August 16, 2015 League 1 Ontario--Oakville Blue Devils vs Durham United FC (from League 1 Ontario press release)
Oakville Blue Devils 3 - Durham United FC 0 . Tue Aug 18 Written By: Staff, League1 In sweltering conditions, Oakville Blue Devils lined out at their home turf at Sheridan College on matchweek 16, ready to defend their number one status in the league, but facing a determined Durham side that has shown quality and resiliency in the 2015 campaign. But head coach Duncan Wilde would have little to be anxious about as leadership from the club's top scorer - Felipe Vilela (39', 45') nailed another two on the night - and a dismissal to Durham's Bruce Cullen (45 + 1') ultimately paved the way to a 3-0 victory for the Blue Devils. Blue Devils' Christian Kusiewicz (65') added the insurance third goal. "Our biggest challenge was to prepare the correct game plan in such conditions to face a team coming off a terrific 4-1 win the previous weekend," said Wilde. "Particularly with several forced changes, we had to get it right and respond to two previous tight games that we lost 1-0. We were very pleased with the team's overall approach and performance level, and the three points helps us to maintain our position in the table." Another strong performance from Vilela was of course welcomed by the Devils, as the central forward continues to occupy third place in the league scoring charts, pushing Vaughan's Joey Cicchillo and ANB's Adonijah Reid at the top. "Two excellent finishes in the first half from Filip Vilela set us on our way and he showed great composure on both goals which was good to see," said Wilde. "He led the front line very well and was busy throughout the game. His goals rounded off another strong performance for him." "But Durham had good quality on show and Kristian Lee-Him had a strong performance in their midfield," he added. "He used the ball very well and connected most of their possession throughout the match. Losing Bruce Cullen just before halftime to ejection did not help their cause." Durham head coach, Sanford Carabin, agreed with his counterpart on both points. "The player that caused us problems all day was their #9, Felipe Vilela," he said. "He scored their first two goals with his intelligent movement off the ball, and also held the ball up well for their midfield. He was a threat both on the ground and in the air." "Key moment in game was their second goal," Carabin continued. "It came against a series of questionable on-side calls and resulted in us losing our composure and subsequently a key player." "Our challenge was trying to get something out of the game, having to play the entire second half with ten men. Credit to the players as I thought we played some of our best football this year in the second half and were unlucky several times from getting on the scoresheet." Carabin highlighted the work of midfielder Christian Moncrieffe as worthy of MVP status. "We started this game very well with several players putting in solid performances in the first half but for 90 minutes I thought Christian Moncrieffe was our most impactful player," he explained. "He led us all game in the midfield, went box to box for most of the game, was involved in all our attacks, and defensively displayed a strong work rate and tactical understanding, especially when we were reduced to ten men." Durham plays at home to second place Sigma on Friday August 21 at Kinsmen Park, Pickering - 8 p.m. Oakville plays away to Kingston Clippers on Saturday August 22 at Tindall Field (Queens University), Kingston - 2 p.m.
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