August 11, 2019 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan Azzurri vs Pro Stars Academy game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the Sunday August 11, 2019 League 1 Ontario game between
Vaughan Azzurri and Pro Stars Academy played at North Maple Regional Park in Maple at 7:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy, white numbers, red trim)

.................12 Matt George
13 Andrew Gray...17 Elias Roubos...4 Shiquan Lowe...3 Joseph Amato (cpt)
7 Jahsua Mills...5 Raheem Rose...18 Kai Olguin...21 Federico Leal
...........9 Maksym Kowal...14 Jarek Whiteman

Subs:...1 Ali Ghazanfari-Moghaddam (gk)...5 Tristan Gayle...8 Giancarlo Vaccaro...11 David Velastegui
...15 Alexander Zis...16 Julian De Sousa...22 Brandon Mills
team officials:...team head coach Patrice Gheisar...assistant coach Francesco Vescio...manager Tony De Palma
...therapist Estaban Clavijo

Pro Stars Academy (white socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers, blue sleeves)

..................1 Christian Campanico
12 Dylan Micallef...4 George Owusu...3 Odain Simpson...5 Halburto Harris
........6 Nicholas Martinez (cpt)...8 Camaal Reid...9 Darren Chambers
.......14 Hassan Abdulmumini...13 Dominic Parris...10 Sebastian Lopez

Subs:...22 Paul Simionescu (gk)...2 Olivier Love...7 Kubabib Mahboubullah...11 Duwayne Ewart
...15 Du-Vanier Edwards...16 Davinho James...17 Nicolas Galli
team officials:...team head coach Sam Medeiros...managers Martine Eleuteri and Tony De Thomasis
...therapist Katie Bartley

Game officials:...referee Braeden Krampert...referee's assistants Sean Simpson and Nicholas Morrell
...fourth official Liam Tremblay...(watermelon shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 7:02pm...VA defends north end on this warm early evening with the bright sun in the north west.
5 min...VA Whiteman 20 yard chip from left has PS Simpson come across box to head ball for cornerkick.
5 min...VA player takes short cornerkick and it's wasted but he wins throw-in.
7 min...VA Jarek Whiteman GOAL...VA Maksym Kowal runs up right sideline and sends in low cross
from 10 yard line into box and Whiteman one-touch banks a 7 yard shot into right corner of net.
10 min...VA YELLOW card...Olguin earns it for sliding tackle from behind on PS Chambers.
10 min...PS Lopez 28 yard freekick from slight right is headed away on left side of box.
12 min...PS Lopez low 28 yard shot from slight left has goalie smother.
13 min...PS Abdulmumini recovers header near right end line but pops chip to goalie.
14 min...PS YELLOW card...goalie Campanico earns it for slide to grab through ball and his momentum continues right out
of the box.
15 min...VA Leal is tapped freekick and his 20 yard chip is just over net.
16 min...VA Leal 33 yard freekick from right has nearest defender head away. VA Gray recovers ball and has 25 yard
shot blocked.
19 min...VA Leal low 25 yard shot has diing goalie push ball wide left of post.
20 min...VA Leal is tapped short cornerkick from left and his cross has PS Simpson head wide right for cornerkick.
21 min...VA players work out short cornerkick from right then have shot cleared from box.
21 min...VA Jahsua Mills 25 yard low shot from right is wide left of net.
23 min...PS Abdulmumini high cross from 22 yards on right has defender clear on left side of box.
24 min...PS Lopez 28 yard freekick down middle is high and wide right of goal.
26 min...VA YELLOW card...Rose earns it for tug on charging PS player on run on VA left side.
27 mim...PS Reid 33 yard freekick from left is high and well right of net.
29 min...PS player's cornerkick from left has PS player head over net from 7 yards in crowd of players.
30 min...PS Lopez cornerkick from right is headed way and PS player's 25 yard shot is stopped for quick breakout.
30 min...PS YELLOW card...Martinez earns it for sliding tackle at VA 40 yard line.
31 min...PS Chambers rolls 30 yard shot from left wide left of net.
32 min...VA Whiteman is given pass on left and his 22 yard shot is high and wide right.
33 min...PS Lopez 33 yard freekick from left is just over bar.
34 min...VA Rose is given long high pass and his 15 yards shot is batted down by sliding goalie at 10 yards
and defender makes bicycle kick clearance.
36 min...PS Micallef short pass is centered to PS Lopez who takes a few steps and 20 yard shot through crowd of players
just over bar.
37 min...VA Whiteman is injured at PS 35 yard line and needs trainer. (The play continued upfield before it was noticed
he wasn't getting up).
40 min...PS goalie slides out to beat VA Rose to pass at 12 yards on right side of box.
41 min...PS Parris is injured as on break VA Lowe slides and trips him from behind at VA 20 yard line.
........VA YELLOW card...Lowe earns it for the trip.
........VA YELLOW card...goalie George earns it for argueing call?
43 min...PS Lopez 20 yard freekick from slight left hits head in player wall and pops up and PS player at 5 yards
is called offside.
47 min...VA Leal 28 yard freekick from left has goalie dive to save on left post and big rebound is cleared behind own
end line by PS Micallef.
48 min...VA Kowal low 20 yard shot from left has goalie save on left post and charging Kowal leaps sliding defender
but can't get to ball.
49 min...half ends 7:51pm.

