July 28, 2019 League 1 Ontario--Toronto Skillz vs Oakville Blue Devils game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday July 28, 2019 League 1 Ontario game between Toronto Skillz and Oakville Blue Devils
played at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough at 2:00pm.

Toronto Skillz (navy socks and shirts, red shorts and sleeves, white numbers)

.......................1 Jesus Carbajal
22 Estevan Carles...24 Thanujan Jeyathilaka...12 Mladin Ruzic...30 Deven Doodnath
25 Elijah Manchester...16 Anorch Jeyathilaka (cpt)...10 Navin Doodnath...8 Jason Muzvidziwa...9 Vithunan Sivankumar
......................19 Rinat Kassimgeryev

Subs:...0 Sunny Dhaliwal (gk)...7 Azeel Jivraj...11 Kaylon Carimbocas...17 Pierrick Martin
...21 Tajmir Ashraq...34 Tristan Marshall
team officials:...assistant coach Jake Doodnath...manager William Giummarra...equipment manager Jose Sanchez
...therapist Monique Wojcik

Oakville Blue Devils (all white, navy numbers)

.......................1 Lucas Birnstingl
........6 Victor Gallo (cpt)...23 Cory Vickers...15 Carlo Difeo
........2 Zachary Drake...18 Manvir Gill...11 Braden Culver
17 Brandon Duarte...8 Aaron McKenna...9 Reshon Phillip...16 Khody Ellis

Subs:...27 Liam Thompson (gk)...4 Matthew Monteiro...13 Adrian Gallo...19 Evan James
...20 Hitesh Joshi...24 Michael Nitchov...25 Jacob Dyck
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Billy Steele, Brett Mosen, and Glenn McNamara
...therapist Mark Heathcote

Game officials:...referee Carly Shaw-MacLaren...referee's assistants Jason Olinski and Twayne Anderson
fourth official Liam Tremblay...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and names)

First Half:...game starts 1:59pm...TS defens north end.
2 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right has OBD Duarte head 15 yarder over crowd of players that goalie catches
under bar at top left corner.
5 min...OBD Brandon Duarte GOAL...OBD players work out a short cornerkick from the right.
OBD Zachary Drake crosses from 20 yards along the 6 yard line and Duarte heads 6 yarder off
underside of the bar past goalie Jesus Carbajal.
7 min...OBD Phillip cross along left end line has OBD player on right try pass back and clears out of box.
8 min...OBD Duarte cross from 25 yards on far right drifts well over net.
12 min...OBD Difeo 28 yard freekick from right side has OBD Vickers charging in from left flick 8 yard header wide left.
13 min...OBD Difeo 25 yard freekick from far right has nearest defender flick header over box.
14 min...OBD Phillip run down left and eludes defender and wins cornerkick on low blocked cross.
15 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from left bounces between crowd of players untouched.
16 min...OBD Difeo low centering cross has TS Jeyathilaka stop and clear ball at 16 yards.
19 min...OBD McKenna taps back pass to OBD Culver who shoots 25 yarder down middle well over net.
23 min...OBD Culver chips ball forward from 30 yards but last defender heads away to prevent breakaway.
23 min...it starts to rain with the sun still out but that only lasts two minutes!
24 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from left has OBD Victor Gallo pop header from 7 yards on right end line into box
and TS Ruzic clears on header at 6 yards.
27 min...TS Carles 25 yard freekick from right has OBD Gill pop 15 yard header over own net.
28 min...TS Carles low cornerkick from left has OBD Drake clear near left post with kick that starts fast break out.
29 min...OBD Difeo and OBD Culver take 25 yard freekick from left is pushed forward but defender in middle clears.
30 min...TS Doodnath is injured at TS 50 yard line.
31 min...OBD Culver blasts partial clearance up middle from 30 yards that spins off two defenders for cornerkick on right.
32 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right is whistled down in box.
32 min...a water break is called.
35 min...OBD Vickers freekick from 35 yards down middle is forward and left to OBD Phillip but defenders clear.
39 min...the rain begins for the third time and is harder than ever.
41 min...TS YELLOW card...Doodnath earns it for slide tackle at TS 50 yard line.
41 min...TS goalie leaps to fist away long cross into 6 yard box into crowd of players.
42 min...OBD Reshon Phillip GOAL...OBD Aaron McKenna crosses from 25 yards on right has Phillip
duck and flick 6 yard header in alignment with left post forward into left side of net.
43 min...OBD Ellis long run down left and rolls centering cross that charging OBD Culver on right shoots low 20 yarder
that diving goalie stops.
43 min...TS Jeyathilaka flicks header to clear OBD cornerkick from right.
45 min...OBD Difeo bends 20 yard freekick from left bends wide right of top corner of net.
47 min...OBD Phillip cross from 25 yards along 15 yard line has OBD Ellis connect on scissor kick sent wide right
from 10 yards.
48 min...OBD Culver shoots 18 yarder from slight right well over net after cornerkick worked out from left.
48 min...half ends 2:47pm.

