August 15, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Toronto Skillz FC vs Sigma FC (by Rcoket Robin)

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Result and details of the Monday August 15, 2016 League 1 Ontario game between Toronto Skillz FC vs Sigma FC played at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough at 8:00pm.

Toronto Skillz FC (red socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

......................1 Spiridori Koskinas
28 Jaspreet Bhatti...23 Thanujan Jeyathilaka...34 Marvin Omie...10 Sameer Fathazada
..........14 Michael Jahshan...29 Liam Cox...26 Terence Bernard
...........20 Wadohi Fadul...8 Ryan Reid (cpt)...11 Mario Ramalho

Subs:...0 Khedar Caesar-Thompson (gk)...4 Mitchell Wong...5 Brad Ayow...15 Wei Su...16 Yahance Ennis
...21 Even Doodnath...24 Drai Gordon
team officials:...assistant coach Isiaka Onibudo...managers Douglas Angelo and Jake Doodnath...therapist Deidra Erb

Sigma FC (all white, blue numbers)

.......................1 Triston Henry
2 Casey D'Mello...3 Jerome Smith...4 Kyle Walton...5 Nolan Holdridge (cpt)
7 Oumide Soji Olatoye...14 Lucas Scorzafave...22 Noah Jensen...6 Simon Triantafillou...21 Mansoor Alfazy
.......................9 Abdul Musah

Subs:......31 Baj Maan (gk)...10 Justin Stoddart...12 Matthew Krucko-Moeller...15 Malcolm Duncan...16 Jesse Sanmaniego
...18 Ben Haidara...20 Lucas Ferritto
team officials:...head coach Bobby Smyrniotis...other team officials John Zervos, James Haloulos, and Mike Matic