Second Half:...starts 8:07pm with the bright sun still out but starting to set in the north west. There's a breeze from the west.
Halftime Sub:...PS Ewart replaces Parris.
46 min...PS Odain Simpson whiffs on clearance attempt and pops ball up at 25 yards. VA Jahsua Mills
rushes by him to take ball when it comes down and Simpson slides in from behind and trips him in box.
Referee Braeden Krampert gives Simpson a Yellow card and signals for a Penalty kick.
.....PS YELLOW card...Simpson earns it for his part in last play.
47 min...VA Maksym Kowal GOAL...Kowal shoots Penalty kick low to right side of net as goalie
Christian Campanico dives left.
48 min...VA Jahsua Mills rounds PS Simpson keeping him outside and low 7 yard shot is past diving goalie but into short side
left outside webbing of net.
49 min...PS Ewart wins freekick on right edge of box.
50 min...PS Reid bends 22 yard freekick from left just over bar.
51 min...PS player's freekick cross from right is just outside box and cleared by defence. The rebound shot is blocked in box.
53 min...VA player 10 yarder near left end line is well over bar.
55 min...VA Federico Leal GOAL...Leal receives a cross from the right side of the box and heads ball
back across box at 12 yards but no teammate was there and ball was headed away. Leal now with his back
to goal bicycle kicks a 15 yarder into top right corner of net over goalie.
56 min...PS Micallef 22 yard cross/shot from right is well high and wide left.
58 min...VA Rose 18 yard shot has PS Simpson block on edge of box.
59 min...PS Ewart run in up left and cuts to net but pushes ball too far ahead and 7 yard shot is saved by sliding goalie
at 5 yards on left post.
60 min...PS Abdulmumini 22 yard roller from right is between players and picked up by goalie.
60 min...VA Kowal 25 yard roller from left is stopped.
61 min...PS Reid 30 yard blast down middle over players but high and wide left.
63 min...PS Lopez steps left and right down middle a few times before 28 yard shot around defender but well wide right.
64 min...VA sub...Velastegui replaces Leal.
65 min...PS Lopez high cornerkick from right is headed back to him from teammate in box but he can't get away another cross.
66 min...VA Jahsua Mills is given through ball at 22 yards on slight left and round goalie at 10 yards then shoots 6 yarder
into outside webbing of net.
68 min...VA Jahsua Mills run on right to end line and PS Simpson bumps him over but no Penalty kick as he went over too easy.
69 min...PS sub...Mahboubullah replaces Abdulmumini.
70 min...VA sub...De Sousa replaces Jahsua Mills.
71 min...PS Harris cross from left has PS Micallef head 8 yarder up middle off left post and can't get away rebound.
77 min...VA De Sousa in middle passes right to end line rather than shoot and VA Kowal from 15 yards on line rolls back
into box but defenders clear at 4 yards.
79 min...PS Simpson tackle on VA Velastegui at 25 yards just freekick rather than card for Velastegui.
80 min...VA Velastegui bends 25 yard freekick from left is high wide left of top corner.
81 min...VA sub...Brandon Mills replaces Whiteman.
82 min...VA Velastegui receives short pass from left and has 8 yard shot blocked.
83 min...VA Lowe gets back to make key block on cross into VA box meant for open PS Ewart.
85 min...VA Brandon Mills holds up at 28 yards on left looking to pass but ends up shooting over net.
86 min...PS Micallef long cross from 30 yards that goalie palms left of post. PS Mahboubullah shoots 8 yard chip that goalie
catches on left post.
87 min...VA Raheem Rose GOAL...VA Julian De Sousa rolls pass from 30 yards on left between
defenders and Rose in open in center at 20 yards steps forward and shoots low 15 yarder
into left corner of net.
88 min...VA sub...Vaccaro replaces Rose.
89 min...PS sub...Galli replaces Martinez.
.........PS sub...Love replaces Reid.
.........PS sub...James replaces Chambers.
90 min...VA sub...Gayle replaces Kowal.
92 min...VA De Sousa and VA Gayle make series of click/click passes but ends with Gayle being flagged offside.
93 min...PS Mahboubullah freekick from left at 20 yards top left is into 3 man wall and so is his rebound and bounces
for fast break out.
94 min...PS Lopez 20 yard chip from left has defender leap for mid air clearance.
94 min...PS Mahboubullah 15 yard low shot is smothered by goalie.
94 min...game ends 8:56pm.

Final Score:......Vaughan Azzurri.........4.........Pro Stars Academy FC......0........

Attendance was about 40 on this mild evening with a blindingly bright sun in the north west that
gradually set in the second half. There was a breeze that helped keep the mosquitoes away until
the very end.

I saw another Goal of the Year candidate tonight with Leal's bicycle kick. I saw another bicycle
kick goal almost exactly one month ago when Windsor played OSUF from Ottawa which for travel reasons
was held at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan but that had no-one filming it on the usual
camcorder-on-a-pole method the league uses. A lot of local underemployed videographers in the GTA
could have been found on a day's notice but poor WTFC Tyrone Mulder's effort will be forgotten.
Leal's goal should beat out the July 21st Rinat Kassimgeryev 65 yard chip downfield over the goalie
(like Wayne Rooney) for Toronto Skillz and July 28th Kenny Lioutas tough-angle 22 yard dipping
freekick (Giovinco style) when Alliance FC was here to play Vaughan two weeks ago. Only reason
there wasn't one last week may have been that L1O took the holiday weekend off!

VA Maksym Kowal's Penalty kick goal wasn't spectacular but it does give him a share of the Goal Leaders
with 11. He and Connor Wilson of FC London who also scored once today broke away from a four way tie
as the only leaders who scored this weekend leaving Aurora's Felipe Vilela and Sigma's Leaford Allen
one behind—one reason is those two didn't play.

Matt George earned the shutout for Vaughan. He had to make some key saves to keep the lead and keep
Pro Stars from making a comeback as the game was still in doubt until 55 minutes. It also didn't
help that Pro Stars ended many efforts by being called offside.

Referee Braeden Krampert gave out seven Yellow cards tonight (four to Vaughan) plus the Penalty kick.
He gave out six in the first half to keep things from breaking down. The L1O website for the game
can't track goaltender Yellows but they both got one. PS Christian Campanicco's was funny in that
at 14 minutes he slid forward to grab a through ball pass and found himself sitting outside the box
with the ball in his arms. VA Federico Leal put the subsequent 20 yard freekick over the bar.
George earned his at 41 minutes for arguing a call when PS Dominic Parris was injured on a tackle
from behind by VA Shiquan Lowe sliding from behind at 20 yards setting up a PS freekick and earning
Lowe a Yellow too.

I hadn't seen the Mills brothers play together for Vaughan this season but they are finally all listed
on the roster. Jahsua Mills was a starter and played the first 70 minutes, Brandon Mills was
a substitute but not used until 81 minutes and Jason Mills was listed on the gamesheet as suspended
for the game (Red carded in Thursday's game against Masters FA).

Best non-scoring chances were at 19 minutes when VA Leal took a low 25 yard shot that the diving
goalie pushed wide left of the post. 34 minutes had VA Rose given a long high pass and his 15 yard
shot was batted down by the sliding goalie at 10 yards and a defender made a bicycle kick clearance.
First half added time had VA Leal take a 28 yard freekick from the left and the goalie dived to save
on the left post and the big rebound he gave up was cleared behind his own line by PS Dylan Micallef.
Next minute had VA Kowal take a low 20 yard shot from the left that the goalie saved on the left post
and Kowal leapt over a sliding defender but couldn't get to the ball. 48 minutes had VA Jahsua Mills
round defender Odain Simpson who kept him to the outside on the left but Mills got a 7 yard shot past
the diving goalie but between the near post and the mesh of the net. 50 minutes had PS Camaal Reid
bend a 22 yard freekick from the left just over the bar. 66 minutes had VA Jahsua Mills given
a through ball at 22 yards on slight left and he rounded the goalie at 10 yards then shoot a 6 yarder
into the webbing of the net. 71 minutes had PS Halburto Harris cross from the left and PS Micallef
headed an 8 yarder up the middle off the left post and he couldn't get away the rebound. 86 minutes
had PS Micallef send in a long cross from 30 yards that the goalie palmed left of the post.
PS Khubaib Mahboubullah followed up the play with an 8 yard chip that the goalie caught on the left post.

Almost all teams have played 14 games. Vaughan leads the league in scoring with 41 'goals for'.
They have 14 goals against. Pro Stars are 13-30 so their 'goals for' is among the lowest in the league
and that has been their problem with many player changes during the season.

Since this wasn't a clash of first place teams like two weeks ago, there was only about a third
of the crowd when Alliance FC was here and York 9 FC and L1O Oakville players were here to enjoy
the game. Actually today there was a clash of first place teams as Oakville was hosting Alliance.
The Oakville game was originally scheduled for 4:00pm but was moved to 5:00pm and the Vaughan game
was moved up from 8 to 7 pm so there was no way I could take in both games. It was my chance
to see Pro Stars for a third time this season.

That Oakville game ended up with Oakville winning 1-0 and leaping to first place. With the win
tonight by Vaughan they move into second place and Alliance with their first loss of the year drop
to third place. Next week these top three teams finish the regular season with road games against
teams below the playoff line but with Vaughan and Alliance with the tougher games as Aurora FC
and Darby FC (respective opponents) still have a chance to finish in the top eight with a win
and other results going their way.

Vaughan's win improves their record to 11 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for 34 points, one point out
of first place.

Pro Stars' record falls to 5 wins, 7 losses, 2 ties for 17 points. That keeps them in twelfth place
of the sixteen teams and are out of the playoffs as tonight was a 'must win' game to keep their
slim playoff hopes alive. 22 points is the current playoff line.

Two weeks ago I complained about the new NMRP facilities having the Men's washroom with a 20 foot
ceiling but only one urinal and two toilets. Could it be worse? Yes...because tonight the building
was fenced off except for the dressing rooms and we spectators had to use some port-a-potties brought
in to the other side of the parking lot.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters