August 9, 2015 League 1 Ontario--Woodbridge Strikers vs Sigma FC--Cup Final (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the Sunday August 9, 2015 League 1 Ontario game between Woodbridge Strikers and Sigma FC played at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 6:00pm. This was the Men's Cup Final.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue, white numbers)

...................23 Matt George
16 Darian Bygrave...4 Gabriel Sosa...5 Cameron Brooks...3 Vincenzo Sasso
19 Damion Graham...11 Joshua Paredes-Procter...10 Christian Cavallini...6 Andrew Derayeh
............9 Damion Scott...7 Jonathan Parolini

Subs:...1 Matthew Caldaroni (gk)...2 Jesse Andoh...8 Nicholas Chiarot...14 Adrian Gallo...18 Mikhail Farquharson
...20 Atulova Emeka...24 Joseph Jackson
team officials:...team head coach Peter Pinizzoto...manager John Scarlato...assistant coach Sam Medeiros...equipment manager Eric Mokri
...therapist Kevin Halford

Sigma FC (all white, blue numbers)

.....................1 Corey Marques
2 Jamal Joseph...3 Dominic Samuel...4 Nolan Holdridge (cpt)...15 Aaron D'Souza
10 Noah Mehta...14 Reggie Laryea...8 Manvir Brar...21 Kadell Thomas
..............11 Marcel Zajac...9 Marcus Hanson

Subs:...5 Kenny Lioutas...6 Patricio Espin...7 Justin Stoddart...12 Aidan D'Mello...17 Daniel Oginni
...19 Jordan Kalonji...31 Luke Iacobellis
team officials:...head coach Bobby Smymiotis...team officials John Zervos, James Haloulos, Philip Opassinis, Ken Peter, and David Zonaveld

