May 20, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Aurora FC vs Oakville Blue Devils game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 20, 2018 League 1 Ontario game between Aurora FC and Oakville Blue Devils
played at Stewart Burnett Park in Aurora at 7:00pm.

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

..................1 Ryan Collins
......16 Lucas Doros...4 Ian Vidovic...15 James Michaelis
3 Morey Doner (cpt)...6 Carlos Buitrago...8 Maximillian Ferrari...10 Parmpreet Singh...2 Dylan Rennie
.............9 Jordale Byers...7 Karamvir Mehmi

Subs:...12 Adam Scanlon (gk)...5 Michael Nitchov...11 Casey Collis...13 Connor Woodroffe
...14 Luca Ragagnin...17 Inder Thind....18 Kairav Juta
team officials:...team head coach Derek O'Keeffe...assistant coaches Ali Sozeri, David Diplacido,
Don Ferguson, and Marco Ciampa...manager Micke Scanlon...therapist Milad Mohib

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

.......................26 Matt George
24 Carlo DiFeo...5 Konnor McNamara (cpt)...6 Victor Gallo...22 Al James
11 Anthony Doran...10 Braden Culver...19 Logan Podrebarac...23 Anthony Novak
............9 Filipe Vilela...17 Brandon Duarte

Subs:...27 Karman Saini (gk)...4 Matt Monteiro...8 Judah Hernandez...13 Mat Santos
...14 Taylor McNamara...18 Rajvir Khalon
team officials:...team head coach Brett Mosen...assistant coaches Billy Steele, Duncan Wilde,
and Glenn McNamara...therapist Doug McMahon

Game officials:...referee Alexis Vaughan...referee's assistants Kurtis Nozack and Bradley Douborough
...fourth officials Filip Dujic...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 6:59pm...AFC defend south end.
3 min...OBD Culver 30 yard freekick from left sideline has OBD Duarte knock ball down in box. Ball is passed
back to Culver and cross from 25 yards on far left is caught by goalie.
4 min...OBD Konner McNamara stops ball and clears low cross from right into 6 yard box.
6 min...AFC Ferrari cross from near left has goalie catch.
7 min...OBD Novak turns and spins receiving cross from right and 10 yard shot has goalie to right to catch.
7 min...OBD Duarte rolls cross from left end line has AFC player put foot down and deflect ball left for cornerkick.
8 min...OBD player's cornerkick cross from left wins another cornerkick on left. OBD player's second cornerkick has
OBD player tip wide.
9 min...AFC Singh blasts 30 yarder down middle on midair shot that goalie catches.
14 min...OBD YELLOW card...Podrebarac earns it for sliding tackle on AFC Buitrago at 30 yard line.
15 min...OBD goalie catches 25 yard cross from near right cornerflag.
15 min...OBD Philip Vilela GOAL...OBD goalie Matt George grabs ball in box and punts ball downfield.
Vilela gets to ball on long bounce down middle at 30 yards and blasts a 20 yarder into the top
right corner of the net over goalie Ryan Collins.
17 min...OBD doran cornerkick from right is low and AFC player clears.
18 min...OBD Duarte heads 15 yarder from left for cornerkick from right and works it way to him and goalie
catches near left post.
20 min...AFC Singh cornerkick from left has nearest defender OBD Difeo head away on left post.
22 min...AFC YELLOW card...goalie Collins earns it for kick clearance on OBD Culver just outside box on right.
23 min...OBD Gallo 20 yard freekick from right is stopped.
24 min...OBD Vilela receives short forward pass from OBD Duarte and blasts 15 yarder down middle over net
and back fence.
25 min...OBD James rush on left and cross into box deflects off AFC Vidovic and is cleared.
28 min...AFC goalie steps forward to punch ball away at 15 yards to beat charging OBD Vilela.
30 min...OBD Doran pass in from right has defender beat OBD Duarte to prevent shot.
31 min...OBD Culver cornerkick from left has AFC Singh head ball away in box.
34 min...AFC Singh cornerkick from right has AFC Mehmi in crowd player blasts low 20 yarder that goalie
catches near right post.
35 min...OBD Vilela chests lown pass down at 18 yards and takes 12 yard shot from far right is caught by goalie
on left.
36 min...OBD Doran is just a step away from high pass to 15 yards on right for header.
40 min...AFC Singh cornerkick from right is kicked around in box but is cleared to short fast break.
41 min...OBD Difeo freekick from 30 yards on right is through players on right. Ball is finally recrossed
from left and OBD Doran blasts 15 yarder well over back fence.
42 min...AFC Singh cornerkick from right has OBD Duarte mule kick a clearance.
43 min...OBD Duarte is given througth ball pass at 25 yards and AFC Buitrago gets back to poke ball away.
45 min...AFC Doner recovers OBD Podrebarac sideways header.
46 min...OBD YELLOW card...Buitrago earns it for grabbing AFC player on run down right.
47 min...AFC player's 35 yard freekick from right has ball stopped on edge of box and AFC Mehmi not able
to win freekick.
47 min...half ends 7:46pm.

Both teams return to their dressing rooms uphill at the rec centre including their subs.

Second Half:...starts 8:02pm...the temperature is cooling off quickly and the bright sun in the north west
won't have set by the end of the game.
halftime sub:...OBD Khalon replaces Doran.
................OBD Hernandez replaces Podrebarac.
49 min...OBD Vilela is ruled offside on goal when OBD Duarte knocked over and after other players stop
and look around.
51 min...AFC Byers eludes defender on right and boots 15 yarder over net and back fence.
52 min...OBD Khalon cross from left into 6 yard box but ball is cleared.
52 min...OBD Hernandez cornerkick from right has AFC Michaelis head away and clears rebound.
53 min...AFC goalie smothers 20 yard roller through players at 8 yards.
53 min...OBD Vilela almost gets to through ball pass splitting defence but can't get away shot on poke away.
54 min...AFC Byers rush down right and cross into box has AFC player have 12 yard shot is blocked by defender
in middle.
58 min...OBD Khalon on rush blasts 22 yarder up middle that flying goalie bats wide right. OBD Hernandez cross
from right end line is caught by goalie.
59 min...AFC Rennie can't turn 5 yard header and heads ball wide right for goalkick.
60 min...AFC sub...Ragagnin replaces Michaelis.
61 min...AFC Vidovic slides on edge of AFC box to poke ball away from OBD Vilela.
62 min...AFC Mehmi low cross into OBD 6 yard box from right has OBD Konnor McNamara clear.
64 min...OBD Khalon bends 30 yard cross from left has goalie punt all away.
65 min...Two OBD players are down in the AFC box on separate collisions. OBD Novack is hurt worse
and needs trainer.
67 min...AFC sub...Collis replaces Singh.
71 min...OBD sub...Taylor McNamara replaces Novak. Konnor McNamara gives brother Taylor
the captain's armband.
.........OBD sub...Roserie replaces Culver.
72 min...OBD Hernandez low cornerkick from right is cleared by nearest defender.
74 min...AFC defender makes key clearance of cross from right into 6 yard box.
75 min...AFC sub...Juta replaces Mehmi.
.........AFC sub...Woodroffe replaces Ferrari.
76 min...OBD Vilela pushes pass from 25 yards in middle to OBD Khalon and he crosses from left end line
over box.
77 min...AFC Doros 35 yard freekick from left is wide right and unplayed for goalkick.
78 min...AFC goalie beats OBD Vilela to catch high chip into box at 15 yards.
80 min...AFC Juta blasts 15 yarder from right that spins off defender and goalie catches on right post.
83 min...AFC YELLOW card...Vidovic earns it for delaying a restart.
.........OBD YELLOW card...Vilela earns it for dissent.
84 min...OBD Khalon is tapped back pass and his 22 yard blast down middle hits outside of left post.
86 min...OBD Hernandez cornerkick from left is short in corner to OBD Khalon so they can waste some time.
88 min...AFC Rennie wins cornerkick on long run on left.
88 min...AFC sub...Nitchov replaces Doros.
88 min...AFC Woodroffe cornekrick from left has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players at 12 yards.
89 min...OBD sub...Santos replaces Vilela.
91 min...AFC Woodroffe 40 yard freekick from left has AFC Byers leap but can't turn header at 8 yards on right.
92 min...OBD YELLOW card...Khalon earns it for not giving 10 yards on AFC freekick at AFC 20 yard line.
92 min...OBD Santos cuts 18 yard shot from left that deflects off defender for cornerkick.
93 min...OBD player's cornerkick is a timewaster on left that's quickly cleared.
94 min...OBD Santos rolls crfoss from 12yards on box and OBD Roserie has 12 yard shot from right is saved
by sprawling goalie at 2 yards.
95 min...game ends 8:52pm after one more time wasting cornerkick on the right.

Final Score:...Aurora FC....0....Oakville Blue Devils....1....

Attendance was about 90 on this mild evening with the temperature cooling fast even with the game ending
before it got dark.

Matt George earned the shutout for Oakville. He had a few routine shots to save but was well protected
by his defenders. Most important was at 88 minutes when AFC Connor Woodroffe took a cornerkick and George
punched the ball away in a crowd of players at 12 yards. This is his third shutout in three games and fourth
for the team as Karman Saini had one in his start. That makes the Blue Devils the only team that hasn't
conceded a goal this season.

Ryan Collins had to be sharp in net for AFC to keep them in the game. He had to make a few punch aways
on plays too dangerous to catch in crowds of players.

Referee Alexis Vaughan ended up giving out six Yellow cards (four to OBD). This game got quite rough
at different times. 65 minutes had two OBD players down injured in the Aurora box on separate collisions
with Anthony Novak (tied for second in L1O scoring with four goals) needing the trainer and having
to be subbed off.

This game had ball trouble throughout the game. There were no ball boys which seemed OK as the field
is regulation size but the confines are quite small. There is only a few feet between the sidelines
and the side and back fencing. It was tough for the subs to warm up and they had to be told
to “keep moving or sit down” even while wearing pinnies. I counted about a dozen times in the first
half where the ball was put out over the fence. There were only about five balls and one of them was
taken out after the opening minute for being too flat. That complaint was used elsewhere in the game
but Vaughan and the fourth official Filip Dujic insisted the balls were all inspected before the game.
There was a time where all the balls were out of play and in a panic a club's warm up ball was used
to keep the game moving.

Both teams eventually brought in five substitutions (L1O max). OBD got things started at halftime
with Judah Hernandez and Rajvir Khalon coming on to stir up their offence. That did work as they both
had chances or set up others but OBD could not get the insurance goal that would have put the game away
so it was tense right through injury time. Khalon had the best at 84 minutes when he was tapped back
a pass and he blasted a 22 yard shot down the middle that hit the outside of the left post.

This was the first game of the season that midfielder Taylor McNamara hadn't started for OBD.
When he did sub in at 71 minutes, his brother Konner gave him his captain's armband although he stayed
on the field. Their father Glenn is an assistant coach.

This park is the third one Aurora has used in their three years of L1O play as geographically they
move further away from Toronto. Stewart Burnett Park is part of the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex
which includes a swimming pool, ice rink, recreation centre, and outside a domed tennis complex
and a baseball diamond. The complex is surrounded by brand new subdivisions—the one near the field
so new that they haven't even laid turf in the backyards. I don't believe the monster homeowners
will appreciate Mr DJ pumping out the tunes when it's time for their kids' bedtimes. The field
is brand new field turf. It looked like the stands could hold 300 comfortably. There is a scoreboard
in the north end.

The over the fence balls reminded me of that poster available years ago of two teams playing
on a cliff island and all the players gazing over the side as the ball had fallen into the water below.
There was one exit through the fencing on the sideline but it was blocked by extra goalie nets
so it made passage difficult when I volunteered to step out and fetch one and it felt like I was
caught in a mousetrap. If they ever do get ball kids for a subsequent game, they should position
them on the other side of the fence!

As this was the last game of the busy weekend the standings have sorted themselves out. Oakville
leads the 17 team league along with Toronto FC III (who won their game two hours earlier) with
identical 3 wins, 0 losses, 1 tie records. Aurora is alone in fifteenth with 0 wins, 2 losses, 2 ties.

This was a very competitive game and shows the league is evening out in competitiveness when last
year's champions could only eke out a 1-0 win for the second time this year and had 0-0 tie
in another game. Of course that argument can be countered with yesterday afternoon's result that
Sigma in only their second game of the season travelled to Ottawa and crushed OSUF 8-0.

These league standings will hold for the next two weeks as next weekend the teams have been drawn
into the second round of the L1O League Cup. Weekend games are always a better draw than previous
year's weeknight games where fields are harder to arrange and an early round might drag on for
three weeks and sometimes at a neutral venue.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Aurora FC starters