June 23, 2019 League 1 Ontario--summary of Saturday games (from League 1 Ontario website)
Darby's Sears Sinks Masters And Determined Durham Get Win In Ottawa 06/23/2019, 9:15pm EDT By League1 Ontario staff Darby's Jack Sears helped snap Masters winning streak, while Unionville found a way past Aurora on Saturday of Matchweek Eight. Elsewhere, Sigma, Durham and Pro Stars just found a way past determined opponents in FC London, OSU and Toronto Skillz. ...................................................................................................... Sigma FC beat FC London 2-0 at Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga on Saturday, with first half goals coming from Morgado (16'), and Allen (32') and wrapping up three points for the home side. The game had a slow start as both teams looked unwilling to take too many risks on the offensive side of their game. The first goal came from the first shot on goal in the match as Morgado found the net from just in front of goal after Sigma had just started to put some pressure on the away team. The home side kept the possession after that and worked the ball around the field patiently as a wonderful run from Goldhar on the left-hand side was followed by a low cross to Allen that resulted in Sigma's second goal of the game. The second half started just like the way the first half had with few shots taken by the strikers, leaving goalkeepers with little to deal with. FC London made three substitutions in quick succession between the 60th and 70th minutes, hoping that the fresh legs would change the game in their favour, but Sigma continued to dominate the game. A few chances late on could have made it worse for FC London, but their goalkeeper Sokalski managed to pull out a couple of excellent saves to keep it at 2-0. Having secured their fifth win of the season, Sigma FC climbs to fourth in the table while FC London stand at 10th (pending final Matchweek 8 results). Sigma will next play Woodbridge Strikers on June 27 (9 p.m.) at Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Mississauga. FC London will next play Alliance United FC on June 29 (5 p.m.) at Mount Joy Turf, Markham. (Kiarash Khorram) ......................................................................................................... Durham United F.A. took three points back to Toronto after a 1-0 result over hosts OSU Force after a well-taken effort by Salmon (47') in a highly competitive game. The match kicked off and things were cagey right away with both teams vying for control of the match. Clear goal-scoring opportunities were very rare for both sides for much of the first half. As the game went on, OSU looked to absorb pressure from Durham while attempting to play on the break, and it nearly paid off at the 29th minute with OSU's Massoud making a great run past the Durham defence, but the final shot narrowly missed. At the 31st minute, Durham took a blow when Linatoc was dismissed after an exceptionally heavy challenge, leaving the away side with ten men. The second half of the game saw Durham enter the pitch with purpose, pinning OSU in their own half despite the numerical disadvantage. At the 47th minute their efforts paid off with Salmon's opener, and shortly after the opening goal Durham nearly doubled their lead with a well placed free-kick. OSU goalkeeper Sobze-Zemo was equal to the challenge, making an acrobatic save to keep his team in the game. The ten-man Durham kept up the pressure on OSU, and for much of the second half most of the play was in midfield; neither team seemed able to break through the middle third. As the game went on, OSU threw everything forward to find the equalizer and they came agonizingly close at the 82nd minute, Malonga missing the target by inches after a good team move. As the final whistle drew near, OSU suffered a major setback when El Mansari was sent off at the 87th minute for a very hard foul on the Durham goalkeeper. OSU Force will next play Unionville Milliken S.C on June 29 (5 p.m.) at Ontario Soccer Centre, Vaughan. Durham United F.A will next play Toronto Skillz FC on June 28 (8 p.m.) at Kinsmen Park Football Field, Pickering. (Hassan Osama) ............................................................................................ Pro Stars FC defeated Toronto Skillz 2-1 on Saturday to earn their second win of the season at home and improve their record to 3W-2T-2L. Toronto Skillz took control of the game in the opening minutes, dominating the ball possession but failing to convert their chances. On a counter-attack, Pro Stars' Uday Arora (20') snuck past the defensive line to open the scoreline and change the rhythm of the match. A momentum and confidence shift occurred after Pro Stars' opening goal. Pro Stars FC would go on to take daring chances and it would pay off for them just before the half. Pro Stars' Sebastian Lopez (42') doubled the lead with a 35-yard screamer of a goal. In the second half, Skillz came out with a hunger for goals and played with high intensity. Toronto Skillz's Zef Kraja (48') would pull one back for his side after receiving a well placed through ball from Anfal Ekhlas. In the 57th minute, Kraja would once again find himself in a scoring opportunity. In a one-on-one situation against the keeper, Pro Stars' Christian Campanico would save Kraja's initial chip attempt and then Kraja's rebound shot would go wide of the net. Pro Stars' keeper and defensive line would go on face high intense pressure right up to the final whistle, but they would successful hold off their rivals' attacking plays. Pro Stars will next play Aurora FC on June 28 (8 p.m.) at Stewart Burnett Park, Aurora. Toronto Skillz will next play Durham United FA on June 28 (8 p.m.) at Kinsmen Park Football Field, Pickering. (Analia Sordi) ..................................................................................................... Despite Aurora coming into this match in a higher position in the standings than their opponent, Unionville Milliken SC, the latter showed they are a team on the ascendancy after securing a 3-2 win thanks to goals from Clarke (8'), Prentice-Whyte (13'), and Loughrey (44'). Aurora's goalscorers - Amoo (16') and Bauer (47') - attempted to prevent Unionville from running away with all three points, but unfortunately they were unable to tie the game and steal two points from their opponents. Unionville started the scoring early in this game when Clarke found the ball on the right of the penalty area after a counter attack. He had no hesitation in smashing the ball into the middle of the goal past the diving Aurora goalkeeper, Frenati. A few minutes later a through-ball was played that Unionville striker Amoo ran onto inside the penalty area to the left of the goal. His shot went into the bottom left, beating the diving Aurora goalkeeper. Aurora were under a high press from Unionville when they managed to break through the pressure. Aurora drove up the far side of the field and crossed the ball into the penalty area. Zaghloul volleyed the ball into the back of the net to give Aurora their first goal of the match. Between the third and fourth goals of the match, the battle between the two teams evened out. A majority of the play was in the mid-field area with no teams gaining a real advantage. The third goal by Unionville was scored by Loughrey when, despite the crowded penalty area, he managed to put his head on a corner kick and direct it into the bottom right of the goal. Unionville were 3-1 up by the half. Aurora struck early in the second half through Bauer after he found himself just inside the penalty area with an open opportunity to shoot. The shot had so much power that the goalkeeper could not do much of anything to keep the ball out of the net. For the majority of the second half, both teams pushed for another goal but great defensive work by both sides prevented true scoring opportunities. Aurora spent the last fifteen minutes of the game with the better part of the possession of the ball, but Unionville still managed to fight and achieve their positive result despite going down to ten men midway through the second half. Aurora FC will next play Pro Stars FC on June 28 (8 p.m.) at Stewart Burnett Park, Aurora. Unionville Milliken will next play OSU Force on June 29 (5 p.m.) at Ontario Soccer Centre, Vaughan. (Deanna Persico) .......................................................................................................... Jack Sears (90' + 5') won three points for Darby FC with the last shot of the game as Darby beat Masters FA 2-1 on Saturday. Sears received a long ball and finished with one touch, his neat lob beating goalkeeper Spiridon Koskinas just as the game clock ticked into the fifth minute of extra time. It was actually Masters FA that had started the brighter of the two sides, opening the scoring at L'Amoreaux as Akeem Priestly (29') converted a penalty. Darby managed to respond quickly as Nashon Campbell (35') got the ball into the box and finished from close range. The first half ended at one goal a piece, but it was a more entertaining opening period than the scoreline suggested and credit should go to the two goalkeepers. The reflex showdown reached a climax when both goalkeepers made consecutive saves in two minutes. On 21 minutes, Koskinas saved a long-range effort, and showed good reflexes in the ensuing corner. In the following occasion, it was Matt Zaikos' turn for Darby as he showed great agility to stop Shaquille Agard's close range header. Zaikos showed similar reflexes twice more in the first half, and should be credited in Darby's comeback. The second half was a more cagey event as the teams grew tired and relied on long balls to find chances; the all-crucial winner came through just such a situation. The result extended Darby's unbeaten streak to four games (3W-1T) as it ended Masters' four game winning streak. Darby will next play Windsor TFC on June 29 (6 p.m.) at University of Windsor, Windsor. Masters will next play Oakville Blue Devils on June 29 (4 p.m.) at TBA (Cetin Yilmaz)
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