September 14, 2018 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan Azzurri vs Sigma FC game review (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Friday September 14, 2018 between Vaughan Azzurri vs Sigma FC
played at The Ontario Soccer Centre in Woodbridge at 7:30pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy, white numbers)

......................1 Matt George
2 Devante Walker...5 Justin Springer...23 Shiquan Lowe...20 Daniel Cramarossa
13 Zachary Drake...6 Matthew Arnone...8 Dylan Sacramento...14 Jarek Whiteman (cpt)
..............10 Lucas Puntillo...15 Austin Ricci

Subs:...12 Michael Argyrides (gk)...4 Alain Sargeant...7 Jashua Mills...11 Brandon Mills
...16 Edward Lay...17 Massimo Mirabelli...19 Mario Kovacevic
team officials:...team head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coaches Francesco Vescio, Patrice Gheisar,
and Wayne Mills...manager Tony De Palma...therapist Estaban Clavijo

Sigma FC (all white, blue numbers)

.....................1 Triston Henry
2 Reggie Laryea...4 Jelani Smith...3 Dominic Samuel...5 Kyle Walton
14 David Velastegui...8 Giuliano Frano (cpt)...20 Christian Samaniego...7 Kadell Thomas
.............19 Charlie Anagho-Ntamark...18 Tristan Borges

Subs:...31 Baj Mann (gk)...9 Daniel Jodah...10 Justin Stoddart...15 Duran Lee
...16 Klaidi Cela...17 Montther Mohsen...21 Mansoor Alfazy
team officials:...team head coaches John Zervos and Philip Opassinis...assistant coach David Igreja
...manager Perry Chadjiioannou...equipment manager Joseph Hanley...therapist Kiran Persad

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee's assistants Nicolas Piperno and John O'Hara
...fourth official Filip Dujic...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 7:35pm...VA defends north end on this mild and humid evening with the sun
already down before the game started.
1 min...VA Puntillo low 22 yard shot bounced to goalie on left side of net.
5 min...Sigma Walton 30 yard cross from left is caught by goalie stepping in front of charging players.
5 min...VA Ricci centering pass attempt on left inside Sigma box is blocked and so he tries himself
and shoots low 15 yarder just wide left of goal.
11 min...VA Ricci escapes with ball in alone from midfield on left and rush to 15 yards with low shot stopped
by sliding goalie at 6 yards on left post. A big rebound for VA Whiteman at 18 yards but defender makes
sliding clearance and Whiteman flips over him injured. Sigma players get away on fast break and VA goalie
saves 25 yarder with catch.
15 min...VA sub...Kovacevic replaces injured Whiteman and becomes captain. Whiteman had been injured earlier and
had not returned to the game.
16 min...VA Arnone long cross from 28 yards near left end line ends up winning cornerkick on right.
17 min...VA Puntillo cornerkick from right has VA Drake head 12 yarder from left just over top right corner of goal.
18 min...VA Ricci after run to center rolls 22 yarder between players to goalie.
20 min...Sigma Anagho-Ntamark in center at 22 yard line rolls pass to right and VA Velastegui shoots 22 yard roller
to goalie. 20 min...VA Ricci takes 18 yard shot from left near end line wide right.
23 min...VA Kovacevic has 15 yard shot in box blocked. VA Sacramento eventually has high cross from left caught by goalie.
24 min...Sigma Thomas has shot blocked. Sigam Velastegui wins cornerkick on his rebound from 25 yards that's low and deflected
off defender.
25 min...Sigma Frano cornerkick from right is over box and ball is headed away.
28 min...VA Puntillo cross from right is headed away.
29 min...Sigma Walton low 30 yard cross from far left is cleared in middle of box by defender.
30 min...Sigam Velastegui cornerkick from right has defender head out left side of box.
31 min...Sigma Frano can't connect in middle on 10 yard bicycle kick on cross from right.
35 min...VA Puntillo centering cross from 15 yards on right and Sigma Smith pops up header at 6 yards and Sigma goalie charges
out to make leaping catch at 10 yards.
36 min...VA Ricci is hurt at Sigma 30 yard line in collision.
38 min...VA player's cross from left has Sigma Walton clear on right side of box.
39 min...VA Lowe checks ball off Sigma Anagho-Ntamark on run into right side of box.
40 min...VA Puntillo cuts in from right along 20 yard line and shoots 20 yarder down middle just over bar in middle.
42 min...Sigma Walton low cross along left end line is cleared by defender.
43 min...Sigma Walton 22 yard freekick from far left out to middle and sent back and Walton recross is blocked.
44 min...Sigma Frano has 15 yard centering pass from left cleared by defender.
44 min...Sigma Velastegui 22 yard blast is between players up middle is caught by goalie.
47 min...half ends 8:22pm.

Second Half:...starts 8:38pm.
45 min...VA Drake blasts 25 yarder down middle over net and back fence.
46 min...VA Puntillo cornerkick from right has Sigma Laryea head away on left. VA Drake 25 yard shot up middle
is wide right.
48 min...Sigma Thomas run to top left edge of box but VA Walker pokes ball away.
48 min...VA Sacramento 40 yard freekick has VA Ricci get to bouncer and wins cornerkick on 20 yard shot.
49 min...VA Puntillo cornerkick from right has defenders clear from box.
50 min...VA Puntillo 30 yard roller has goalie smother that VA Kovacevic may not have been able to redirect.
53 min...Sigma Velastegui pass from 30yards to left and forward and Sigma Borges 18 yard shot from left is just wide
right of post.
56 min...VA Arnone receives throw-in and wins cornerkick on high cross through box from left.
56 min...VA Puntillo cornerkick from right has VA Drake head 10 yarder in crowd of players on right head ball wide
left of net.
57 min...VA sub...Brandon Mills replaces Puntillo.
57 min...VA goalie out to 15 yards to grab through ball before Sigma Anagho-Ntamark can get to it.
58 min...Sigma Borges rolls through ball pass to Sigma Thomas who rolls 12 yarder point blank that goalie tips wide
right of post.
59 min...Sigma Velastegui cornerkick from right has defender clear from box.
60 min...VA Sacramento 40 yard freekick from right sideline has defender kick away just inside box.
61 min...Sigma players clear VA player's long throw-in from right into right side of Sigma box.
62 min...Sigma sub...Alfazy replaces Samaniego.
63 min...Sigma Walton 30 yard cross from left is over players in box.
64 min...Sigma Charlie Anagho-Ntamark GOAL...Anagho-Ntamark receives short throw-in from
right and he turns and his 12 yard low cross deflects off VA Shiquan Lowe who'd put one knee
on the ground on right edge of 6 yard box to stop the cross and the ball pops off his leg
and into top left corner of net with goalie Matt George frozen on the near right post.
65 min...VA Dylan Sacramento receives pass at 50 yard line and turns and runs down middle.
At 40 yard line he rolls pass forward to VA Austin Ricci who receives it at 25 yard line
on slight right. Ricci runs into box even with Sigma Kyle Walton and at 12 yards on right,
Walton makes a sweeping leg check and trips Ricci. Referee David Barrie awards
VA a Penalty kick.
66 min...VA Dylan Sacramento GOAL...Sacramento stutter steps then blasts Penalty kick
mid-high to left side of net with goalie Triston Henry diving right.
67 min...VA Ricci bumps off three players on run into box and 15 yard low shot is wide left.
68 min...VA goalie clears ball in front of Sigma Velastegui in center of box.
69 min...Sigma Laryea rolls pass to Sigma Borges who rolls through ball to Sigma Frano and
he rolls 10 yarder just wide left. Sigma Thomas rescued ball on end line but cramps up on run
and needs trainer.
71 min...VA Brandon Mills can't control chipped pass at 10 yards and pushes it over end line
on first touch on left.
73 min...Sigma sub...Jodah replaces Velastegui.
74 min...VA Sacramento 50 yard chip down middle is wide right with goalie easily retreating into box.
75 min...VA Cramarollsa makes important headed clearance out right side on Sigma cross from left that
was into box.
76 min...Sigma YELLOW card...Thomas earns it for check in VA box. VA are given freekick.
78 min...Sigma sub...Stoddart replaces Anagho-Ntamark.
78 min...Sigma Smith makes big stop on edge of box preventing through ball pass.
79 min...VA Walker 30 yard cross from right drifts behind net.
80 min...Sigma sub...Mohsen replaces Walton.
81 min...VA Sacramento 35 yard freekick from left wins cornerkick on deflection off head of defender.
81 min...VA Sacramento cornerkick from right is cleared for fast break out.
83 min...VA Cramarossa cross from 25 yards on left has defender clear out right side of box for throw-in.
84 min...VA sub...Mirabelli replaces Kovacevic.
85 min...Sigma sub...Lee replaces Thomas.
86 min...Sigma Stoddart cornerkick from left is high and has goalie catch over head of Sigma Samuel waiting
to tip in a 3 yarder.
88 min...VA Sacramento bends in 25 yard cross from left that goalie catches on right post.
89 min...Sigma player can't win Penalty kick on left on trip up.
.........Sigma YELLOW card...Stoddart earns Yellow card for dive in box on last play.
89 min...VA sub...Lay replaces Sacramento.
90 min...Sigma Jodah cornerkick from left has ball deflected around in box and wins another cornerkick.
91 min...Sigma Jodah cornerkick from left gets over to right and Sigma Borges blasts 10 yarder low that
goalie sprawls to save on right post.
92 min...VA Springer huge clearance just inside VA box.
93 min...game ends 9:26pm.

Final Score:...Vaughan Azzurri.....1.....Sigma FC........1.......

Attendance was about 100 on this mild night with the sun already below the horizon by game time.

A tie game was a fair result in this game with both teams having more chances to score.
3-3 or 0-0 would also have been believable.

Best non-scoring plays of the game were at 11 minutes when VA Austin Ricci escaped with
the ball in along from center line on left and he rusehd to 15 yards and took a low shot
that was stopped by the sliding goalie at 6 yards on the left post. A big rebound for
VA Jarek Whiteman at 18 yards but a defender made a big slidoing clearance flipped over
him and was injured. Whiteman had to be replaced at the 15 minute mark when Whiteman did
not return. 17 minutes had VA Lucas Puntillo takes a cornerkick from the right that
VA Zachary Drake headed a 12 yarder from the left just over the top right corner
of the net. 56 minutes had VA Puntillo take a cornerkick from the right and VA Drake
in a crowd of players head a 10 yarder on right just wide left of net. 58 minutes had
Sigma Tristan Borges roll a through ball pass to Sigma Kadell Thomas who rolled a 12 yarder
that the goalie at point blank range got a hand to to tip wide right of the post.

After the goal exchange, 69 minutes had Sigma Reggie Laryea roll a pass to Sigma Borges
who rolls a through ball to Sigma Giuliano Frano and he rolled a 10 yarder just wide left.
Sigma Kadell Thomas rescued the ball on the end line but cramped up when he turned
on a sharp angle and needed the trainer. 86 minutes had Sigma Justin Stoddart's high
cornerkick from the left had the goalie catch just over the head of Sigma Dominic Samuel
ready to tip in a 3 yarder. 89 minutes had Sigma Stoddart draw a Yellow card for falling
too easily in the VA box looking to earn a Penalty kick. 91 minutes had Sigma Daniel Jodah's
cornerkick from the left get over to the right and Sigma Borges blasted a 10 yarder low
that the goalie sprawled to save on the right post.

Sigma's Triston Henry who has played every league game minute this season leads the league
with only 8 goals against in 15 league games.

I noticed a few weeks ago that Matt George's name was not showing up in Oakville Blue Devils
games and was tipped that he was now on Vaughan. After the game I asked him if it was
a trade deadline thing. He had moved from being L1O goalie of the year in 2016 with
Woodbridge Strikers to goalie with Oakville in 2017 (Quillan Roberts won goalie of the
year for Woodbridge in 2017). He answered me at the time that the reason for switching
is he lived in Georgetown (closer to Oakville) and found the commutes to practices and games
awkward. Tonight he answered last month's move was made because he now lives in Vaughan.
His position in goal at Oakville has been taken by Lucas Birnstingl. The OBD conglomerate
of goalkeepers is second in the league only allowing 9 goals against this season.

The result improves Vaughan's record to 8 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie for 25 points. They are
in sixth place a comfortable 7 points above the playoff line. This was their first tie
of the year—the only team with less than at least two draws.

Sigma's record improves to 11 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties for 36 points. They hold on to first place.
Their position to finish as the shield winners (no official title for that) is more precarious
on two fronts. While this tie was going on, FC London in their final home game of the year
easily beat Aurora FC 6-0 and their record improves to 11 wins, 2 losses, 2 ties for 35 points.
Both teams have one game remaining.

Now suddenly back in the mix is Toronto FC III who we thought were finished for the year because
their USSDA season has started sometimes playing two games per weekend. They will play their
final game of the season (and last game ever in League 1 Ontario) on Wednesday night against
Vaughan. The TFC III record is 10 wins, 2 losses, 3 ties for 33 points so they have an outside
chance of tying for the top spot. They have the best goals for/against record with +29
and most goals scored 48.

Sigma's final home game is also on Wednesday night against Darby FC in Whitby. I have a ticket
to the MLS Toronto FC vs Tigres UANL game the inaugural Campeones Cup so I'll miss these
L1O deciding games.

FC London's final game is next Sunday against Toronto Skillz FC at Birchmount Stadium
in Scarborough so I might make that game. The playoffs start the week after that with qualifying
teams split into two groups of four. One game against each team in your group with the top team
hosting three home games and the fourth team in the group plays three road games. Winners
of each group play in the one game final. The winner of that becomes next year's entrant
in the Voyageurs Cup.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters