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Head coach Zack Wilson and captain Adriane Devlin discuss the culture, consistency and ambition driving one of Ontario’s top women’s clubs

Fresh off clinching the 2026 OPL1 Women’s championship, Simcoe County Rovers FC head coach Zack Wilson and captain Adriane Devlin joined Episode 5 of The Pathway to reflect on the club’s latest title-winning campaign, the culture behind its success and the opportunity to compete in the inaugural W Canadian Championship.

The Rovers secured the title with a 2-0 victory over FC London, ensuring they would finish atop the standings for a second consecutive season. Entering their regular-season finale, Simcoe remains unbeaten with a 15-0-2 record while leading the league with 52 goals scored and just 11 conceded.

For Wilson, defending the title presented a different challenge than winning it for the first time.

“Last year we probably snuck up on some people,” he said. “People knew who we were. They knew how we played. They were coming for [us].”

Despite entering the season as the team every opponent wanted to beat, Simcoe remained focused on the process rather than the pressure.

“The thing that I’m most proud about is the consistency,” Wilson said. “We took it game by game, day by day.”

That consistency, according to Devlin, starts with the environment created within the squad.

With much of the championship-winning group returning and several new faces quickly embracing the club’s identity, she believes the chemistry on and off the field has become one of Simcoe’s greatest strengths.

“The team chemistry on and off the field is so fun to see and so fun to be around,” Devlin said. “We’re always cracking jokes. We’re always laughing. Being together is so powerful, and it really brings the team together.”

Although she wears the captain’s armband, Devlin was quick to credit the leadership shared throughout the dressing room.

“I don’t think I’m the only leader on the team,” she said. “We have a lot of players that have been captains on their own teams.”

One phrase, however, has become a defining part of the club’s identity.

“Everyone has to have good vibes before we go on the field.”

That mentality also helped the Rovers overcome injuries and adapt throughout the season, with contributions coming from every area of the pitch.

After relying heavily on one prolific goalscorer during last year’s championship-winning campaign, Simcoe found success through contributions across the squad in 2026 while younger players stepped into key roles alongside experienced veterans.

“The depth has been crucial for us,” Wilson said. “The trust from coaching staff to players, players to coaching staff and players to players has been so important.”

For Devlin, maintaining the standards established during the club’s 2025 championship run became the team’s motivation throughout the season.

“We’re no longer the underdogs,” she said. “Everyone knew where we were coming from. We weren’t settling for second place. We wanted to do the exact same thing that we did last year.”

With the OPL1 Women’s championship secured, Simcoe now turns its attention to another opportunity to make history.

The Rovers earned their place in the inaugural W Canadian Championship by winning the 2025 League1 Canada Women’s Inter-Provincial Championship, becoming the first Ontario club to lift the national title. As one of two PSLC representatives in the competition, Simcoe will now face Northern Super League side Montréal Roses FC in the quarter-finals, with the tournament bringing together Canada’s top semi-professional and professional women’s clubs for the first time.

For Wilson, the competition represents another opportunity to showcase the quality of players competing in the OPL.

“This group gets to do something that’s historic,” he said. “The best part for them is they get to compete against professional players who have played in World Cups, and they get to show themselves on the biggest of stages.”

Despite facing professional opposition, Wilson believes his side will embrace the challenge.

“There’s nothing that this group can’t do,” he said. “They’re not going to be afraid of the moment.”

For Devlin, the significance of the competition extends beyond a single match.

She believes the W Canadian Championship demonstrates the growing opportunities available to Canadian players and reinforces the pathway from PSLC competitions to the professional game.

“We can stay in Canada,” she said. “There are opportunities for you to grow, and there is a pathway here for you to take.”

“Before, we didn’t really have that. Now there’s no stop anymore. We can keep going, and I think that’s so influential for the players coming up.”

As Simcoe County Rovers FC prepares to represent PSLC in the inaugural W Canadian Championship, the club will look to carry the same culture, consistency and ambition that has established it as one of Canada’s top PSLC programs.

Watch Episode 5 of The Pathway now on the PSLC and OneSoccer YouTube channels.