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee assistant's Eduardo Sanchez and Braeden Krampton...fourth official Armando Perreira
...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 6:07pm...WS defends south end on this hot and sunny evening.
1 min...WS Graham low centering pass and 20 yard line has WS Paredes-Procter shoot up middle and goalie dives to right post to save.
2 min...Sigma Thomas run down right and low cross into box from 22 yards has defender clear.
3 min...Sigma Samuel 35 yard shot is wide left and high.
7 min...Sigma Thomas rush up middle and taps ball to left for Sigma Brar who shoots low 15 yarder that sprawling goalie stops. Thomas gets rebound at 22 yards but is checked off ball.
8 min...Sigma player recovers poor WS goalie clearance and Sigma Thomas goal called back offside.
9 min...Sigma Thomas eludes goalie diving for ball and recovers at 8 yards on end line but rolled pass into box cleared by defender.
12 min...Sigma Zajac low 22 yard freekick up middle hits player wall. Zajac rolls rebound from same spot that hits outside left of post.
14 min...Sigma Hanson blasts rebound off deflection from 12 yards into left outside webbing of net.
16 min...WS Samuel rush to left end line and ball is cleared and WS Parolini shoots 25 yarder that's cleared.
17 min...WS Graham cross from 25 yards on right on rush has charging WS Cavallini get foot to at 12 yards and ball rolls to goalie.
18 min...WS Darian Bygrave GOAL...WS Christian Cavallini pass from middle is rolled forward to WS Damion Scott on right and he taps ball to Bygrave whose low 12 yard shot from right is under sprawling goalie Corey Marques at 6 yards in middle of net.
19 min...WS Scott flubs 15 yard shot up middle but wins cornerkick.
20 min...WS Graham cornerkick from left has Sigma defender heads ball on left post but play is whistled down.
22 min...Sigma Holdridge 50 yard freekick up middle has Sigma Hanson get to ball on left at 5 yards but is checked off ball by swarming defenders.
24 min...WS Bygrave long throw-in from right has WS Cavallini chest ball down but is checked off ball at 15 yards.
25 min...WS Sasso 22 yard shot from left is well over net.
26 min...Sigma Holdridge chips 40 yarder from left into box and goalie catches.
27 min...Sigma Brar long chip finds Sigma Thomas on right he wins cornerkick on shot.
28 min...Sigma Mehta cornerkick from right has Sigma Joseph have 18 yard shot tipped wide right for another cornerkick.
29 min...Sigma Mehta cornerkick from right is cleared in box.
31 min...Sigma Hanson rolls pass to Sigma Zajac who cuts along 20 yard line and shoots low ball that diving goalie smothers.
33 min...WS Sasa 50 yard freekick from right has WS player pop 12 yard header that lands on net.
34 min...Sigma player rushes to right end line and crosses into box where Sigma Zajac blasts 15 yarder down middle well over net.
35 min...there's a water break as WS Sasso is treated for injury on last play.
42 min...WS Scott shoots 28 yard roller between defenders well wide left of net.
43 min...Sigma D'Souza cross from 22 yards along left end line has goalie catch on left post while staring at the sun.
44 min...WS Cavallini pushes pass to WS Graham on right and stops to tee up shot and 16 yard shot deflects off defender and starts Sigma fast break.
45 min...Sigma Zajac cross from right has defenders clear from box.
45 min...WS player wins cornerkick when defender deflects cross attempt near right end line.
46 min...WS Paredes-Procter cornerkick from right has goalie drops catch attempt but defenders clear.
47 min...half ends 6:54pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:13pm.
halftime sub:...Sigma Stoddart replaces Mehta.
46 min...Sigma Thomas rush up right and cross through 6 yard box has defender tip ball wide left for cornerkick.
46 min...Sigma Joseph cornerkick from left has Sigma Stoddart pop up headere from 10 yards that lands on top of net.
48 min...Sigma Stoddart cornerkick from right has defender head ball away from box.
50 min...WS Parolini rush on left and turns on defender but pushes weak 15 yarder that goalie picks up.
50 min...WS Sosa clears low cross from left into box.
52 min...Sigma Brar is injured on sliding check at WS 40 yard line.
54 min...WS Jonathan Parolini wins Penalty kick from referee David Barrie on sliding tackle on left side of box.
Sigma YELLO card...Dominic Samuel earns it for the above tackle.
55 min...WS Christian Cavallini GOAL...Cavallini blasts Penalty kick low to left and goalie dives to block and gets a hand to it but the momentum spins the ball over him and into left side of net.
57 min...Sigma sub...Espin replaces Brar.
58 min...Sigma player's throw-in from left has defender head ball away from box.
60 min...WS Sasso is injured on sliding tackle at Sigma 30 yard line.
61 min...WS sub...Jackson replaces Scott.
.........WS sub...Chiarot replaces Graham.
62 min...Sigma Thomas wins cornerkick on deflected shot from left after rush.
63 min...Sigma Stoddart cornerkick from left is cleared after two WS blocks off Sigma shots on edge of box.
64 min...WS Parolini on give and go break slips in box and can't recover to get to ball.
65 min...WS YELLOW card...Sosa earns it for pulling down Sigma Stoddart on run along right end line but just outside box.
67 min...Sigma sub...D'Mello replaces D'Souza.
68 min...play resumes...Sigma Stoddart 22 yard freekick along right end line has charging Sigma Holdridge kick 7 yarder over net.
69 min...Sigma Stoddart 40 yard freekick chip from left has goalie catch and hang on when bumped by Sigma Hanson.
70 min...WS Chiarot turns and fires 16 yard shot wide right after receiving pass down field.
73 min...Sigma Hanson taps pass forward to Sigma Zajac at 15 yards but defender intercepts.
74 min...WS YELLOW card...Sasso earns it for kicking ball away after freekick call for Sigma player in his own box.
75 min...Sigma sub...Oginni replaces Laryea.
.........WS sub...Farquharson replaces Parolini.
75 min...Sigma Zajac 40 yard freekick from right has WS Chiarot pop header wide left for cornerkick.
76 min...Sigma Stoddart cornerkick from left has goalie catch.
77 min...WS Cavallini is injured at center line.
78 min...Sigma Thomas cross from near left corner has Sigma Hanson checked off ball in box.
79 min...Sigma Joseph 60 yard chip from right has goalie stop on left edge of box.
79 min...Sigma Hanson has two shots blocked on edge of box.
80 min...Sigma D'Mello low cross from left and two Sigma players miss connecting on ball sliding to the right post.
80 min...WS sub...Emeka replaces Cavallini.
81 min...Sigma Stoddart 40 yard freekick from right has defenders clear.
84 min...Sigma sub...Kalonji replaces Zajac.
85 min...WS Cavallini fires 20 yarder that tips off defender over net.
85 min...WS sub...Andoh replaces Sasso.
86 min...WS Parolini cornerkick from left is caught by leaping goalie.
87 min...Sigma Jordan Kalonji GOAL...Sigma Kadell Thomas rushes on left and cross has Sigma player take a short cross from the right and Kalonji jabs midair 7 yard kick into left of net beyond goalie Matt George.
87 min...WS YELLOW card...goalie George earns it for kicking ball away after goal to waste time.
88 min...WS Chiarot shoots low and wide left from 12 yards on right.
89 min...WS defender concedes cornerkick on slide on left side of box ending Sigma players' pressure.
89 min...Sigma player's cornerkick from left has Sigma Thomas shoot 20 yarder through crowd of players wide right.
89 min...Sigma Stoddart 30 yard freekuck from left has flag up for offside but ball was shot wide right.
92 min...WS Sosa injured inside WS box.
95 min...Sigma Holdridge long throw-in from left has defender head ball away. Sigma player passes back to Holdridge and he crosses but ball deflects off defender at 15 yards on left. Sigma Thomas gets loose ball and rolls ball back to Sigma Stoddart who fires 12 yarder from left that goalie palms over net.
96 min...Sigma Stoddart cornerkick from right has Sigma goalie in WS box head 12 yarder wide right of net.
97 min...game ends 8:05pm.

