August 9, 2015 League 1 Ontario Women's Cup Final--Vaughan Azzurri vs North Mississauga Panthers (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the Sunday August 9, 2015 League 1 Ontario game between Vaughan Azzurri and North Mississauga Panthers played at The Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 3:00pm. This was the League 1 Ontario Women's Cup Final.

Vaughan Azzurri (white socks and shirts, red shorts, black numbers)

.................12 Rylee Foster
6 Bria Williams...14 Tomika McIntosh...8 Shannon Wood (cpt)...7 Peyton Lozzi
17 Kodee Williams...13 Christina Morelli...21 Alessia Mattucci...20 Sarah Wong-Yin-Sang...23 Aisha Lewis
...........................18 Nicole Lyon

Subs:...1 Taylor Grant (gk)...3 Samantha Marini...4 Taylor Lyons...5 Farhunda Muhtaj...11 Colleen Beesley
...16 Francesca Pedulla...24 Jessica Tavernese
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...team officials Alex Fogolin, Anna Marie Carnovale, Tony De Palma, and Lui Amato

North Mississauga Panthers (red socks, black shorts and shirts, white numbers, red trim)

.................0 Richele Greenwood
13 Erica Brunet...21 Cassandra Pascal...18 Kira Bertrand (cpt)...11 Talia Merino-Sierra
26 Oshay Lawes...24 Safia Fettah...19 Kylee Bertrand...5 Jivan Yacou
............10 Krista Cellucci...7 Hilda Chmait

Subs:...1 Ashley Almeida (gk)...8 Claudia Continenza...9 Maria Poveda...15 Anisa Boland...23 Stefany Santos
...27 Tafari Bertrand...30 Sarah Nixon
team officials:...head coach Jhon Ardila...team officials Travor Bertrand, Angela Kerr, Judy Wolever, and Jenny Wolever

Game officials:...referee Niquita Amirkhanian...referee's assistant Bradley Doubrough and Adam Kanji...fourth official John Vlahos
...(teal shirts, black short and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 3:04pm...VA defends north end on this hot and sunny afternoon.
1 min...NMP Cellucci squeezed off ball on rush into VA box by two defenders and goalie dives on ball.
4 min...VA Lyon rolls 18 yard shot wide right.
4 min...VA Wong-Yin-Sang rolls ball up middle from 25 yards and VA Lewis low shot from 15 yards is stopped point blank at 10 yards by sliding goalie.
5 min...NMP Chmait shoots 22 yard shot is well wide left.
9 min...NMP Lawes 35 yard cross from right is caught by goalie.
12 min...VA Lewis cornerkick from right is worked out and cross has VA Bria Williams chip 22 yarder that bounces to goalie as VA forwards stand still as they're offside.
13 min...NMP Lawes rolls 25 yard shot from right is wide left of post.
15 min...VA player's cross from right has VA Lewis on left not able to control ball. VA Mattucci chips 25 yarder down middle that lands on top or net.
16 min...NMP Brunet 40 yard freekick up middle has goalie catch on right post.
18 min...NMP Lawes rolls 20 yard shot from right that diving goalie pushes wide left.
19 min...NMP Brunet cornerkick from left has defender head ball out of box.
21 min...NMP sub...Santos replaces Chmait.
21 min...VA goalie runs out to chest ball before NMP Santos can get to it.
22 min...NMP goalie beats VA Lyon to dive on through pass at 10 yards.
24 min...VA Lyon at 25 yards on left turns and fires low shot wide left of net.
25 min...VA Bria Williams 25 yard shot from right is stopped by defender at 10 yards.
26 min...VA Mattucci 40 yard freekick from right is cleared from box.
27 min...VA Wong-Yin-Sang 25 yard shot from left is wide left.
29 min...NMP Lawes rush on right and cross from 10 yards along righht end line has goalie palm ball up and NMP Cellucci heads 7 yarder on left post just over net.
31 min...VA Morelli 28 yard low shot is wide right of post.
32 min...NMP sub...Nixon replaces Pascal.
33 min...NMP Nixon cross from 18 yards on right is caught by goalie.
35 min...VA Kodee Williams low shot from 22 yards on right is smothered by diving goalie.
36 min...VA Kodee Williams rush up right and cross through 6 yard box is unplayed.
37 min...VA Lewis cornerkick from right is over box and cleared out left side.
38 min...VA Morelli is checked off ball on edge of box by two defenders.
VA players have been called offside about six times this half.
41 min...NMP Lawes rolls 20 yard shot from right that diving goalie smothers.
42 min...NMP Kira Bertrand 40 yard freekick from left has defender in box head away.
42 min...NMP Kira Bertrand long throw-in from left has defenders clear.
43 min...NMP Lawes low 25 yard shot from right is wide right.
44 min...VA Bria Williams flicks 15 yard header wide right.
46 min...NMP Lawes 40 yard freekick from left is over net.
48 min...half ends 3:52pm.

2nd Half:...starts 4:08pm.
halftime sub:...VA Muhtaj replaces Lewis.
47 min...NMP Jivan Yacou GOAL...NMP Sarah Nixon rushes on right from 35 yards and takes low shot from 25 yards that's blocked by a defender at 15 yards and Yacou shoots 20 yarder down middle into the top right corner of the net over the flying goalie Rylee Foster.
49 min...VA player's cross from left is cleared in box.
49 min...NMP sub...Poveda replaces Fettah.
51 min...VA Muhtaj 35 yard low shot up middle is through players is caught by goalie.
54 min...NMP Lawes rush on right and low cross from 15 yards near right is past one NMP player in middle but is over to NMP Santos who shoots 5 yarder on left over open net.
55 min...NMP Krista Cellucci GOAL...Cellucci receives pass from right at 20 yards and sidesteps defender and shoots 15 yarder into low left corner of net.
57 min...NMP Lawes 22 yard shot from left is batted down and smothered by goalie on right post.
59 min...VA Bria Williams 22 yard shot from right is caught by goalie.
59 min...VA sub...Beesley replaces Morelli.
.........VA sub...Pedulla replaces Mattucci.
62 min...NMP Santos rolls pass to NMP Cellucci in box but defender breaks it up.
63 min...NMP sub...Continenza replaces Santos.
65 min...The referee tells off VA coach Carmine Isacco for complaining from bench.
66 min...VA Kodee Williams gets to flick header through ball from 30 yards and 15 yard shot down middle is rolled wide right.
68 min...VA Wong-Yin-Sang is tapped back pass and she shoots 28 yarder down middle over net.
69 min...VA Colleen Beesley passes from the right to VA Nicole Lyon and she wins a Penalty kick from referee Niquita Amirkhanian when tackled just inside the box.
69 min...VA Nicole Lyon GOAL...Lyon shoots low Penalty kick to left corner of net past diving goalie Richele Greenwood who goes on her knees in middle of the net.
70 min...VA Muhtaj 40 yard shot down middle is wide left.
72 min...VA Wong-Yin-Sang midair shot from 25 yards is wide left of net.
73 min...VA Wong-Yin-Sang cornerkick from left has NMP players clear.
74 min...VA Lyon gets away 18 yard shot up middle in crowd of players wide left of net.
75 min...VA Kodee Williams saves ball on right end line and rolls cross into 6 yard box and defender clears from 2 yards a step ahead of a VA player.
76 min...NMP YELLOW card...Yacou earns it for tackle.
77 min...VA McIntosh 25 yard shot is wide right of net.
79 min...VA sub...Marini replaces Lozzi.
82 min...NMP player rush is stopped on edge of box with two blocks of shot attempts.
83 min...NMP goalie reaches back and smothers ball on poor goalie freekick that is sent back into box on flick.
84 min...NMP Cellucci cross from 18 yards on right is over players in box.
87 min...VA Lyon low pass from middle is forward and left for VA Kodee Williams who shoots low 12 yarder wide right of net.
88 min...VA Beesley low 20 yard shot from right ahs goalie fly to left to catch.
89 min...NMP Nixon 18 yard shgot from left is caught by goalie on left post.
92 min...NMP sub...Boland replaces Nixon.
92 min...NMP Continenza cornerkick from right to NMP Lawes but play is broken up for fast break out.
94 min...game ends 4:57pm.

Final Score:.......Vaughan Azzurri.........1........North Mississauga Panthers.....2....

Attendance started at about 50 at kickoff but climbed to about 200 by halftime on this hot and sunny day. The crowd strongly supported the Panthers in numbers and voices.

This is the inaugral season of the League 1 Ontario Women's Division. There are seven teams in the league that were divided up into one group of four and one group of three which played once against each team in their group. Both finalists were drawn into the three team 'Group B' and each beat Pro Stars Women and Vaughan beat the Panthers in Penalty kicks to win the group. They then crossed over on Thursday night to win their semi-final games against Group A teams. Panthers upset group winner Durham United 2-0 who'd gone 3-0 and Vaughan beat Woodbridge Strikers 1-0 (5-4 on Penalty kicks).

Panthers' win today can also be considered an upset as they are fourth in the standings with a 3 wins, 1 draw, 6 loss record while Vaughan are in second with a record of 7 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses.

Vaughan opened strong in the first 25 minutes of the game then for the rest of the first half play evened out. I'd estimate they were called offside six times in the first half. The second half had the Panthers make the most of two out of their three early chances and left Vaughan scrambling to catch up.

Best non-scoring chances were at 4 minutes when VA Sarah Won-Yin Sang rolled a ball up the middle from 25 yards and VA Aisha Lewis took a low shot from 15 yards that was stopped point blank at 10 yards by the sliding goalie. 15 minutes had VA Alessia Mattucci chip a 25 yarder down the middle that landed on top of the net. 29 minutes had NMP Oshay Lawes rush on the right and cross from 10 yards along the end line and the goalie palmed the ball up and NMP Krista Cellucci headed a 7 yarder on the left post just over the net. 54 minutes had NMP Lawes rushed on the right and sent in a low cross from 15 yards near the end line and it was past one NMP player in the middle but over to NMP Lewis on the left who shot a 5 yarder over the open net. Oh well that was one minute before their second goal. 88 minutes had VA Colleen Beesley take a low 20 yard shot from the right that the goalie flew to the left to catch.

This was the first women's game that I've seen this year. Canada's national team didn't play in Toronto in 2015 and their PanAm team were in Hamilton.

North Mississauga plays out of the Hershey Centre and I've found myself watching a Sigma FC game earlier in the afternoon then leaving the field to drive to watch another League 1 Ontario men's game in another suburb/city instead of staying for their games. This did seem strange as over the years a women's team had become my favourite (Toronto Lady Lynx) when they had such a good record and were producing almost 50% of players for the national team. I can say I liked them more than the MLS Toronto FC back then.

Panthers are the only women's team in the league that doesn't have a corresponding men's team. They paired nicely with Sigma FC who don't have a women's program. I congratulated Panther president Trevor Bertrant after the game whom I hadn't seen since a pre-season press conference and he answered again that the team is ready to enter a men's team next year.

Referee Niquita Amirkhanian gave out only one Yellow card that I noticed (against the Panthers at 79 minutes) besides awarding the Penalty kick and hopefully was deaf to crowd heckling. She also told Vaughan head coach Carmine Isacco off at 65 minutes for his repeated yelling from the bench. Isacco was here today rather than coaching the men's team who lost for the first time this season and whose game started an hour earlier a few miles up the road in Maple.

Jivan Yacou of the Panthers won the MVP in the game and was given the game ball. Both teams were presented with medals after the game (Panthers were gold) and the Panthers were presented with the Cup trophy—their team will be the first name engraved on it.

Panthers have family ties with sisters Kira Bertrand as the team captain and her sister Kylee Bertrand as starters and their cousin Tifari Bertrand who was an unused sub. I didn't realize to the next day that Trevor Bertrand is Kira's father as I'd forgotten the team president's name. Thanks post game Google research!

I'd never heard of any of the players on the rosters except Kodee Williams of Vaughan who played on the Lady Lynx in 2010 and 2011 then the University of Wisconsin. Another Google search revealed that 11 out of the 18 Vaughan Azzurri players were on the York University 2014 team with Carmine Isacco as their head coach. The Azzurri men's team includes many York U players so it wasn't a complete surprize to me.

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.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

North Mississauga Panthers starters