October 1, 2017 League 1 Ontario--Match Recap: Sanjaxx Lions vs Oakville Blue Devils (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday October 1, 2017 League 1 Ontario game between Sanjaxx Lions
and Oakville Blue Devils played at Monarch Park in Toronto at 2:00pm.

Sanjaxx Lions (all navy, yellow numbers)

.................1 Nuno Goncalves
........4 Zain Azharuddin...18 Nathaniel Rodney-Scarlett...5 Jamal Sanca
19 Mateo Lasso...22 Fabio Vilaca...16 Kemar Rowe (cpt)...8 Tomas Ondras...6 Luca Crimi
............10 Quinn Kirkendall...9 Israel Perrin

Subs:...01 Tayjon Campbell (gk)...12 Vince Rossi...11 Julio Carvalho...14 Petro Kollias
...17 James Carvalho
team officials:...head coach Laza Lowe...other team officials Nickie Bonafede, Devon Porter,
and Remberto Luna

Oakville Blue Devils (white socks and shorts, navy shorts and numbers)

.................27 Matt George
8 Judah Hernandez...20 Hitesh Joshi...18 Christian Young...3 Gurjot Uppal
16 Khody Ellis...10 Braden Culver...14 Mikeal Taylor McNamara (cpt)...22 Al James
............23 Anthony Novak...9 Filipe Vilela

Subs:...29 Brett Goold (gk)...15 Anthony Doran...19 Shamar Wright...24 Christian Kusiewicz
...25 Stephen Ademolu...21 Glen McMahon
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Billy Steele, Brett Mosen,
and Glenn McNamara

Game offcials:...referee Hassein Riffai...referee's assistants Mike Stacy and Anthony D'Ambro
...fourth official Jessica Patton...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 1:59pm...Sanjaxx defends west end on this mild afternoon with a bright
sun in the south west and a breeze from the south.
2 min...Sanjaxx RED card...Israel Perrin earns a direct ejection from referee Hassane Rifai for
bashing into OBD goalie Matt George on the edge of OBD box as George was jumping for ball.
George needs trainer for injury.
5 min...OBD Hernandez cross from 20 yards has defender pop up ball with foot and goalie catches.
6 min...Novak turns and 7 yard shot that's saved by goalie.
9 min...OBD Uppal cornerkick from left has OBD player head ball wide right on bounce from 6 yards.
10 min...SJ Ondras cornerkick from right is cleared. OBD goalie catches cross from left.
11 min...OBD player runs cornerkicfk out from left and rolls pass to center and OBD MaNamara shoots 20 yarder
down middle over bar.
12 min...OBD Novak rolls ball from left and OBD Hernandez shoots over net from 18 yards.
13 min...SJ Rodney-Scarlett is injured on edge of SJ box blocking shot.
17 min...SJ player cornerkick from right has OBD player head away from 8 yards in crowd of players.
18 min...OBD James cross from 20 yards along left end line has OBD Novak head 2 yarder down middle
over net on jump.
19 min...SJ goalie dives forward to punch ball away but OBD player called offside.
21 min...OBD players work out a short cornerkick from left then have low cross cleared by defenders.
21 min...OBD players work out another short cornerkick from left and cross is headed away.
22 min...OBD players 25 yard tap around of freekick has SJ players break up play for fast break.
23 min...SJ Ondras cornerkick from right is headed away.
23 min...SJ Ondras 30 yard freekick from right bounces in front of goalie but he gives up cornerkick
on clearance bobble.
25 min...OBD Braden Culver GOAL...OBD Al James takes long throw-in from near left cornerflag and
a defender on the left post jumps and flicks header into center of box. An OBD player takes an 8 yard shot
that's blocked and Culver shoots in 6 yard shot forward and low to right side of net.
30 min...SJ Ondras blasts 30 yard low freekick from left that goalie bats down and picks up on right post.
32 min...OBD Hernandez 30 yard freekick from right s tap over to OBD McNamara who shoots 25 yard high
and wide left.
33 min...OBD Joshi long throw-in from right has defender head at 5 yards and goalie flies to left to catch ball.
34 min...OBD Hernandez pass across box from left instead of shoots and defender clears.
34 min...OBD Novak blasts loose ball up middle from 20 yards wide right.
37 min...OBD Ellis cuts in from left and low shot is cleared by SJ Rowe inside 6 yard box after deflection is stopped.
39 min...OBD Novak run down middle and 20 yard shot between defenders and hits inside of right post but deflects across box.
41 min...SJ Vilaca is injured at OBD 40 yard line.
42 min...SJ goalie dives out to 10 yards on right to smother ball before OBD Novak can get to it.
43 min...SJ Ondras cornerkick from left into box and has two shots blocked on edge of box.
44 min...SJ Sanca makes sliding block to stop OBD James shot.
45 min...OBD players fake freekick then OBD McNamara blasts 25 yard freekick up middle which goalie catches.
46 min...SJ Vilaca is injured in clash of players.
46 min...OBD McNamara quick freekick down left side ball crosses into box and goalie dives to save OBD Novak's
10 yard shot and defender clears.
47 min...half ends 2:46pm.