Final Score:.......Woodbridge Strikers........2.........Sigma FC..........1.......

Attendance was about 300 on this hot and sunny evening. The crowd was evenly split judging by the noise level. Admission was free but I felt attendance was hurt because I saw no notice of this game being scheduled until earlier in the week.

In league play Sigma were tied for second place with a record of 9 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses while Woodbridge sixth with a record of 7 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses with four games in hand on each team ahead of them.

Cup play involved each of the twelve teams drawn into groups of three and one game against each team with the first and second place team advancing to the quarterfinals then semifinals. Woodbridge won Group C with victories over Durham United and Sanjaxx Lions then a quarterfinal win over Windsor then a semifinal victory over Durham United (again) on Penalty kicks. Sigma was in Group B finishing first on goal differential despite a 1-1 record (all teams finished with that record). They then beat Kingston Clippers in the quarterfinal and fellow Group B team ANB Futbol in the semifinal.

Referee David Barrie gave out four Yellow cards (three to Woodbridge) that I counted with on two for Woodbridge given out for kicking the ball away after a freekick call then again after the goal against them.

Sigma pressed hard for the last the minutes with injury time chances by Sigma captain Nolan Holdridge coming forward from defence to take a long throw-in from the left and a defender headed away but the ball was then passed back to Holdridge and he crossed but it deflected off another defender at 15 yards but Sigma Kadell Thomas got to the loose ball and rolled the ball back to Sigma Justin Stoddard who fired from 12 yards from the left that the goalie palmed over the net. Stoddard took the resulting cornerkick from the right and the Sigma goalie up in the WS box for the play headed from 12 yards just wide right of the post.

Goaltender Matt George of Vaughan won the MVP for this gameand was presented with the game ball. His saves were game savers. Each team was given medals--Vaughan's were gold--and Damian Scott insisted that his gold be put around the neck of the baby he carried out to the field. Vaughan's captain Andrea Derayeh was then presented with the Cup trophy.

Last year the League Cup semifinal and final were held in mid October. The semi-finals were supposed to be played on a Thursday night but were both postponed by storms that were more like mini-floods. This pushed those games to Saturday and the Final was held Sunday at BMO Field. I asked league chair Dino Rossi Jr if that's why the games were held earlier this year. Yes it helps relieve fixture congestion as teams will now be able to concentrate on league play. The later dates last year meant that a lot of teams lost players to US colleges but Rossi pointed out that if they were interested in having their best possible rosters, the final would have been two weeks ago before players were called back to their schools. Sigma was onto their third roster (down to a lot of high schoolers) by that time of year.

In last year's inaugural cup final Sigma lost 2-1 to Vaughan Azzurri to fall into an early time-trap of the New England Revolution MLS Cup Final record.

Woodbridge doesn't have long to celebrate because they are back to league action on Wednesday night at 9:00pm by hosting Toronto FC Academy at Vaughan Grove—500 yards away. In a quirk in the schedule tonight's league game would have had Woodbridge host Sigma at Vaughan Grove at 7:00pm.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Clipped from my other story about the Women's Cup Final which I've got in my League 1 Ontario Women index:
This stadium would host the men's final between Woodbridge Strikers and Sigma FC about an hour
later which would be the third game of the day. In a men's league game at 11:00am, ANB Futbol beat
Sanjaxx Lions 5-0 with 15 year old (until later this month) Adonijah Reid scoring three goals
to take the scoring lead in the league.

Woodbridge Strikers starters