By halftime it has stopped raining. The rain has helped cool the temperature down and now a breeze is helping.

Second Half:...starts 3:02pm.
halftime sub:...OBD Monteiro replaces Gill.
................OBD Joshi replaces Duarte.
................TS Carimbocas replaces Sivakumar.
................TS Ashraq replaces Muzvidziwa.
45 min...OBD Ellis run down left and 12 yard sharp angle shot well over net.
47 min...TS goalie catches 8 yard header.
48 min...TS Kassimgeryev low 35 yard freekick up middle is wide right of post.
50 min...OBD Phillip rolls 25 yarder along left end line past goalie but defender clears on right side of box.
51 min...OBD Ellis one-touches 18 yarder over net on charge to get to chipped pass.
53 min...TS goalie slides out to beat OBD Ellis to through ball at 8 yards.
55 min...OBD Phillip low 15 yard shot from sharp right is caught by goalie.
56 min...OBD Difeo low cornerkick from left is caught by goalie on near post.
59 min...OBD Drake rolls 25 yarder between players up middle wide right of net after cutting in from right.
60 min...OBD Phillip receives rolls pass and shoots 10 yard roller that diving goalie pushes wide left.
60 min...OBD sub...James replaces Phillip.
61 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from left is into crowd of players is popped over net for goalkick.
62 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right is over heads of players in box.
63 min...OBD Culver 30 yard shot from right is over top left corner of net.
64 min...OBD James rolls through ball pass too far forward for OBD McKenna and goalie picks up.
64 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right has OBD Vickers at 10 yards on left head ball that's stopped.
64 min...OBD Evan James GOAL...James is threaded ball from 22 yards and rolls 10 yarder from
slight right into left side of net.
66 min...OBD Drake key header to clear cross from right.
67 min...OBD Ellis can't quite get to ball that OBD Joshi had crossed to him on run up right.
68 min...OBD sub...Dyck replaces Culver.
69 min...TS sub...Jivraj replaces Manchester.
69 min...TS YELLOW card...Kassimgeryev earns it for dissent at center line.
70 min...TS goalie is injured and needs trainer.
The referee signals a water break while he's being treated.
75 min...OBD Dyck rolls centering cross but TS Jeyathilaka makes key clearance from box.
76 min...OBD Dyck has 18 yard shot up middle that's blocked.
76 min...OBD Ellis cuts in from left and blasts 15 yarder that goalie pushed up from left post and defender clears.
78 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right has OBD Ellis nod header from left and OBD Joshi shoots 12 yarder up middle over net.
79 min...OBD Evan James GOAL...James gets to loose ball at 15 yards on left and shoots low
to right corner of net.
79 min...OBD sub...Nitchov replaces Drake.
80 min...OBD James rush up left cutting in and low 15 yard shot is blocked by sliding defender and rolls just wide right of post.
80 min...OBD Difeo cornerkick from right is cleared in box after a header from the left.
82 min...OBD Monteiro cross from right to OBD player who pops header over end line.
82 min...TS sub...Marshall replaces Doodnath. Jeyathilaka becomes captain.
83 min...OBD Dyck rolls ball forward to OBD Ellis whose first touches ball to far so goalie smothers.
88 min...TS Doodnath 30 yard freekick from left has TS Kassimgeryev charge in and heads 10 yarder up middle wide left.
90 min...OBD Dyck cuts in along left end line passes out to OBD Ellis who blasts 10 yarder off left post and deflects
out middle of box.
92 min...game ends 3:49pm.

Final Score:...Toronto Skillz.......0......Oakville Blue Devils......4......

Attendance started at about 15 but reached about 30 by halftime. It was very hot and humid
with a bright sun in the south when not clouding over. By the time the first half was over
it had rained for a few moments three different times including once very hard with the sun
still out. I was able to move one row back and keep my notebook dry under a narrow awning
just outside the announcer's booth. The rain helped cool the temperature in time for
the second half.

Referee Carly Shaw-MacLaren worked the game today giving out two Yellow cards (both to Skillz
players, one for a sliding tackle and one for dissent) and ordered a water break in the first
half and allowed another...possibly unscheduled when the Skillz goalie was injured and needed
the trainer at 70 minutes. Shaw-MacLaren (on tour from British Colombia) was the fourth official
in yesterday's CPL York 9 FC vs HFX Wanderers FC game yesterday at the other end of the city
at York University. Yeah...League 1 Ontario...adds as a resume builder!

Lukas Birnstingl earned the shutout for Oakville. I didn't count him having to make one stop.
Skillz have only scored five goals in their thirteen games (and no that isn't worst in the league!).
I had their one good chance at 88 minutes when TS Deven Doodnath took a 30 yard freekick from
the left that had TS Rinat Kassimgeryev charge in up the middle and head a 10 yarder wide left.
I've still got Kassimgeryev as my goal-of-the-year winner for his Wayne Rooney chip from 60 yards
over the goalie in last week's game against Aurora FC.

Skillz looked a much smaller team physically. They listed seven players born this century with
four starters and two more brought in later. Blue Devils were all born in the 1990s except one
from 1988.
Boys vs Men!

Best non-scoring chances were at 2 minutes when OBD Carlo Difeo took a cornerkick from the right
that OBD Brandon Duarte headed a 15 yarder over the crowd of players in the box that the goalie
caught under the bar. 12 minutes had Difeo take a 28 yard freekick from the right side that
OBD Cory Vickers charged in from the left flicked an 8 yard header wide left of the post.
41 minutes had the TS goalie leap to fist away a long cross sent into a crowd of players
in the 6 yard box. 43 minutes OBD Khody Ellis made a long run down the left and rolled a centering
cross that the charging OBD Braden Culver shot a low 20 yarder from the right that the diving goalie
pushed wide right of the post. Added time had a flurry of OBD chances with Difeo bending a 20 yard
freekick wide right of the top corner of the net. Phillip had a cross from 25 yards along
the 15 yard line and Ellis connected on a scissor kick that he sent wide right from 10 yards.
Culver shot an 18 yarder well over the net after a cornerkick was worked out from the left.
60 minutes had Phillip receive a rolled pass and shot a 10 yarder roller that the diving goalie
pushed wide left of the post. 76 minutes had Khody Ellis cut in from the left and blasted a 15 yarder
that the goalie pushed skywards from the left post and a defender cleared. 78 minutes had Difeo
take a cornerkick from the right that Ellis nodded a header from the left and OBD Hitesh Joshi shot
a 12 yarder up the middle over the net. 90 minutes had OBD Jacob Dyck cut in along the left end line
and passed out to Ellis who blasted a 10 yarder off the left post so hard it deflected out of the box.

Skillz record falls to 2 wins, 10 losses, 1 tie for 7 points. They are all alone in fifteenth place
among the sixteen teams. The loss means with only three games left, they can't make the eighth place
playoff line.

The win moves Oakville into first place this afternoon with a record of 10 wins, 1 loss, 2 ties
for 32 points at least for now until tonight's Vaughan Azzurri vs Alliance United game.

I planned on going to that game but had a struggle getting down Birchmount Avenue with roadblocks
blocking crossing Eglinton Ave East because of the rapid streetcar line being constructed. (nothing
being worked on now on a Sunday afternoon) meant I had to turn right and proceed westward for a break
at Sinnott Rd, U-turn back to Birchmount and drive south. Now to get out of there I drove up Warden
and found out the intersection was blocked at Eglinton but this time forced to make a right and drive
eastward until I reached a break at....Sinnott Rd. Bottleneck! I'm glad I don't have to do that
rush hour Monday to Friday.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Toronto Skillz starters