FC Girls elite in 2022 and 2023, respectively, the squad will have to bring its A-game.

“I expect them to be very organized, expecting them to have some type of experience,” said Bigg. “Obviously, they’re on a high right now, going through their tournament, coming as a four seed, we’re expecting them to be tough competition and look to be challenging us in different ways.”