July 23, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan Azzurri vs Oakville Blue Devils (by Rocket Robin)

.............................

Result and details of the Sunday July 23, 2017 League 1 Ontario game between
Vaughan Azzurri vs Oakville Blue Devils played at McNaughton Turf in Maple at 2:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy, white numbers, red trim)

...................1 Colm Vance
16 Devante Walker...6 Brandon Mills...5 Daniel Gogarty...2 Jareed Phillips
11 Brandon Mills...4 Christopher Mannella...7 Jahsua Mills...23 Joseph Di Chiara
...........9 Jarek Whiteman (cpt)...10 Tomasz Skublak

Subs:...12 Andrew D'Soluza (gk)...3 Joseph Amato...8 Alexander Zis...14 Andrea Lombardo
...17 Jackson Tooke...18 Andranik Kagramanyan...25 Mario Kovacevic
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...other team officials Patrice Gheisar, Wayne Mills,
Esteban Clavijo, and Tony De Palma

Oakville Blue Devils (all white, navy numbers)

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

Subs:...26 Davie Monk...8 Judah Hernandez...10 Braden Culver...11 Junior Roserie
...17 Nolyn Do Nascimento...18 Christian Young...29 Brandon Duarte
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Brett Mosen and Glenn McNamara

Game offcials:...referee John Vlahos...referee's assistant Lukasz Kowaleski and Adam Devenyl
...fourth official Anthony Di Mambro...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 2:03pm...VA defenders south end on this hot, humid, but mostly overcast day.
2 min...OBD Ellis cornerkick from right is short and crossed into box and popped up by header and goalie
catches on left post and survives bump.
5 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 30 yard freekick from left has ogalie punch ball away. Taylor McNamara gets
ball passed to him and crosses and OBD Vilela connects but shoots high and wide right.
8 min...VA Skublak can't win Penalty kick when brought down by goalie in box on right but OBD were yelling
that it was a hand ball that was how he knocked down the pass.
9 min...VA Skublak runs out of room on run to left end line and rolls ball to goalie.
12 min...VA Brandon Mills on run on rght rolls ball to goalie as no VA player makes run.
15 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 30 yard freekick from right is over to left side of box and OBD Connor McNamara
heads 10 yarder into 6 yard box and is cleared.
18 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 30 yard freekick from left has defender get head to it and ball flicks backwards
and goalie catches on top right near post.
20 min...VA Whiteman cross from 25 yards on right has VA Di Chiara not quite able to fully turn header at 8 yards
and ball is wide left.
25 min...OBD Taylor McNamara cornerkick from right is upfield and passed back to him and cross from 28 yards
is wide left for goalkick.
28 min...OBD Joshi long throw-in from right and OBD Novak can't get away shot at 7 yards in box.
29 min...OBD Taylor McNamara fnishes pressure with 30 yard shot through crowd of players up middle but wide right.
30 min...OBD Ellis run on right and pushes ball over end line.
31 min...VA Di Chiara cornerkck from left is over goalie but defender heads away on right. Eventually VA Whiteman
crosses in on right has defender head ball away at 10 yards.
35 min...VA YELLOW card...Walker earns it for body check on OBD James running to sideline.
36 min...OBD Taylor McNamara taps over freekick from 30 yard line near sideline and OBD Gallo blasts low 30 yarder
just wide left of post.
37 min...VA John makes big block on 25 yard shot up middle.
40 min...VA Whiteman dribbles ball keeping possession at 25 yards and passes forward but play broken up.
42 min...VA Skublak rescues ball on right end lne and cross drifts behind net.
.........OBD YELLOW card...Vilela earns it on delayed call after play.
43 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 25 yard freekick from right has defenders head ball before OBD Vilela can get to it
at 10 yards.
44 min...OBD James cross from left is high over box from 20 yards. OBD Vilela cross from right has OBD Santos
blast 12 yarder down middle has goalie get piece of and pushes ball wide right of post.
44 min...VA Skublak heads away OBD Gallo cornerkick from right sent into box.
46 min...half ends 2:49pm.

Both teams stay out at halftime.

2nd Half:...starts 3:02pm...the weather is still hot and humid but overcast.
45 min...OBD Taylor McNamara cornerkick from right is touched and cross has VA Skublak head ball away from box.
47 min...VA Skublak cross from left has OBD player tip partial clearance and VA player's shot from 18 yards
is blocked.
48 min...VA Jahsua Mills 25 yard freekick from far left has defender clear for cornerkici.
49 min...VA Brandon Mills ends VA pressure with 22 yard shot up middle between players but wide right of net.
50 min...VA Walker long throw-in from right is whistled down for VA hand ball in box.
50 min...OBD Santos wins freekick on edge of box in middle.
52 min...OBD Taylor McNamara 18 yard freekick is thouched around and OBD Vilela low 18 yard shot up middle
has defender stop at 6 yards.
54 min...OBD Vilela run on left and rolls 25 yarder across box unplayed.
55 min...OBD YELLOW card...James earns it for foul at OBD 40 yard line.
56 min...VA Brandon Mills 45 yard freekick from right has goalie punch ball away to left.
57 min...OBD YELLOW card...Connor McNamara earns it for tackle on VA Whiteman at OBD 45 yard line from behind.
59 min...VA Mannella 50 yard freekick from right has defender flick header to left and VA Phillips low cross
doesn't result in shot.
60 min...OBD Joshi long throw-in has OBD Ellis chest ball down and bicycle kick from 28 yards wide left of net.
62 min...OBD Matthew Santos GOAL...OBD Filipe Vilela passes from far right low to Santos who shoots
low 15 yarder forward to left past diving goalie Colm Vance.
62 min...VA sub...Lombardo replaces Jahsua Mills.
64 min...VA Di Chiara 45 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away.
65 min...VA goalie beats OBD Santos to slide and clear ball at 50 yards and OBD Taylor McNamara at 55 yards
on left chips shot wide left of net on bouncer.
68 min...VA Di Chiara 33 yard freekick from right has goalie leap to bat down.
69 min...OBD Taylor McNamara cornerkick from left. OBD Novak flicks 8 yard header from left post wide
right of post.
69 min...OBD sub...Hernandez replaces Podrebarac.
........OBD sub...Roserie replaces Novak.
71 min...VA YELLOW card...Skublak earns it for arm to OBD Hernandez on OBD 30 yards breaking out.
72 min...OBD Gallo 75 yard freekick down right has OBD player not able to turn header at 15 yards.
73 min...OBD Roserie gets pass from OBD Taylor McNamara at 15 yards for right and wins cornerkick
on cross deflection.
74 min...OBD Hernandez cornerkick from right has defender head out left side of box.
74 min...OBD player kicks ball out of bounds after whistle.
.........VA YELLOW card...Phillips earns it for dissent.
78 min...VA Lombardo cornerkick from right bounces through box for throw-in on left.
81 min...VA player takes quick 25 yard freekick from right but rolls it to goalie.
82 min...OBD Ellis is injured at VA 20 yard line.
83 min...OBD sub...Duarte replaces Ellis.
.........VA sub...Kovacevic replaces Walker.
85 min...VA Gogarty ends VA pressure with 22 yard shot that's just wide right of top corner.
87 min...VA sub...Tooke replaces Brandon Mills.
.........OBD sub...Culver replaces Santos.
87 min...OBD Vilela rolls pass from right cornerflag and OBD Roserie rolls 15 yard shot wide left of post.
88 min...VAD Chiara cornerkick from left has goalie swing arm and punch ball out of box.
89 min...VA Mannella chips cross from 20 yards on left and defendeer beats VA player's left to head ball away
on right.
92 min...VA Lombardo cornerkick from right is popped around in box with headers.
92 min...VA Whiteman is injured on edge of VA box giving up freekick.
93 min...OBD sub...Do Nascimento replaces Vilela.
94 min...VA Kovacevic 22 yard shot from left has goalie swat ball wide right.
95 min...OBD Nolyn Do Nascimento GOAL...Do Nascimento on left gets pass at 60 yards and quickly shoots
low into empty net as VA goalie had joined the attack.
96 min...VA Kovacevic 12 yard shot from left is across box and VA John misses flying header on play and ball
continues wde right of net.
96 min...game ends 3:53pm.

Final Score:...Vaughan Azzurri.......0.....Oakville Blue Devils....2....

Attendance was about 60 on this hot and humid, mostly overcast afternoon.

I could see this game was going to be intense from the opening moments. 
After one half I was thinking a scoreless draw or possible 1-1 was 
a likely result.

The referee wasn't the one scheduled. John Vlahos moved up from the AR 1 
position. This is however at least the third time I've seen him referee this 
year. He put up with a lot of chatter from players and coaches and could give 
his reasoning for making and not making calls. Not giving calls for dissent 
just made the complaining worse. Dialogue from film director Quentin 
Tarentino! The players were mouthing off to opponents within days after some 
of them were playing together on the League 1 Ontario All Star team that beat 
their counterparts from Quebec on Wednesday.  VA head coach Carmine Isacco had 
just returned from suspension and was a little more subdued than OBD head coach 
Duncan Wilde.  Most intense was when the call was given for five additional 
minutes of injury time in the second half (turned into six). Wilde complained 
the whole time about it being too long and only stopped for about 30 seconds 
when Nolyn Do Nascimento scored then he was back at it. Do Nascimento proved 
a genius sub as he scored within two minutes of coming on and was probably 
brought on just to eat some of the injury time and let All-Star team Filipe Vilela 
take a bow.

Vlahos gave out six Yellow cards that I counted with [edit: each team earning
three cards]. Maybe he got even with all the players by not scheduling water breaks! 
Both teams stayed on the field during halftime rather than walk 500+ yards across 
the street and parking lot to the dressing rooms.

Matt George earned the shutout for Oakville. He made a few swats clearing balls 
inside his crowded six yard box rather than risk catching and surviving drops 
or bumps by opponents.

Both teams of defenders more than halved the work for their goalies with blocks 
and headers cutting down on dangers in the box.

Andrea Lombardo came in as a midfield substitute for Vaughan at 62 minutes. 
I hadn't seen him play in something like three years for Vaughan. He was a member 
of the original Toronto FC MLS teams of 2007 and 2008. He is now 30 years old 
and from I've read a real estate agent and a coach in the Vaughan system. 
This game he fit right in taking at least three cornerkicks.  Is he eyeing 
a position in that new Canadian league?  

I spoke to OBD midfielder Al James after the game. Two Sundays ago I was within 
ten feet of him when he was headbutted near the sideline in a game against 
Toronto Skillz. He was taken away by ambulance and he said he received twelve 
stitches over his left eye. He said they did a good job and I agreed as I could 
hardly see any markings after only two weeks.  I took one-third as many in the 
early 1970s by a dog bite and I can still see the scar over my eyebrow. He said 
he was sat out last weekend's game in Oakville which eventually was postponed 
after three rain delays and Woodbridge Strikers holding a 1-0 lead. That game 
will have to be replayed as it could mean a lot in the standings of second 
in the West (Oakville) and first in the East (Woodbridge) at the current time.

The loss for Vaughan means their record falls to 7 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie 
for 22 points for third place in the Eastern Conference. They are seven points 
behind (now knowing Woodbridge won a few hours later—I was there!). Azzurri has 
cooled down losing three of their last four games. Things might get worse for 
last year's league champs as they may have players draw duty at York University 
once their programs starts up again for this season.

Oakville's win improves their record to 10 wins, 2 losses, 0 ties for 30 points 
for second place in the West. They are five points behind undefeated Sigma FC 
but because of last week's postponed game, they have one game in hand.

Only two more weeks of the East vs West Conference matchups before the league 
reverts back to games within the Conference for the final third of the season.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters