September 17, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Aurora United FC vs Vaughan Azzurri (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday September 17, 2016 League 1 Ontario game between Aurora United FC and Vaughan Azzurri played at Sheppard's Bush in Aurora at 7:30pm.

Aurora United FC (yellow socks and numbers, black shorts and shirts)

......................1 Alexander Jakma
4 Anu Makinwa...9 Micheal Nitchov...7 Maxwell Wolfesberger...8 Peter Ruberto
14 Maury Domer...6 Arman Mohammadi...19 Niklas Seldel...5 Fred Amevaw...17 Alec Nardi
......................10 Simon Adjei(cpt)

Subs:...12 Adam Scanlon (gk)...2 Ukasha Zaighum...13 Chris Cifuentes...20 Conor Woodroffe
...11 Niklas Theodorakakis...15 Barret Scott...16 Matthew Arhin
team officials:...head coach Arman Mohammadi...other team officials Don Ferguson and David DiPlacido

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

.....................12 Colm Vance
3 Joseph Amato (cpt)...6 Adrian Butters...2 Jarred Philipps...7 Jashua Mills
27 Mario Kovacevic...23 Joseph Di Chiara...8 Jason Mills...9 Jarek Whiteman
.............11 Massimo Mirabelli...10 Brandon Mills

Subs:...5 Marko Miketic...17 Tre Crosby...18 Alon Badat...19 Matthew Stinson
team officials:...head coach Carmen Isacco...other team officials Wayne Mills, Esteban Clavijo, and Tony De Palma

Game officials:...referee Armando Pereira...referee's assistants Maohamed Mohammed and John Leuser
...fourth official Cyrus Eshafi...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:34pm...AU defends south end on this mild, wet night as there's been rain throughout the day. There was a breeze from the west.
5 min...VA Mirabelli from right takes quick short cornerkick from the left to VA Amato and he crosses over players to VA Di Chiara who has 12 yard shot from left blocked by defender.
7 min...AU Mohammadi cornerkick from right has goalie charge forward to catch just wide of right post.
9 min...AU Mohammadi cornerkick from right is flagged down for drifting behind end line before bending back into play.
12 min...VA Brandon Mills chips pass forward from 35 yards up middle and VA Whiteman can't win Penalty kick when pulled over by defender at 12 yards.
14 min...VA Di Chiara long run up through defenders and stops pass to VA Kovacevic who has 7 yard shot deflected by defender for cornerkick.
16 min...Vaughan Jason Mills GOAL...VA Massimo Mirabelli low 22 yard freekick is blocked in player wall.
VA Jarek Whiteman chips 15 yarder into box and Mills shoots 8 yarder up middle into left side of net beyond flying goalie Alexander Jakme.
20 min...VA Kovacevic taps pass back to VA Jason Mills who blasts 15 yard shot from right off left side of bar and ball deflects out of box.
24 min...VA Kovacevic rush in from right on pass forward from VA Amato and 15 yard shot near right end line deflects off defender.
25 min...VA Whiteman rush to ball on right and rolls centering cross and defender clears behind end line.
26 min...VA Di Ciara low cornerkick from right is cleared by nearest defender on right.
27 min...VA Jason Mills rolls cetnering cross from 20 yards on right and VA Whiteman misses connecting on 10 yard shot.
29 min...VA Amato rush down right and low cross from 20 yards has charging VA Kovacevic deflect from 8 yards wide right.
32 min...VA Philipps blasts 35 yarder through players up middle wide right of net.
35 min...VA Whiteman is given pass that deflects off defender and his scissor kick from 12 yards on right is caught by goalie.
36 min...AU Adjei is given pass upfield at 18 yards and rolls shot up middle under goalie but flagged offside.
38 min...VA Di Chiara 35 yard freekick from left has VA Whiteman cross into box either offside or over end line.
39 min...VA goalie charge to 12 yards to catch deflection off AU Scott.
40 min...VA Di Chiara 30 yard shot from left is wide right.
41 min...VA Whiteman throw-in from AU 35 yard line on right has VA Di Chiara take 30 yard shot from right that goalie dives and pushes wide left of the post.
43 min...VA Jason Mills pops up kick while turning and goalie catches 25 yarder on way down.
45 min...half ends 8:19.

2nd Half:...starts 8:33pm.
halftime subs:...AU Woodroffe replaces Seldel.
.................AU Cifuentes replaces Ruberto.
45 min...AU goalie runs to edge of box to beat two VA players to bouncer.
46 min...VA Mirabelli pops up 12 yard header that's cleared.
47 min...VA sub...Stinson replaces Amato.
47 min...VA Kovacevic can't quite turn header from 8 yards from right from VA Whiteman and ball lands wide left of goal.
48 min...AU YELLOW card...Domer earns it for bashing VA Di Chiara from behind at AU 50 yard line.
48 min...VA Stinson 55 yard freekick from left has VA Whiteman head 15 yarder from right that bounces to goalie.
52 min...Vaughan Jason Mills GOAL...VA Mario Kovacevic on far left cuts in along left end line eluding
defenders and rolls 6 yard cross to VA Jarek Whiteman who backheels 6 yard shot in middle. The ball
deflects off the goalie and out to Mills and he rushes in from 12 yards and blasts 7 yarder over goalie
into center of net.
53 min...Aurora Conor Woodroffe GOAL...AU Maury Domer cross from 25 yards on far right finds Woodroffe
at 18 yards and he blasts low shot from left into right corner of net beyond sprawling goalie Colm Vance.
55 min...VA Stinson cross from 45 yards on left finds VA Whiteman and his quick 20 yard shot deflects off defender for cornerkick.
56 min...VA Di Chiara cornerkick from right has goalie leap in crowd of players and punch ball out of box.
57 min...VA Mirabelli blasts 28 yard roller from left as he slips and ball rolls wide right of goal.
58 min...AU Nardi rush on left and rolls centering cross that goalie runs forward to 10 yards to pick up.
61 min...VA YELLOW card...Philipps earns it for pulling over AU Makinwa at VA 35 yard line.
62 min...AU Mohammedi 40 yard freekick from right has goalie leap to catch.
63 min...VA Stinson low 30 yard shot of partial clearance has sprawling goalie push ball wide left of post.
64 min...VA Di Chiara 25 yard freekick from far left is over head of leaping VA Whiteman at 6 yards on right and ball is out for goalkick.
65 min...AU sub...Arhin replaces Mohammedi.
66 min...VA Jashua Mills pass from 35 yards on left is too far forward and goalie picks up.
67 min...AU Nardi rush on left and cross into box but no one is there to make play.
70 min...AU Adjei beats VA goalie to ball at 40 yards on right and races with goalie and cross into box has VA Philipps stop and clear from right post.
71 min...VA Mirabelli blasts partial clearance from 28 yards on left wide right of net.
71 min...AU goalie slides out to smother ball on edge of box to beat VA Di Chiara getting to it.
72 min...VA sub...Crosby replaces Mirabelli.
73 min...Vaughan Joseph Di Chiara GOAL...VA Di Chiara turns with ball after receiving pass and blasts 15 yard
shot down middle off underside of bar near top left corner of net.
74 min...VA sub...Miketic replaces Jason Mills.
77 min...AU sub...Scott replaces Domer.
79 min...Vaughan Mario Kovacevic GOAL...VA Marko Miketic in box on left centers pass to VA player who has
shot from 8 yard shot blocked and Kovacevic blasts in 10 yarder over fallen goalie to center of net.
79 min...VA sub...Badat replaces Kovacevic.
80 min...VA Jashua Mills low cross from 25 yards on left has goalie dive forward to stop at 5 yards and defenders have trouble clearing.
81 min...AU sub...Theodorakakis replaces Amevaw.
82 min...AU Nardi 30 yard cross from left is caught by goalie.
83 min...Vaughan Jarek Whiteman GOAL...VA Jashua Mills gives pass to Whiteman who eludes diving goalie on left corner of box and blasts 20 yarder into top right corner of open net.
90 min...VA Whiteman cornerkick from right has AU Makinwa head ball out of bos.
90 min...AU Woodroffe 40 yard freekick from right has defender in box head ball away.
91 min...AU Nardi 28 yard freekick from left has AU Makinwa diving header at 12 yards connect and goalie catches.
91 min...game ends 9:19pm.

Final Score:.......Aurora United FC........1........Vaughan Azzurri.......5........

Attendance was about 40 on this mild but wet night as it had rained throughout the day but had stopped before game time. The pitch drained well enough as there were no players slipping on the field.

Referee Armando Pereira gave out one Yellow card to each team that I counted in a game that was more wide open then close checking.

I hadn't been to a Vaughan game since the Cup Final at the end of July. Now that school is back in session I asked head coach Carmine Isacco if there were a lot of York University players on the roster. He said that York U had a game this afternoon and have one tomorrow and therefore none of tonight's players were/are in either of those games. That still leaves a core group of the three Mills brothers, Massimo Mirabelli, and Jarek Whiteman (not York U students) as a punchy offence that any of League 1 team would be glad to have on their roster. Former Toronto FC (MLS) player Matthew Stinson was a sub at 47 minutes and sent in some pinpoint cross field crosses from the left over to Whiteman.

Aurora is playing out the season and used a roster of all but one player as U-21s.

Most of the first half was played in the Aurora end. There always seemed to be a last Azzurri defender to make a clearance and allow goalie Colm Vance a relatively easy night.

Best non-scoring chances were at 20 minutes with VA Mario Kovacevic taps a pass back to VA Jason Mills who blasted a 15 yard shot from the right off the bar near the top left corner of the net. 41 minutes had VA Jarek Whiteman take a throw-in from the AU 35 yard line on right right and VA Joseph Di Chiara took a 30 yard shot from the right that has the goalie dove and pushed wide left of the post at the last second. 63 minutes had VA Matthew Stinson take a low 30 yard shot of a partial clearance through a bunch of players and the sprawling goalie pushed wide left of the post. 70 minutes had AU Simon Adjei beat the VA goalie to get to the ball at 40 yards on the right and raced with the goalie down the sideline and crossed into the box where VA Jarred Philipps stopped the ball and cleared it from the right post. That could be said was the turning point as it was only 2-1 at the time! Injury time had AU Alec Nardi take a 28 yard freekick from the left and AU Anu Makinwa made a diving header at 12 yards connect which the goalie caught.

Aurora's record falls to 3 wins, 13 losses, 3 ties for 12 points. They are tied for sixth place with Toronto Skillz at the moment (Skillz plays Sunday night) in the eight team Eastern Conference.

Vaughan's record improves to 15 wins, 1 loss, 4 ties for 49 points. They are in first place in the East and have clinched a place in the expected final against the West Conference champs (either Sigma FC or FC London). Vaughan has scored 59 goals and are tied with TFC Academy for most goals scored. They are +35 in goals for/against which is best in the league.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Aurora United FC starters