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Defending champion Blue Devils open League 1 season Sunday There will be a special presentation when the Oakville Blue Devils open the League 1 Ontario soccer schedule on Sunday. The Blue Devils will be presented with a pair of 2015 championship trophies the team won in its inaugural year in the league. The Blue Devils defeated Brampton 2-0 in its final match to clinch the 2015 league title with a record of 17-3-2 for 53 points. The Oakville squad earned another trophy when it went on to represent Ontario in the Inter-Provincial Cup against Quebec's CS Mont-Royal Outremont Griffins, winning a two-game, aggregate-goal series 5-3. The quest for another title begins Sunday when the Blue Devils host London FC at Sheridan College Stadium. Trophies will be presented about 20 minutes before the 3 p.m. kickoff. Oakville Soccer Club players and coaches who can be identified by club jerseys or jackets gain free admission to the games. General admission is $5. A soccer festival involving junior OSC players will also be held from noon-2 p.m. Head coach Duncan Wilde is up for the battle again, but admits the effort will be tougher with four new clubs and the league divided into East and West conferences. "There's an extra stage this year," Wilde said. "so it's going to be more competitive." Among those returning to the Blue Devils this year are League 1 all-stars led by striker Filipe Velila, the league MVP and leading scorer, midfielders Taylor McNamara and Anthony Novak and defenders Eric Crawford and Al James. The Blue Devils have signed Rahim Thorpe following his 2015 Premier Development League season with Toronto FC Academy. Thorpe was a product of the Toronto Lynx Academy and offers the team more pace and attacking options, according to Wilde. Former Lynx captain Blake Jones of Milton is returning to the Oakville squad after playing last year with ANB (York Region). Returning from Belgrade's FK Rad club, former Oakville Soccer Club forward Milan Beader has also joined the Blue Devils for the 2016 season. He and Thorpe are both still eligible to play at the U21 level but are determined to establish themselves with the Blue Devils, Wilde says. In order to cut opposition goals, the Blue Devils added Tarik Robertson, who played the past two seasons with Toronto FCII and its USL team. Shiquan Lowe has also moved to the Blue Devils from the ANB club, where Wilde believes he was the heart of the team's defence. The Blue Devils' latest signing is defender Quante Smith, who last year played for 2015 PDL North American champion Kitchener. -- Kevin Nagel Members of the 2015 Oakville Blue Devils celebrate a League 1 Ontario championship last year in the club's inaugural season. The team opens 2016 with the same aspirations as last year -- winning the championship. Blue Devils host London FC on Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. at Sheridan College Stadium. | photo submitted 41 | Friday, April 29, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com 4