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Written by Mario Russo

Leading the Ontario Premier League’s (OPL) second division in goals and winning a club-best 15 times en route to clinching a first league title in eight years may very well be all that’s remembered from the Pickering Football Club’s (PFC) dominant 2026 season.

On the surface, every sign and statistic compiled from the club’s greatest campaign since their 2015 title-winning season suggests 2026 was a cakewalk. That securing the opportunity for promotion with three matches to spare came effortlessly, with only the slightest bit of adversity sprinkled in.

Yet despite adversity being limited in its arrival this season, tribulations are actually what spurred PFC’s OPL2 Women forward in their ultimately successful pursuit of a league title this summer, with none more significant than the group’s 1-0 away defeat to Tecumseh United FC in June.

“It’s difficult going to Tecumseh,” explained Peter Hogg, Head Coach of PFC’s OPL2 Women’s program. “You’re on a bus for six hours, and it’s basically a 12-hour commitment. It’s always hard to get a result there,” he added.

The makings of PFC’s first and only defeat of the season stemmed from the visitors falling behind in the 70th minute and failing to dig their way out of a hole within the fixture’s final 20 minutes.

An up-to-that-point perfect PFC side was unable to survive the first dose of adversity they’d faced all year. But rather than dwell on the result that then stood in the rearview mirror of their bus ride home, the group flushed it from their memory almost instantly, filling the vehicle’s cavity with echoes of country, pop and hip-hop music as if returning home from a lopsided win.

“Everyone kind of lifts each other up,” praised Brianne Desa, who served alongside teammate Carolina Grzesniak as the team’s co-captains this summer. “I would love to say just us two did it, but it was a whole team effort. Everyone was just laughing. We were doing karaoke. We were playing fun little games and talking,” she explained.

Both Desa and Grzesniak complement one another in the best way possible to ensure the togetherness that makes PFC’s group so unique remains as consistent as it is successful. The two even helped introduce the backdrop to what has since become the team’s pre-game routine, which follows the playing of the upbeat 1994 Eurodance track ‘Cotton Eye Joe’ by Swedish band Rednex, with a dressing room full of PFC players breaking into line dances.

“I’m what people would call a personality hire,” said Desa, who, despite possessing an optimistic and uplifting personality off the field, also shows her leadership through the illustrious position of leading the team in goals.

“I’m more of a verbal leader compared to Brianne,” explained Grzesniak, adding that her truest form of leadership comes alive in warm-up and training sessions more than anywhere else. “Leading by example is what sets me apart from others,” she added.

The two led PFC to a rebound victory over a competitive Oakville Soccer Club in the days following their 1-0 loss at Tecumseh and helped finish off a busy match week with a dominant 4-0 win over Burlington SC. Victories in three of their next four games ultimately played the largest role in helping the side win their first league title in eight years, a feat they accomplished by clinching the OPL’s ‘total wins’ tiebreaker following a 5-2 win over Unionville-Milliken SC.

Hogg, who was in Ottawa at the time of PFC’s title-clinching moment, was unaware that his team’s 13th win of the season secured them a trophy and spent the bulk of his evening away from the side doing research to better understand the league’s relatively new tiebreaker rule.

“When I saw the rules, I was relieved,” exclaimed Hogg. “I probably slept a little bit better after that,” he added.

The title marks Hogg’s second trophy in the span of 12 months, arguably winning an even greater prize by coaching his U17 OPDL Girls to a PDP National Championship last August.

Much of Hogg’s surprise at winning the league title much sooner than he expected, however, stems from what has made his OPL2 Women so dangerous in 2026. As his side mounted win after win throughout the summer, Hogg and his coaching staff never once got swept up in the possibility of winning a league title, opting to narrow their focus from one contest to the next.

“We took it one game at a time. I know that sounds like a cliché, but literally, that’s what we did, and we prepared the team for the next match,” explained Hogg. “We just took it basically one game, one minute and one half at a time until we got over the line,” he added.

Keeping his team’s sights in check is what Hogg attributes to his side’s consistency in capitalizing on key moments of the season that crucially separated PFC from any other team in the OPL’s second flight.

Winning by a single goal six times this season is part of that ability to seize moments, with none coming any bigger than Desa’s late go-ahead tally against Whitby FC to eliminate PFC’s local rivals from upsetting their title hopes. Every player to wear the club crest in 2026 played a vital role in helping PFC be the moment and exemplified their efforts through unparalleled grit and a collective desire to win.

“It’s not even just the goal; it’s making a recovery run. It’s blocking a shot. It’s putting your body on the line in those moments to get the result, and we got it done,” said Hogg. “I’ll remember a group of players that believed in each other, believed in the coaching staff, worked hard all the time and represented the club in the best way,” he added.

Less than a week removed from beating UMSC and putting a bow on their title-winning campaign, PFC secured a 3-0 shutout over Rush Canada Academy before being presented with the league trophy.

At first glance, the box score of the match failed to disrupt any of the discourse that will forever retain PFC’s OPL2 Women as a juggernaut. Both of their captains scored, and the group held a two-goal lead a little over half an hour into the match, seamlessly putting the contest in their back pocket.

Yet after the final whistle blew to begin the procession of PFC’s trophy ceremony, supporters, as well as those on the outskirts of arguably the club’s most dominant OPL campaign ever, got to witness the true identity of this title-winning group.

Smiles beamed across the faces of players and staff, showing immense gratitude and appreciation for receiving silverware as a group for the very first time. Perched below a red arch with the words ‘2026 Winners’ prominently featured on the front of the frame, each member of the team opted to take photos with both the trophy and the golden medals hanging around their necks.

Family members and friends flanked every shot, posing with athletes and matching their smiles and emotions. To them, this team was not just renowned strictly for its ability to make box scores and standings appear dominantly in its favour, but rather for its continued approach to achieving something greater than its last, one match and one moment at a time.

“I think just to know that it’s possible, know that their support pushes us forward,” praised Grzesniak of the legacy she hopes to leave with the team’s supporters.

“It takes more than just a group of girls. I think it takes a lot of coaches, people behind the scenes, people at the club, supporters, families as well. Their support means a lot to us, and I feel like that’s really what pushed us over the line and made us have a successful season.”