July 8, 2019 League 1 Ontario--summary of Wednesday and Saturday games (from League 1 Ontario website)
Vaughan, OSU Draw, Aurora, North Miss Win, And Alliance Again Go Top Of Men's Div 07/08/2019, 5:30pm EDT By League1 Ontario staff North Miss and Aurora showed their consistency to lock down the full three points yet again to start Matchweek 10, but the big news was elsewhere. Alliance United FC retained top of the table after beating Unionville Milliken 2-0 and following a determined performance from OSU Force, holding current leaders Vaughan Azzurri to a scoreless draw in Ottawa. ............................................................................................ North Mississauga took all three points at Victoria Park in the men's Matchweek 10 opener on Wednesday night, giving a strong away showing against Pro Stars by beating the home side 2-0 thanks to two first half goals from D. Scott (20' pk) and Esperance (39'). The match started at a good tempo, with both sides showing a lot of grit and determination to get the early goal. The first big chance came in the 19th minute, when a North Mississauga player was put down in the box and a subsequent penalty was awarded for the away side; Damion Scott made no mistake from 12 yards and put his side up 1-0. Pro Stars' first big chance fell to the feet of tricky winger Uday Arora in the 27th minute, when his close-range strike was parried by North Mississauga goalkeeper, Chester Ashby. North Mississauga would go on to double their lead in the 39th minute after Sundin Esperance received a cut-back from the right side of the box and smashed the ball into the back of the net. Pro Stars struggled to create clear goalscoring chances in the first half, despite good spells in possession, and this trend would continue in the second half. North Mississauga defended well and remained organized in the second half, demonstrating why they've only conceded ten goals this campaign. In the 63rd minute, North Mississauga's second half substitute, Massunda, had a big chance inside the box but just couldn't adjust his feet in time and had to settle for a quick strike with the toe that ultimately went over the bar. The match played out with Pro Stars struggling to find continuity in their play, resulting in a lack of clear goal-scoring opportunities. Although the home side would find chances from long shots in the 83rd and 88th minutes of the match from Navid Rahman, it would not be enough to unlock North Miss and claim a share of the points at the final whistle. (Alex Bizzarri) ....................................................................................... Aurora FC scored early and defeated Windsor TFC 2-0 to secure three points at home on Matchweek 10. An early goal by Aurora FC's Niklas Bauer (4') and an own goal by Windsor TFC (50') was enough to seal a victory for the host squad. Bauer's early marker came off of a header, placed perfectly out of reach of the Windsor TFC goalkeeper. Windsor TFC showed some push-back shortly after conceding, but they were unable to maintain sustained periods of pressure in the attacking half. Aurora FC's second marker came in the 50th minute when Windsor TFC’s defender deflected a cross from Kwame Opoku into his own net. Windsor TFC were unable to find an answer and the three points were secured by Aurora FC. A difference maker in this match was Aurora FC's defensive line. They prevented numerous through ball attempts from reaching their intended targets and refused to allow Windsor TFC to build any momentum. The defensive unit for Aurora was led by Michael Fayehun, who was able to intercept passes as the last defender on several occasions. In the 86th minute, Fayehun was the lone defender between two Windsor TFC players but was still able to make the stop and clear the ball away from danger. After scoring the early goal, Aurora FC protected their lead by effectively dominating possession. Their attacks consistently started out with a defender carrying the ball across half or making intricate through balls to threaten the Windsor TFC defence. Aurora FC's goalkeeper Nicholas Frenati made a key save in the 25th minute with a diving stop off a point-blank chance by a Windsor TFC striker. He kept his team's lead at one and allowed them to continue with their possession-dominant style. On the other end, Windsor TFC's goalkeeper, Brogan Engbers, made several big saves to keep his squad in the game. His biggest save came in the 49th minute when he made a diving stop from an Aurora FC set piece. Bauer headed the ball towards the net but Engbers was able to track the ball to prevent the attacker from scoring his second of the match. Windor TFC's best chance to get on the score board came in the 79th minute when Nameer Sto, freshly off the bench as a substitute, deked around two Aurora FC defenders to create open space in the 18 yard box - but his shot carried just wide of the net. Windsor TFC will next play OSU Force on July 13 (3 p.m.) at the Ontario Soccer Stadium, Vaughan. Aurora FC will next play Darby FC on July 12 (8 p.m.) at the Whitby Soccer Centre Dome, Whitby. (Felix Chau) ............................................................................................... Alliance United FC preserved their undefeated season in a 2-0 clean sheet victory over Unionville-Milliken SC on Saturday at Mount Joy, Markham. Free-kick specialist, Kenny Lioutas (40') blasted a low spot kick that pinged off the post before crossing the line to open the scoring - eerily similar to his set piece goal only a month earlier. Alliance's Milan Beader (75') plunged the final dagger in after he broke through the defensive line to lob his shot over goalkeeper Matthew Mattila to make it 2-0. A cheeky flick in the Alliance box had a shot destined to nutmeg their keeper, Denys Rylskyi, in the 60th minute, but the goalkeeper shut the door and ensured the team's route to their eighth clean sheet of the season. Alliance reclaim first place in the men's division with the win, breaking Unionville Milliken's two-match winning streak in the process. Throughout the game, Unionville were inches away from scoring in the scorching heat. Byron Knowles Ramirez lifted a shot just over the crossbar to start the second half and late in the game Marcellus Paul attempted a scissor kick volley off a set-piece, only for the ball to go straight to the goalkeeper's chest. Alliance United FC (8-0-2) finish Matchweek 10 in first place with 26 points. Their goal differential is at +14 (18 GF, 4 GA). Unionville-Milliken SC (2-5-2) finish matchweek 10 with eight points. Their goal differential is at -10 (8 GF, 18 GA). Alliance will next play Master's Futbol Academy at L'Amoreaux Sports Centre, Toronto on July 13 (8 p.m.). Unionville will next play Sigma FC at Paramount Fine Foods Centre on July 13 (4 p.m.). (Jonathan Cheng) ........................................................................................... OSU's highly disciplined defensive performance frustrated league-leading side, Vaughan Azzurri, for a well-earned first point earned this season. Immediately after the game kicked off, Vaughan assumed control of the majority of possession and attempted to pin OSU in their half of the pitch. OSU were prepared for the challenge and held their defensive structure, looking to get through on the counter-attack through Pavle Vujicic, who played as a lone striker. The defensive effort by OSU made life very difficult for Vaughan, who struggled to create many clear-cut chances throughout the game. The first big chance of the game for OSU came through a headed effort off a free-kick at the 36th minute, which hit the crossbar and was cleared out of the box immediately by the Vaughan defenders. OSU continued to hold their defensive shape while using long balls and pacy attackers to put together counter-attacks, frequently taking advantage of misplaced passes by Vaughan to swiftly move the ball forward. The second half arrived and Vaughan again had the majority of possession while using quick, short passes in an attempt to get through the OSU defence. However, Vaughan were unable to find a breakthrough again, with OSU closing down their space and making it very difficult to take a shot. As time went on, the game continued to increase in intensity, but neither team was able to deal a fatal blow and take three points. OSU Force will next play Windsor TFC on July 13 (3 p.m.) at the Ontario Soccer Centre, Vaughan. Vaughan Azzuri will next play Durham United on July 14 (8:30 p.m.) at North Maple Regional Park, Maple. (Hassan Osama)
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