Second Half:...starts 3:02pm.
48 min...SJ Ondras 33 yard freekick on right has goalie run forward into crowd of players and punches ball forward
to start fast break out.
49 min...OBD Ellis is injured away from play at SJ 40 yard line.
51 min...OBD Young long throw-in from 45 yard line on right has shot blocked on edge of SJ box.
52 min...OBD McNamara taps ball to left and OBD Novak cross or shot from 28 yards bounce through box.
52 min...OBD sub...Ademolu replaces Ellis.
53 min...OBD Culver rolls through ball pass up middle but no one runs for it and defender picks up.
53 min...OBD Ademolu shoots low 25 yarder up middle wide left of net.
55 min...OBD James is given short pass but falls backwards in box and loses it.
56 min...SJ Rodney-Scarlett cornerkick from right has SJ Sanca in crowd of players head 5 yarder wide left.
58 min...OBD Ademolu flicks header from 15 yards with back to net on cornerkick from right and defender clears.
58 min...SJ Ondras gets off-balance 22 yard shot from left that's well wide left of net.
60 min...OBD Joshi low 28 yard shot from right deflects off defender at 20 yards and spins back to goalie.
61 min...OBD sub...Doran replaces Culver.
61 min...SJ Vlaca 35 yard freekick blast from right is blocked on edge of box.
62 min...OBD Novak goal is called offside on 12 yarder to center of net.
63 min...SJ goalie runs to edge of box to catch bouncer in front of players.
64 min...SJ Ondras 25 yard freekick down middle is caught by goalie in center of goal.
65 min...SJ YELLOW card...Sanca earns it for knocking over OBD Vilela at SJ 22 yard line.
65 min...OBD Hernandez 25 yard freekick from left has OBD Vilela head in 8 yarder but goal is called offside.
66 min...OBD Doran long throw-in from rght is partally cleared and OBD McNamara blast from 25 yards up middle
is blocked.
68 min...OBD Hitesh Joshi wins Penalty kick when OBD Mikael Tyler McNamara keeps ball away from defender even
with himself dragged down and taps ball to Joshi who was tripped up by another defender.
69 min...OBD Anthony Novak GOAL...Novak blasts Penalty kick to left side of net as goalie
Nuno Goncalves crumples in middle of net.
70 min...SJ sub...Julio Carvalho replaces Ondras.
72 min...OBD sub...Kusiewicz replaces McNamara. Hernandez becomes captain.
72 min...OBD Vilela hits bar from 15 yards. OBD Novak has goalie dive to right post to smother ball.
73 min...OBD Stephen Ademolu GOAL...Ademolu receives centering pass and shoots 15 yarder into right
corner of net beyond diving goalie.
75 min...OBD sub...Wright replaces Hernandez. Sub is made while SJ player was treated for injury.
77 min...OBD Doran shot from 20 yards on far right misses net.
78 min...SJ sub...Rossi replaces Rowe.
79 min...OBD Novak turns and shoots over bar but is called offside.
80 min...OBD player's long throw-in from left has OBD Uppal fly to head 6 yarder that hits right post and goalie
catches deflection.
80 min...OBD sub...McMahon replaces Novak.
81 min...OBD Kusiewicz shoots low 20 yarder wide right of net.
82 min...OBD McMahon 15 yard shot from left is bounced to goalie.
84 min...OBD Filipe Vilela is tripped on the left side of the box. The referee was going to award a freekick but
consulted with his assistant before ruling that Vilela was already in the box and changes it to a Penalty kick.
85 min...OBD Filipe Vilela slowly approaches to take Penalty kick before kicking ball and goalie was already
diving left but on knees reached back and caught ball chipped down the middle for save.
86 min...SJ sub...James Carvalho replaces Azharuddin.
87 min...SJ sub...Kollias replaces Lasso.
89 min...OBD Filipe Vilela GOAL...OBD Christian Kusiewicz low cross from right has Vilela stop at 10 yards
in middle and boots low shot into right side of net.
91 min...OBD goalie catches cross from right.
93 min...SJ defender pushes ball back to goalie from 12 yards.
94 min...SJ James 20 yard shot down middle has goalie fly to knock away.
95 min...SJ Sanca pops up cornerkick from left on header and goalie catches.
95 min...game ends 3:52pm.

Final Score:...Sanjaxx Lions...0...Oakville Blue Devils...4...

Attendance was about 35 on this mild afternoon with a bright sun 
in the south of this east-west facing field.

I expected Oakville would be a strong favourite because of the 
difference in the standings but had heard on Friday night of four 
players missing through suspensions or injuries and that may 
be an equalizer but going a man up at two minutes was obviously 
going to favour OBD. The problem with being up a man during the 
first half was that they were looking to make 'one more pass' 
to get a clear shot on net or some thunderous blast that was 
off target. Most of the OBD cornerkicks were short passes and 
run-ins rather than crosses into the box.

Missing OBD players (at least two had made the trip to sit 
in the stands) were Connor McNamara and Victor Gallo and 
Matt Santos. All would be starters on any given week. 
Stefan Nikolic was the best player on Sanjaxx who was missing.

Between OBD's second and third goal (only four minutes apart) 
they had two more chances with a 15 yard shot off the bar 
and the Sanjaxx goalie making a dive to the rght post 
to smother the ball on shots by Anthony Novak and Filipe Vilela.

That third goal was set up by a change in call to a Penalty 
kick rather than a freekick by the referee's assistant. 
That same official had taken away goals at 62 minutes by Novak 
from a shot from 12 yards and 65 by Vilela on an 8 yard header 
both flagged for offside. Novak hit a post at 39 minutes.

Referee Hassane Rifai gave out the Red and one Yellow 
to Sanjaxx and awarded OBD two Penalty kicks. This game had 
a lot of freekicks awarded and some injuries so wasn't 
exactly tame although no other cards were given.

Matt George earned the shutout for Oakville. It wasn't 
a case of whether Sanjaxx would ever win the game but 
whether he could preserve a shutout. Even at 94 minutes 
SJ Fabio Vilaca took a 20 yard shot down the middle and 
George flew to push it wide left of the post. The resulting 
cornerkick (the last play of the game) had SJ Jamal Sanca 
pop up a header and George caught it. The biggest gamble 
was the fact that OBD didn't have a back up goalie today 
and George was flipped over at 2 minutes and if he hadn't 
been able to continue (Sanjaxx Red card or not) OBD players 
would not have been so confident of having a field player 
play goalie and maybe not send as many guys forward.

Nuno Goncalves kept Sanjaxx in the game for the first hour 
with his goaltending although the daring defenders were 
able to clear a lot of potential shots with OBD 
overpassing for the perfect setup.

The loss keeps Sanjaxx in seventh place in the eight team 
Western Conference. Their record is now 4 wins, 14 losses, 
3 ties for 15 points.

Oakville's record improves to 18 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie 
for 55 points with one game to play. They are in first place 
in the West by 6 points over Sigma FC who have two games 
to play. OBD finish their schedule in a cross division 
game against Woodbridge Strikers that was cancelled July 16 
by a lightning storm with WS holding a 1-0 lead in the 
first half. Strikers are tied with Vaughan Azzurri in the 
East but Vaughan have completed their schedule 
(one more win, three less ties) and Strikers have this OBD 
game to play and need a tie or better.

I'd heard that there was talk between the OBD and WS coach 
that if this game didn't matter, both coaches would use 
an all U-21 lineup. The reasoning was that both these teams 
would be playing the championship game against each other 
and it doesn't reveal all their cards with a different 
lineup. Looks like that won't be happening as they both 
need a result.

I hadn't planned on going to that game but may now and 
treat it as 'my final' as it looks like I'll miss the L1O 
championship at Ontario Soccer Centre as the game will 
be on the same day as the MLS Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact 
match in downtown Toronto.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Sanjaxx Lions starters