Game officials:...referee Baeden Krampert...referee's assistants Jessica Patton and Adam Kanji
...fourth official Afshin Behpour...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:03pm...TS defends north end on this mild and overcast evening with the temperature cooling.
3 min...Sigma Holdridge bends in 30 yard cross from left at goalie catches ahead of charging Sigma forward.
4 min...TS Reid 30 yard shot from left is just over net.
5 min...Sigma goalie catches popped up header at 7 yards.
5 min...Sigma Holdridge passes forward on left and Sigma Jensen behind defenders near left end line rolls cross that's a step ahead of charging Sigma Musah at 5 yards.
9 min...Sigma Holdridge 25 yard blast from far left is caught by goalie.
10 min...The referee blows his whistle so the TS goalie can change from a gray to a navy shirt so he doesn't look like the Sigma players' white shirts.
18 min...TS Jahshan rolls ball too far forward at 30 yards and goalie smothers.
19 min...Sigma Walton 30 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away to start fast break.
19 min...TS Reid 40 yard freekick from right has Sigma Holdridge heads away at 10 yards on left. Reid then rolls 22 yarder as he slides up middle and goalie picks up.
21 min...TS Cox 28 yard shot from right is just wide of top left corner of net.
22 min...Sigma Jensen cornerkick from right has Sigma Musah leap and head 10 yarder down middle wide right.
27 min...Sigma Holdridge cross from 25 yards near left end line drifts behind net.
27 min....TS Reid 45 yard cross from left has goalie catch on bounce wide right of net.
28 min...Sigma Alfazy bends low 25 yard freekick from left that diving goalie pushes wide right of post.
28 min...Sigma player's work out short cornerkick from left that has Sigma Holdridge cross and TS Omie make key header in box to clear at 7 yards.
29 min...Sigma Holdridge 20 yard shot into outside right webbing of net.
31 min...TS Ramalho weak chip pass from 30 yards down middle is over crowd of players and is an easy stop for goalie.
32 min...TS Jahshan pass to TS Fadul whose first touch at 20 yards up middle has him deflect wide right.
35 min...Sigma Olumide Soji Olatoye GOAL...Sigma Simon Tiantafillou chips freekick from 65 yards in middle that bounces to charging Sigma Casey D'Mello on right at 20 yard line and on 2 on 1 rush rolls short pass from 12 yards along right end line back into middle of box for Olatoye to shoot 5 yarder into left side of empty net as goalie was protecting right post.
35 min...TS Reid wins cornerkick on deflected shot from 15 yards on left.
36 min...Sigma Smith fast break out of TS cornerkick on left has him run 60 yards downfield on left and cross from 30 yards on left deflects off TS Jahshan and bounces to goalie on left post.
37 min...Sigma Scorzafave slides and 15 yard shot down middle over net. Sigma Musah had fed him short pass from right.
39 min...Sigma Scorzafave 30 yard freekick down middle has goalie dive to right to push ball wide of post.
40 min...Sigma Olatoye taps cornerkick from right to Sigma Jensen and Sigma Musah pops up header at 6 yards in middle of box and goalie catches at 3 yards near right post.
41 min...TS Ramalho scissor kick from 15 yards on left when receiving cross from right is well over net.
43 min...Sigma Jahshan rolls 12 yard shot wide right as he falls on bump by defender.
43 min...TS Reid and Sigma Smith are both hurt in collision at Sigma 40 yard line and both need trainers.
46 min...half ends 8:49pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:04pm
46 min...Sigma Alfazy rolls 30 yarder up middle past defender but goalie picks up ball wide left of net.
47 min...Sigma Walton 30 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie on left post.
47 min...Sigma Jensen 22 yard shot down middle is partially blocked and Sigma Musah heads 8 yarder just over bar.
49 min...TS Bernard and Sigma scorzafave are injured in collision at Sigma 45 yard line. TS Bernard needs the trainer.
51 min...Sigma Walton cross from 35 yards on right has Sigma Alfazy not able to keep ball in on left end line.
54 min...TS Fathazada 30 yard freekick from left has flying goalie push ball wide left of top corner.
54 min...TS Fathazada cornerkick from left has defender head away at 5 yards on left post.
55 min...Sigma Jensen pass to Sigma Musah who dribbles through defenders to wide left and cross from 15 yards has goalie fly forward to catch.
57 min...TS Fathazada cornerkick from left has defender head away on left post.
58 min...Sigma Jensen ends pressure with 25 yard shot from left through players that goalie catches.
61 min...Sigma Manssor Alfazy wins Penalty kick from referee Braeden Krampert when pulled down on left just inside TS box by TS Jaspreet Bhatti when he turned to tap a backpass.
62 min...Sigma Kyle Walton GOAL...Walton blasts low Penalty kick to right side of net. Goalie Spiridon Koskinas dives over but ball is under him.
64 min...Sigma sub...Stoddart replaces Olatoye.
65 min...TS YELLOW card...Jahshan earns it for pull down at Sigma 30 yard line.
66 min...Sigma Walton 30 yard freekick from right bends just over bar in center of net.
68 min...Sigma Alfazy 30 yard shot deflects off defender for cornerkick.
68 min...Sigma Stoddart dives and can't quite twist header on cross from left.
69 min...Sigma sub...Ferritto replaces Musah.
70 min...Sigma Jensen low cross from left after tapped over cornerkick has Sigma Stoddart able to connect with short kick as ball sent low though box wide right.
71 min...Sigma goal called offside on shot near right end line.
73 min...TS Michael Jahshan GOAL...Jahshan dekes through three defenders on right near end line then pokes 7 yarder past sliding goalie guarding right post into far left corner of net.
75 min...Sigma YELLOW card...Alfazy earns it for tackle near center line.
77 min...TS sub...Ennis replaces Bhatti.
.........TS sub...Doodnath replaces Cox.
77 min...Sigma YELLOW card...Ferrito earns it for tackle on TS Doodnath at TS 50 yard line.
79 min...Sigma Jensen gets backheel pass to send him up middle and 20 yard shot is wide right.
80 min...TS Doodnath cornerkick from left is caught by leaping goalie in crowd of player. Sigma Walton is injured on play.
81 min...Sigma sub...Samaniego replaces Scorzafave.
.........TS sub...Gordon replaces Fadul.
82 min...Sigma Ferritto 20 yard shot from left is caught by goalie.
84 min...TS Reid 25 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away at 12 yards in crowd of players.
85 min...Sigma sub...Haidara replaces Jensen.
85 min...TS Sameer Fathazada GOAL...Fathazada gets flicked pass from 30 yard line by TS Michael Jahshan behind three defenders at 20 yards on right and runs forward and chips from 12 yards over flying goalie Triston Henry into left side of net.
90 min...TS goalie out to 20 yards to clear through ball a step ahead of Sigma Haidara.
91 min...Sigma Stoddart low cross from 22 yards on right has defender pop up on clearance and goalie makes catch in crowd of players.
91 min...TS Jahshan 15 yard cross near right end line has defender head away.
93 min...TS Fathazada 20 yard midair shot has flying goalie palm over net.
93 min...TS Jahshan cornerkick from right has TS Ennis pop up 8 yarder well over net.
94 min...game ends 9:53pm.

