July 23, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Oakville Blue Devils vs Vaughan Azzurri League Cup Semi-Final (from League 1 Ontario)

    
Azzurri Through To Men's 2018 L1 Cup Final After 2-0 Defeat Of Oakville
07/23/2018, 3:45pm EDT
By Irene Halis

Goals from Jarek Whiteman (48') and Mario Kovacevic (63') were enough to put Vaughan Azzurri 
through to the finals of the men's 2018 L1 Cup after a 2-0 win over the Oakville Blue Devils.

The game was chippy from the get-go as both teams displayed high energy and shared possession 
of the ball.

A chance would come early in the game for Vaughan when Anthony Osorio's free-kick was swung 
into the box, but Shiquan Lowe couldn't quite redirect the header on target and sailed 
it over the bar.

The left foot of Osorio was a threat all game as he whipped in numerous dangerous free-kicks 
and corners that troubled Oakville's defence and forced punching saves from goalkeeper Matt George.

Oakville would get a chance when Anthony Novak neatly beat some Vaughan defenders and found a space 
to shoot, but his right foot strike was denied by the diving hands of Vaughan goalkeeper 
Michael Argyrides.

The stalemate would be broken in the first few minutes of the second half as Vaughan's Osorio 
swung a corner in that was met by the head of Whiteman at the near post, giving goalkeeper George 
no chance of saving it.

An equalizer from Oakville looked promising as Filipe Vilela troubled Vaughan on the left side 
with shots, crosses, and a hard work ethic. His one shot was denied by the crossbar after he beat 
some defenders and unleashed a dangerous strike - Vaughan players and supporters surely held their 
breath for just a moment.

Oakville's Vilela dribbled down the left side minutes later and was taken down in the box resulting 
in a penalty kick. He stepped up to take it and was denied by Vaughan's Argyrides, who made several 
crucial saves this half on Vilela.

Vaughan would answer with lots of pressure at the other end as a second goal looked favourable. 
A scramble in the box from a threatening Osorio corner created a loose ball as Kovacevic made no mistake, 
slotting it into the bottom right corner to put his team up 2-0.

Oakville would not give up as Vilela and Judah Hernandez had efforts late in the game that sailed off 
target or were saved by Argyrides.

Vaughan had a late chance to get another one on the scoresheet as Jason Mills was slotted through on goal 
but denied by Oakville's George, who did well to come off his line.

Both teams were determined to fight to the final whistle, but Oakville ultimately couldn't finish their 
chances and were shut down in the last ten minutes of the game by Vaughan's defence.

Vaughan advance to play Toronto FC III in the finals of the L1 Cup on August 4 at the Ontario Soccer Stadium.

Oakville Blue Devils will next play Sigma FC on July 28 (4:00 p.m.) at Hershey Centre, Mississauga. 

Vaughan Azzurri will next play Woodbridge SC on July 29 (7:00 p.m.) at Vaughan Grove, Woodbridge. 

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