July 23, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Sanjaxx Lions vs North Mississauga Panthers (from League 1 Ontario)

   
Scoreless Draw At Monarch As Sanjaxx And North Miss Cannot Find Breakthrough
07/23/2018, 3:30pm EDT
By Mahdi Ghaffaribarzi

Sanjaxx Lions and North Mississauga got one point each thanks to the Lions' keeper, Rodolfo Aguiar, 
who had at least three decisive saves.

Both sides started the match off in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The first half was slow, playing out more in the middle third of the field with no real goal-scoring 
chances created as the teams struggled to open up the opponent's defence.

The second half was a different story - North Mississauga came out swinging, pushing forward to find 
the net and creating some good opportunities.

They had three clear chances to score, but were denied each time by the outstanding performance 
of Sanjaxx keeper, Rodolfo Aguiar.

At the 52 minute mark, Rahim Thorpe found himself alone with Aguiar after a Christopher Simm 
flick-on header, but his shot was parried by the keeper.

Moments later, Simm header hit the bar after being redirected by Aguiar's fingertip save.

North Mississauga's best chance was missed at the 89th minutes, after they earned a penalty, 
but again Aguiar denied Marko Bedenikovic from the spot.

Sanjaxx were in defensive posture for much of the second half and relying on counter-attacks 
to find the net; they created few chances through that strategy, but could have taken the lead 
before a North Miss goal-line clearance denied them.

As both sides failed to find the net, the match ended scoreless with one point for each team.

It was the seventh match out of nine that Sanjaxx failed to score. They have found the net 
only four times in 810 minutes.

North Mississauga are in eighth position - the final playoff spot - by the skin of their teeth. 
Alliance United, Darby FC, Masters, OSU and Sanjaxx are all within striking distance of one 
to four points, respectively. North Miss will need to pad their lead if they are to hold onto 
the playoff spot, and this scoreless draw represents the third time this season they have been 
held goal-less in a league match. 

Sanjaxx Lions's next match is against Toronto Skillz FC on July 29 (5 p.m) 
at Birchmount Stadium, Toronto.

North Mississauga SC will face Aurora FC at Stewart Burnett Park, Aurora on July 29 (7 p.m).

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