Final Score:........Toronto Skillz FC........2.........Sigma FC.........2.......

Attendance was about 80 on this mild night with the temperature cooling enough to convince me to wear my windbreaker by the second half.

Referee Braeden Krampert gave out three Yellow cards that I counted (two to Sigma). Except for the Penalty kick call the most drama was at 10 minutes making the TS goalie change from a gray to a navy shirt as he looked too much like the Sigma players' all white uniforms.

Sigma started well and could have put the game out of reach early but ended up hanging on at the end as Skillz came back to tie the game. Skillz have been playing better in the last month.

Best non-scoring chances were at 28 minutes when Sigma Mansoor Alfazy bent a low 25 yard freekick from the left that the diving goalie pushed wide right of the post. 37 minute had Sigma Lucas Scorzafave slide and connect on a 15 yard shot down the middle that was just over the bar. 47 minutes had Sigma Noah Jensen take a 22 yard shot down the middle that was partially blocked and Sigma Abdul Musah headed an 8 yarder just over the bar. 54 minutes had TS Sameer Fathazada take a 30 yard freekick from the left that had the goalie fly to push the ball wide left of the top corner. 55 minutes had Sigma Jensen pass to Sigma Musah who dribbled through defenders to wide left and his cross from 15 yards had the goalie dive forward to catch. 66 minutes had Sigma Kyle Walton take a 30 yard freekick from the right that bent just over the bar in the center of net. Injury time had TS Fathazada recover a partial clearance to take a 20 yard midair shot that the flying goalie palmed over the net from the right side.

Leaford Allen played his last game this season for Sigma on Friday night until the game was called off at 22 minutes in London because of a lightning storm. He is the leading scorer of L1O this season with 17 goals (the entire Skillz team had scored only 18 goals entering tonight's game). The London game paired him against Elvir Gigalaj—number two in the scoring race with 13. Sigma sure missed Allen's scoring touch tonight. Sigma officials answered me that he had left to attend the University of Charleston. Google showed he was with U of Windsor in 2014.

Sigma also now has Casey D'Mello in defence. Last year I watched him play for Vaughan Azzurri (who use many players from York University). He answered me after the game that he never played for Sigma before (their L1O team sometimes brings back players who played for them growing up--like Leaford Allen). D'Mello said he lives in Mississauga and found the commute to Vaughan quite a long drive and he wanted to do some coaching and Sigma head coach Bobby Smyrniotis gave him a break but also asked him if he still had the legs to play. He was one of the TFC Academy players from their inaugural 2008 season.

Toronto Skillz record improves to 2 wins, 11 losses, 3 ties for 9 points and sixth place in the eight team Eastern Conference. Their last four games they've had a reasonable 1 win, 1 loss, and 2 tie record.

Sigma's record improves to 11 wins, 4 losses, 2 ties for 35 points and first place in the Western Conference. They have cooled off from their seven straight wins to kick off the season and with players leaving the team for colleges, it will be a challenge to hold on to the lead.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Skillz FC starters