September 24, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Match Recap: Vaughan Azzurri vs Ottawa South United Force (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday September 24, 2017 League 1 Ontario game
between Vaughan Azzurri vs Ottawa South Union Force played at McNaughton Turf in Maple at 3:00pm.

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

.................12 Shyon Gaaeni
11 Brandon Mills...4 Matthew Arnone...6 Christopher Mannella...14 Jorgo Nika
9 Jarek Whiteman...7 Jackson Tooke...23 Joseph Di Chiara...3 Joseph Amato
.............25 Mario Kovacevic...8 Ryan Raposo

Subs:...1 Anthony Cerminara (gk)...2 Anthony Longo...5 Zachary Zitoli...10 Jason Mills
...17 Josh Belluz...18 Dante Pavan
team offcials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...other team officials Wayne Mills, Esteban Clavjo,
and Tony De Palma

Ottawa South United Force (all white, blue number)

...............61 Luc Rowlands
3 Felix Joos...23 Julian White...54 Ian Kerr...13 Ali Jabara
20 David Chung...9 Seth Grant...8 Roberto Dinuzzo...11 Ali Ercan...53 Ryan Massoud
................12 Abdulrahman Akinwande

Subs:...6 Hamdi Djama...19 Idir Zaher...16 Zachary Wilton
team officials:...team head coach Traan Mateas (only one actually here)

Game offcials:...referee Filip Dujic...referee's assistants Souhail Abdala and Jason Olinski
...fourth official Nicolas Piperno...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

Both teams come out late for warmups and why not? With the hot weather, half the time
is long enough.

1st Half:...game starts 3:03pm...VA defends south end on this very hot and humid with the bright
sun in the south.
20 sec...VA Raposo blasts 10 yard shot from left wide left.
1 min...VA Mario Kovacevic GOAL...VA Jarek Whiteman flicks tap over pass to Kovacevic who
blasts 12 yarder down middle into middle of net over sliding goalie Luc Rowlands.
5 min...VA Raposo low 10 yard blast is tipped over to right by sliding goalie.
5 min...VA Raposo flies for 7 yard header down middle just wide right of post.
6 min...VA Raposo bends 25 yard cross from left is wide right.
8 min...VA Raposo cornerkick from left has defender head away on right post.
9 min...VA Ryan Raposo GOAL...Raposo on a give and go play with Mario Kovacevic inside the
OSUF box at 12 yards and finishes with 6 yard shot.
12 min...VA Di Chiara has blast blocked at 15 yards on right.
13 min...VA Raposo cornerkick from left is short and out to VA Amato and his chip to right
from 30 yards is eventually cleared.
14 min...VA Di Chiara 45 yard blast high and wide right.
14 min...OSUF Massoud run down left and low 28 yard shot is stopped by sliding goalie and defender
clears big rebound.
16 min...VA Di Chiara off balance 25 yard shot well high wide right.
17 min...VA Ryan Raposo GOAL...Raposo makes short run down left then cuts along 18 yard line and
shoots 18 yarder through screen of defenders and teammates into left side of net.
19 min...VA Raposo pivots and low 25 yard shot up middle is wide right.
20 min...VA Arnone low blast from 45 yards through players and goalie dives to push ball wide right of box.
21 min...VA Di Chiara low blast from 45 yards through players and goalie dives to push all wide right of box.
22 min...OSUF sub...Djama replaces Jabara.
24 min...VA Tooke blast from 22 yards deflects off teammate in crowd of players wide right for goalkick.
25 min...VA Raposo rush up left and bends low 25 yard shot just wide right of post.
25 min...the referee calls a water break.
28 min...play resumes.
29 min...VA Amato rescues ball on OSUF left end line and cross through box is cleared.
30 min...VA Nika and VA Di Chiara play give and go but final touch by Nika too far forward at 12 yards
rolls to goalie.
31 min...VA Raposo fires low cross from 15 yards just step ahead of VA Whiteman at 6 yards.
32 min...VA Mannella 22 yard freekick on far left has goalie swat away from top right post.
33 min...VA Kovacevic rolls pass to VA Whiteman and low 10 yard shot on left side of net has goalie dive
and push to right.
34 min...OSUF Massoud low 25 yard blast from left is stopped by sprawling goale giving up cornerkick
on defender.
35 min...OSUF players work out short cornerkick on left and cross is cleared.
36 min...VA Whiteman bashes up right and 20 yard blast hits high on right post.
38 min...VA goalie to edge of box to clear long bouncer ahead of OSUF Akinwande.
41 min...VA Raposo low cross from 12 yards near left endline is unplayed.
42 min...VA Tooke rolls 25 yarder through players and rolls wide for goalie to pick up.
43 min...VA Jarek Whiteman GOAL...VA Christopher Mannella rolls pass forward
from 25 yards for VA Mario Kovacevic who taps ball left for Whiteman to blast 12 yarder
that deflects off defender and with goalie diving to right the ball flies into left
side of net.
45 min...half ends 3:48pm...there's no added time despite the long water break. Only OSUF
players go back to the dressing room.

Second Half:...starts 4:07pm.
Halftime sub:...OSUF Wilton replaces Joos.
46 min...VA Brandon Mills cuts low cross through box and cleared VA Tooke blasts 30 yarder
high wide right.
46 min...VA Whiteman blasts low shot wide from 25 yards after receiving short pass.
50 min...VA Whiteman intercepts pass and 22 yard shot from left is high and wide right.
53 min...VA Brandon Mills cross from 25 yards on right near end line is caught by goalie
near left post.
53 min...VA Whiteman shoots 12 yarder wide right from left.
54 min...VA Mannella low 40 yard blast between players is wide right.
56 min...VA Mannella is tapped pass and low blast from 22 yards is wide left.
56 min...VA sub...Jason Mills replaces Kovacevic.
.........VA sub...Zitoli replaces Tooke.
57 min...VA Ryan Raposo GOAL...VA Christopher Mannella on right taps short pass over
to Raposo in middle and he shoots 20 yarder to left side of net past flying goalie.
60 min...VA Mannella sends long through ball chip but not quite rescued on right end line
by VA Raposo.
61 min...VA Raposo receives long pass at 25 yards on right eludes defender and blasts shot
off left post.
63 min...VA sub...Pavan replaces Raposo.
........VA sub...Longo replaces Arnone.
64 min...VA Zitoli rolls pass forward to VA Whiteman who has defender check him at 12 yards and
gives up cornerkick.
64 min...VA players work out short cornerkick from left nad VA Whiteman heads 5 yarder on right
post over bar.
65 min...VA Pavan runs up middle and rolls ball through players wide left of net.
68 min...VA Zachary Zitoli GOAL...VA Jarek Whiteman backheels a pass to Zitoli who dribbles
and shoots 15 yarder on left into right corner of net.
68 min...waterbreak is called.
70 min...VA sub...Belluz replaces Nika.
71 min...play resumes.
75 min...VA Pavan blasts 30 yard shot that hits VA Whiteman and deflects wide left for goalkick.
76 min...OSUF sub...Zaher replaces Chung.
78 min...VA Whiteman cross from 20 yards on left end line has VA Zitoli head 6 yarder on right off
right post.
80 min...VA player's cornerkick from right is quick and short and VA Brandon Mills dekes two players
on right end line but is checked off ball at 5 yards by third player.
81 min...OSUF Akinwande 15 yard shot from right is wide right.
83 min...VA Mannella taps pass right to VA Whiteman who runs to right end line and 12 yard cross
is caught by goalie.
84 min...VA Brandon Mills run from right but is checked off ball.
84 min...VA Zitoli is centered pass and turns and 25 yard shot down middle is over bar.
85 min...OSUF Massoud run on left and gets away shot around VA Brandon Mills at 12 yards on left
that's caught by goalie.
86 min...VA Christopher Mannella GOAL...VA Joseph Di Chiara passes ball from 25 yards on right.
Mannella turns and shoots low 20 yard blast into right side of net.
88 min...VA Di Chiara 30 yard freekick blast is blocked by head in wall of players.
89 min...VA Jospeh Di Chiara GOAL...Di Chiara receives pass on right and low 22 yard blast is into
left corner of net.
90 min...game ends 4:53pm with no added time.

Final Score:...Vaughan Azzurri...8...Ottawa South United Force...0...

Attendance started at 1 as I was the only one there for the national 
anthem but picked up to about 25 by the end of the first half. 
This was an extremely hot and humid day—not just for September but 
compared to any day in July and August. Something like 33.6 C with 
a heat index of 40 C made it the hottest day of the year in the GTA.

Referee Filip Dujic gave out no cards in this game but proved popular 
by arranging a water break in each half. With the game being put out 
of reach so early, he did not add any time at the end of each half. 
Only OSUF went back to their dressing rooms at halftime.

OSUF brought only three subs. All but two players were under 23s 
on the original game sheet although there were four write-ins added 
before game time so I'm not sure of their ages. The team names look 
unrecognizable from when I saw them almost exactly one month ago. 
Most of the game was played in the OSUF end.

Ryan Raposo scored three goals. That's seven goals in only nine 
goals since he started playing for L1O from the end of June and 
only the last six games that he's been a starter. He returned from 
the Canada Games this summer at age 18 after being named Top Player 
and part of the gold medal Team Ontario.

Jarek Whiteman's one goal means he leads the league with 26 markers. 
Maybe it's unfair for me to say he had an off game but he had many 
more chances and shot or headed off target that he winced when 
later chances went astray. He leads the league at 1763 minutes 
(league games) played this season.

Chris Mannella was back playing for Vaughan after a trip to Spain.
Things didn't go so well as one team were willing to sign him but 
not pay him until December. Another team expected him to work full 
time as well as play. I'd say the new Can Prem league can't start 
soon enough for him.

Shyon Gaaeni earned the shutout for Vaughan (born 1999). He made 
a few routine stops. The defenders cleared some big rebounds 
at the very beginning but OSUF never had enough guys up front 
to threaten all but long shots.

The win improves Vaughan's record to 15 wins, 5 losses, 1 loss 
for 46 points. They take over first place in the Eastern Conference 
for a few hours anyway until Woodbridge Strikers play tonight. 
Their eight goals this afternoon moves them into a tie with TFC III 
for first in goals scored with 67.

The loss drops the OSUF record to 6 wins, 12 losses, 1 tie 
for 19 points. They are in six place in the eight team East.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters