May 28, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Oakville Blue Devils vs North Mississauga Panthers game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 28, 2017 League 1 Ontario game between
Oakville Blue Devils and North Mississauga Panthers played at Sheridan College at 4:00pm.

Oakville Blue Devils (all navy, white numbers)

....................27 Matt George
6 Victor Gallo...4 Steven Lovell...19 Logan Podrebarac...5 Julian Connor McNamara
.......14 Mikeal Taylor McNamara (cpt)...9 Filipe Vilela...16 Khody Ellis
........20 Hitesh Joshi...23 Anthony Novak...22 Al James

Subs:...1 Danny Merkel (gk)...2 Christopher Mitchell...8 Judah Hernandez...11 Mason James
...12 Dane Roberts...13 Mathew Santos...29 Brandon Duarte
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Billy Steele, Brett Mosen and Glenn McNamara

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

.....................1 Anthony Whyte
14 Daniel Whyte...5 Tom Wrobel...4 Mathew Monteiro...6 Sundin Esperance
18 Nathanial Marksman...10 Juan Bernal (cpt)...3 Anthony Wright...20 Mujtaba Ameen
.................15 Bradley Fenton...9 Lee-Victor Massunda

Subs:...22 Roberto Custodio Caranzza (gk)...8 Nikal Clarke Smith...11 Jordan Prescod...12 Anton Buretic
13 Dale Cudmore...19 Andi Motina...21 Lucas Gesualdi
team officials:...team head coach Sam Medeiros...assistant coaches Patric Guirguis and Volen Parashikevov
...manager Martin Eleuteri

Game officials:...referee Vladimir Makarov...referee's assistants Joseph D'Onofrio and Kim Lee
...fourth official Timothy Wong...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 3:59pm...OBD defends south end on this mild and sunny afternoon.
7 min...OBD Podrebarac gets to high cross from left at 10 yards on right and pops up ball then chips backwards
when ball lands is is behind NMP end line.
10 min...NMP Marksman high cross from 20 yards near right end line is well over box.
11 min...NMP Ameen tees up 25 yard shot down middle and defender gets foot in to deflect shot weakly to goalie.
Ameen is injured on play.
13 min...OBD Connor McNamara wins duel with NMP Ameen to break up rush down middle into OBD box.
14 min...OBD Logan Podrebarac GOAL...Podrebarac receives a short chipped pass forward from 28 yards
on the left and shoots 20 yarder forward into left side of net past goalie Anthony Whyte.
15 min...OBD Connor McNamara rush down right and blasts 25 yard shot just wide right of net.
17 min...OBD Vilela is injured at NMP 50 yard line and needs trainer.
18 min...OBD James 50 yard freekick has defender head ball away.
19 min...OBD Joshi cornerkick from right drifts behind net.
21 min...OBD Joshi long run up right but rolls ball forward and to goalie from 28 yards.
22 min...OBD James cornerkick from left has OBD Novak at 10 yards along left end line flick header
up into box and goalie catches overhead at 1 yard line.
23 min...OBD goalie beats NMP Marksman to bouncer on right side of box.
24 min...NMP goalie catches bouncer at 5 yards on right post.
27 min...OBD Connor McNamara long throw-in from 30 yard line on right has defender clear in box.
28 min...OBD Connor McNamara long throw-in from right at 10 yard line is cleared on left side of box.
31 min...OBD Taylor McNamara low 30 yard freekick from left is cleared by defender.
34 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 40 yard freekick from left is cleared by defender in box.
35 min...NMP Ameen pushes past defender on run down left but is over end line.
37 min...OBD Vilela receives short pass from left and spins at 18 yards and takes shot that goalie catches
over head at 1 yard.
40 min...NMP Ameen recoves rebound and blasts low 22 yarder wide left of post.
41 min...NMP Fenton gets away 22 yard shot as he slips on right and ball is high and wide of net.
42 min...OBD player's cross from 22 yards on left is just wide right--a step ahead of charging OBD forward.
43 min...NMP Massunda blasts 25 yard shot from left is wide right.
44 min...OBD Ellis low 18 yard shot from left is just wide right of post.
45 min...OBD YELLOW card...Taylor McNamara earns it when NMP Massunda is bumped over on edge of box when
getting to freekick from 55 yards sent down the middle.
47 min...NMP Fenton blasts 20 yard freekick from left well high and wide right of net.
48 min...half ends 4:47pm.

2nd Half:...starts 5:03pm.
46 min...OBD Vilela receives long throw-in from right and deflects wide right of net from 8 yards.
51 min...OBD Vilela flicks header from 10 yards on long throw-in from right across box and goalie catches on right.
52 min...NMP Msssunda cross from 15 yards along right end line and high over box starting fast breakout.
53 min...NMP Daniel Whyte cross from 25 yards on right has goalie catch.
54 min...OBD Vilela scramble in box but can't get shot and wins cornerkick.
54 min...OBD Taylor McNamara cornerkick from left has defender head out right side of box.
55 min...OBD Joshi wins cornerkick on 22 yard cross from right.
55 min...OBD Taylor McNamara cornerkick from left has defender clear out right side of box.
56 min...OBD sub...Santos replaces Ellis.
.........OBD sub...Duarte replaces Joshi.
.........OBD sub...Hernandez replaces Podrebarac.
57 min...OBD Hernandez 25 yard shot on left bends wide right of net.
60 min...NMP sub...Smith replaces Wright.
.........NMP sub...Prescod replaces Marksman.
60 min...OBD Santos eludes defender and gets away 7 yard shot on right post that's stopped point blank by sliding goalie
who is injured on play.
65 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 30 yard freekick from left is cleared wide right of net.
66 min...OBD Gallo long throw-in from right bounces in box and OBD Ellis has 8 yard shot blocked by goalie right into
chest on ground and he holds on. It took a long time to get away the shot.
67 min...OBD James makes key check on NMP Fenton in OBD box and dribbles ball away.
68 min...OBD Vilela cross from left is cleared by defender in box.
71 min...NMP sub...Motina replaces Ameen.
73 min...NMP Monteiro 50 yard freekick from left has defender head ball away just inside box.
74 min...OBD Hernandez shoots wide left spinner with two OBD players chesting ball down to set him up.
76 min...OBD Hernandez cornerkick from left is high and OBD Vilela pops header from right from 10 yards on end line
and goalie leaps to catch on right post over head of OBD player.
78 min...NMP goalie is injured in box. Both teams rush over to their bench for a talk and to take water. The extra
NMP goalie is called back from the sideline and was not subbed in.
80 min...OBD Santos races to rescue ball on left sidlikne and cross into box has defender head ball away at 12 yards.
82 min...NMP YELLOW card...Wrobel earns it for hand to face of OBD Vilela at NMP 50 yard line.
83 min...OBD Lovell is injured breaking up rush on right just outside OBD box.
85 min...OBD Connor McNamara makes big header to clear cross from left into OBD box.
86 min...OBD Santos eludes defender to get away 22 yard shot down middle that goalie dives to smother at 10 yards.
87 min...OBD sub...Roberts replaces Vilela.
90 min...NMP Bernal 25 yard freekick from left has goalie punch ball up in crowd of players and play is whistled down
when ball lands.
91 min...NMP Daniel Whyte rush to endline on right and cross from 18 yards along end line is deflected by sliding
defender out for cornerkick.
92 min...NMP Fenton cornerkick from right has goalie catch at 2 yards.
94 min...OBD Santos rolls pass from right across box. OBD Hernandez gets away 15 yard shot that is just over bar in middle.
96 min...game ends 5:54pm.

Final Score:...Oakville Blue Devils.....1....North Mississauga Panthers...0...

Attendance was at least 300 on this warm and sunny day. I wanted to see this 
game as all the GTA games were around the same time so I'd only be able 
to get to one. I had expected from midweek weather reports that there'd 
be rain every day this week that I'd be glad of shelter in the covered stands. 
The stands today kept the burning sun off the fans and we didn't need 
to squint. I didn't get to this stadium last season so it was nice to see 
it again. Covered stands! That's been a selling point for the last month 
on their tweets as the weather has been so wet. Only limit is their games 
have to be matinees because the field doesn't have lights.

Referee Vladimir Makarov gave out only two Yellow cards, one to each team. 
I didn't notice any deliberate dives to try for a Penalty call which was 
a pleasant surprise from some of the 'pro' games I saw highlights of 
last night. There were a few injuries but nothing too serious. The DJ plays 
'Theme From M*A*S*H' whenever a trainer comes onto the field.

Matt George earned the shutout for Oakville. This would be his third 
of the season. He has played every minute of their five games so far and 
only allowed four goals. He made the move to the Blue Devils in the off 
season after playing for Woodbridge Strikers for the first three years 
of L1O. It was after he left that Strikers signed Quillan Roberts who earned 
a shutout last night against Aurora.

Blue Devils could have made it easier for themselves if they'd scored 
an insurance goal. They made a triple player switch at 56 minutes for more 
offence but they still couldn't get one more goal.  Mathew Santos was one 
of them who scored two goals in the last ten minutes in their come from 
behind win over TFC III two weekends ago.

While OBD limited the NMP chances there was always the chance that NMP would 
get a last minute breakaway or Penalty kick. George had to make a punch 
up of a 25 yard freekick in a crowd of players at 90 minutes in the box and 
the play was whistled down before the ball landed. Injury time had him catch 
a cornerkick at 2 yards between a crowd of players.

Blue Devils have brothers 'Mikeal Taylor McNamara' who is the 
captain/midfielder and takes most of the corners and freekicks and 
'Julian Connor McNamara' also playing midfield. I have been watching 
them since their PDL Toronto Lynx days. Oldest post by a quick search 
of my own archives was back in the 2008 season. Spelling combos of Mikeal, 
Taylor, and Konnor turn up different games. Connor/Konnor had retired 
a few years ago from what I'd heard at the time were head injuries/concussions 
but it is nice to see him back.  Their father Glenn McNamara is an assistant 
coach with the team. Head coach Duncan Wilde has been head coach with 
a one year interruption all the way back to 2004 when Lynx were in the 
A-League/USL. Previous Lynx coach from 1997 to 2003 was Peter Pinnizzotto 
who is current coach of Woodbridge Strikers!

Panthers had a brother combo of their own with Anthony Whyte in goal who 
made some big saves and defender Daniel Whyte. Anthony has played goal 
for Sigma FC in their L1O days and for the Guyana national team in 2015 
and 2016. Anthony got into two games for Guyana in 2015.

Thanks for this tip to L1O chair Dino Rossi who thought he'd check out 
today's action. He said he was surprised that the age of players of the 
league has averaged two years older than last year. He speculated that 
players are showcasing their skills this year waiting for a chance to jump 
to the CanPL league starting in 2018. That also lets him off the hook for 
the question I corner him with every year "Are there any professional players 
in the league?" Yes Matthew Srbely was announced earlier this year but 
he's on some kind of TFC II USL/TFC III L1O hybrid contract. Some players 
make money working at the soccer camps and clinics. The CanPL will let L1O 
concentrate on being a development league for them. Ahh ha! That's what 
I expected the year this league got started when I'm measuring the paid gates 
in the dozens for most teams. It wouldn't be fair to charge parents of the 
youth players even more to pay a pro team. The older players moving 
on opens up roster spots for the younger players.

Oakville improves to a record of 4 wins, 1 loss, 0 ties for 12 points good 
for second place in the Western Conference. That's four wins in a row for 
them after losing on opening weekend at home to Sigma FC who are in first 
place. Sigma slipped up today with 'only' a 3-3 tie against Windsor TFC 
and lead Oakville by one point at 4 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie.

North Mississauga falls to 1 win, 4 losses, 0 ties for 3 points and are 
now sixth place in the eight team West.

Both these teams play an L1O Cup first round game on Wednesday night. 
Oakville travel to Durham and North Mississauga host Windsor. Now this 
is the night TFC III play instead of last Wednesday when they had to 
lend players to USL TFC II for a matinee game because MLS TFC had borrowed 
about six guys for their Canadian Championship game in Ottawa the night 
before. Even though they didn't use them all, TFC didn't return to Toronto 
until 4:00am. ...Anyway TFC III beat their rivals Sigma FC 1-0 to advance 
just two weeks after getting pummeled 4-1 in a league match with 
a full team.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Oakville Blue Devils starters