August 23, 2023 League1 Ontario Quarter Final Vaughan Azzurri vs Guelph United game report (by Rocket Robin)

.............

Result and details of the Wednesday August 23, 2023 League1 Ontario Men's Premier League Quarterfinal game between
Vaughan Azzurri and Guelph United played at North Maple Regional Park in Vaughan at 8:00pm.

Vaughan Azzurri (all navy uniforms, white numbers)

...................1 Christian Calabro
......3 Jaytin Pabla...4 Nyal Higgins...17 Christian Zeppieri...2 Daniel Gogarty
............5 Raheem Rose (cpt)...10 Jeronimo Sabbatasso...14 Sammy Ssebaduka
............21 Soji Olatoye...8 Christopher Campoli...11 Ryan Robinson

Subs:...12 Alessio Carbone (gk)...7 Abdou Raouf Mohamed...13 Aparacio Pedro...15 Isacc Bradbury
...16 Jarred Phillips...19 Antonia Decoteau...20 Rami Agunbiade...23 Paiman Sultani
...25 Joseph Bourgeois
team officials:...team head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coaches Anthony Vadori, Luca Forno, Martine Eleuteri,
and Sergio De Luca...therapist Casey D'Mello

Guelph United (all white uniforms, black numbers)

.......................1 Carter Robart
..........4 Amardo Oakley (cpt)...14 Cole Fernandez...5 Harvey Marchant
15 Dion Stergiotis...21 Gray Yates...22 Zachary Ellis-Hayden...2 Anthony Ostrun...3 Colin Gander
................9 Jared Agyemang...12 Milan Beader

Subs:...20 Jake Findlay (gk)...7 Pampreet Johal...8 Wesley Cain...11 Leo Shrimpton
...16 Osayuki Ibie...17 Damian Truong...18 Arman Moghadasi...19 Cedric MacNay
...23 Nicholas Dunn
team officials:...team head coach Justin Springer...assistant coach Andrew Agyare-Tabbi...manager Brandon Rees
...equipment manager Edward Krasovsky...therapists Aidan Nolan and Estee Black

Game officials:...referee Ryan Schwenger...referee's assistants Joey Filipic and Kurtis Portengen
...fourth official Marko Grubisic...(red socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 7:59pm...VA defends south end on this overcast evening.
1 min 50 sec...Vaughan Soji Olatoye GOAL...Olatoye takes shot from 12 yards on right that goalie Carter Robart stops
on near post. VA Raheem Rose recovers rebound on right side near end line and passes back to Olatoye who shoots
low 8 yarder from right over goalie still down on knees and into left side of net.
3 min...GU Gander 30 yard roller from left is well right of net.
4 min...VA Rose chips 45 yarder from right that goalie catches on left side of net.
6 min...VA Pabla leaps to head away cross into box from right preventing 8 yard shot.
7 min...VA Olatoye shot from right is batted down by goalie.
8 min...VA Rose 20 yard from lelft has goalie swat at ball wide left for cornerkick.
8 min...VA player's cornerkick is short and cleared for fast GU breakout.
10 min...VA Gagarty retreats and big slide to divert cross from right for cornerkick.
10 min...GU player's cornerkick from right has VA Higgins deflect ball off his back wide left of post.
11 min...GU Stergiotis shoots recovered partial clearance of cornerkick from left wide right from 20 yards.
12 min...Vaughan Ryan Robinson and Guelph goalie Carter Robart crash together as Robart jumps for high bouncer on left side
of box. Both players need trainers. Robart is down a lot longer. It looked to me like he was flipped over and injured his shoulder.
21 min...play finally resumes.
24 min...GU sub...Jake Findlay replaces Carter Robart in goal. Robart had played the time in between.
25 min...GU Gander 45 yard freekick from right has GU plalyer on left head across box and GU player heads in 12 yarder but whistle
had already blown.
28 min...GU Ellis-Hayden at 25 yard on far right cuts in roller well wide right for goalkick.
29 min...VA Ssebaduka wins cornerkick after long run down left sideline.
29 min...VA Robinson high cornerkick from left is well over box and bounces wide right for goalkick.
31 min...GU player's cornerkick from right has GU Agyemang on near post head and goalie swats downward in crowd of players.
VA Robinson clears ball from box.
31 min...GU player's short deflects off defender for cornerkick.
32 min...GU Gander cornerkick from right is low and GU Fernandez on near post deflects wide right for goalkick.
33 min...GU Ellis-Hayden cross from right is over to left wide of box and VA Pabla clears on left.
35 min...VA Campoli low centering cross along 15 yard line from right has defender clear as no VA players are in box.
36 min...GU Gander long dribble up left ahs high cross over box and bounces but for throw-in.
38 min...GU Gander cornerkick from right has leaping defender head away to start fast break.
39 min...VA Rose ends pressure after short cornerkick from left with 12 yard shot is saved by goalie on near post.
41 min...GU Yates cornerkick from left has GU player head ball down on right and VA Higgins clears ball.
42 min...GU Beader heads 10 yarder in crowd of players that goalie catches on right side of net.
42 min...GU YELLOW card...Oakley earns it for grab on VA Sabbatasso at VA 50 yard line on breakout.
43 min...VA Zeppieri chips cross after short cornerkick on right from 25 yards and VA Olatoye twists 10 yard header
wide left from left.
45 min...Vaughan Ryan Robinson GOAL...VA Christopher Campoli crosses from 28 yards on slight right that finds
Robinson in the open and he rolls 12 yarder forward and just inside the left post out of the reach of the diving goalie.
50 min...GU defenders head away cross from left in two header move. VA Rose recovers and shoots low that's stopped.
51 min...VA Campoli shot from 15 yards near end line has goalie to near post to clear away. VA Robinson recovers rebound
for quick blast from 18 yards well over net.
52 min...GU Gander 45 yard freekick from right has VA Higgins one-touch clearance on boot away at 15 yards.
54 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from right lands in box and is cleared by defenders.
54 min...half ends 8:53pm.

Halftime: Both teams substitutes stay out to warm up.

Second Half:...starts 9:09pm with the weather getting colder.
45 min 25 sec...GU goalie catches pop up.
49 min...VA Rose long run down right and low 18 yard shot that goalie dives forward and pushes forward. A big rebound
is available but no VA players are in the box.
50 min...VA YELLOW card...Pabla earns it for holding GA player breaking down left wing at VA 30 yard line.
53 min...VA YELLOW card...Zeppieri earns it for kicking ball away after a freekick is called against him at center line.
55 min...VA Ssebaduka makes big sliding poke check on FU Agyemang stealing ball away at VA 30 yard line. Ssebaduka
is injured later in the play and needs trainer.
57 min...VA defender makes big clearance before GU Beader can connect of 10 yard header.
58 min...GU Stergiotis run down right from 60 yards and cross from 20 yards near end line is caught by goalie.
59 min...GU Ellis-Hayden low 40 yard blast from slight right has goalie sprawl to save on left post.
61 min...VA Campoli intercepts pass from GU Fernandez for break on left and low cross to VA Olatoye who has shot deflected
for cornerkick.
62 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from right has VA Higgins pop header in crowd of players in box high and wide left from 6 yards.
63 min...VA sub...Phillips replaces Ssebaduka who was injured again.
66 min...GU Oakley 55 yard low chip between players and stopped.
67 min...GU YELLOW card...Ellis-Hayden earns it for tackle injurying VA Campoli who needs trainer.
68 min...VA players win cornerkick on left as 45 yard freekick is knocked around and out by defender.
69 min...VA Robinson cornerkick from left has VA Phillips and VA Higgins have shots blocked inside GU box by defenders.
VA Robinson skies 22 yard rebound from left well over net.
71 min...GU sub...Cain replaces Beader.
72 min...VA Sabbatasso pass to VA Campoli who has low 20 yard shot deflected wide right for cornerkick.
73 min...GU player's high cornerkick has GU Stergiotis head ball from right into box which defenders clear.
74 min...GU Gander 28 yard freekick from left is just high wide left of top corner of net.
75 min...VA sub...Bradbury replaces Sabbatasso.
76 min...VA Campoli sidesteps defender for low 15 yard shot that diving goalie smothers.
76 min...GU Agyemang backs into cross from left and pops 6 yarder on right wide right of net.
77 min...GU Ostrun recovers partial rebound for 20 yard roller that's smothered by goalie.
79 min...GU Gander cornerkick from right has VA Rose on left side of goal head out left side of box.
82 min...VA goalie wins freekick call when bumped over leaping for high ball in 6 yard box.
85 min...VA Rose bends 22 yard kick from left that goalie catches on right side of net.
86 min...GU Stergiotis blasts 35 yarder from slight right well high and right of goal.
86 min...GU sub...Ibie replaces Ostrun.
87 min...GU YELLOW card...Stergiotis earns it for tripping VA Robinson at GU 40 yard line on left.
88 min...VA Robinson cross from 18 yards along left end line has goalie on near post palm over bar.
90 min...VA goalie bats down 18 yard shot from left on near post and smothers ball.
90 min...VA sub...Pedro replaces injured Robinson.
91 min...GU Yates is injured at center line.
92 min...VA Zeppieri follow up of VA player's blocked shot shoots 25 yarder wide left.
94 min...Guelph RED card...Dion Stergiotis earns his second Yellow card of the game, this one for
a knock down away from the play in the Guelph end. (he'd earned his first at 87 minutes).
95 min...VA sub...Bourgeois replaces Campoli.
96 min...VA Bourgeois runs to GU right cornerflag to kill off game.
96 min...game ends 10:00pm.

Final Score:......Vaughan Azzurri......2.......Guelph United..........0..........

Attendance was about 180 (using the estimate of 150 from what the league official said from his side of the field here at Sunday's game then adding some more). The crowd continued to arrive until halftime. The drive up Keele street had three different road repair sites to cross on the way up here. Some of the Vaughan youth teams joined in up the sideline as their practice ended and there were no more seats available for such a big bunch except they were wearing their all navy kits just like the Azzurri were tonight. They were allowed to stay and not behind the schoolyard fencing around the field but the compromise may have been that they had to sit on the grass so they wouldn't be such a distraction.

It wasn't night when the game started but the sky was dark with the threat of rain although we only got a few drops twice during the game. This could have caused some of the goalie catches to be knock downs rather than catches as the ball would be getting wet rolling across the field.

Tonight I was sitting behind the late arriving family and friends of Sammy Ssebaduka who had a few members stand when Vaughan got close to goal but I was able to lean around them. Note: The L1O website still has their standings list Guelph ahead of Blue Devils and Burlington so it appears that the quarterfinals had the third and fourth place teams and the fifth and sixth place teams face off tonight. It is 'most wins' that are used so Guelph finished sixth, not fourth (the three teams all had 39 points). A quick write up on Monday had me say that Vaughan and Burlington would have a rematch from Sunday with me expecting angry fan 'Captain Highliner' yelling at the referee but Burlington had to travel to Oakville to play the Blue Devils.

Sammy Ssebaduka was the first Vaughan player to be subbed out (63 minutes) as he picked up his second injury in a short time. He played fine but I thought their best player was Raheem Rose playing in the midfield with key passes and runs all night.

Guelph substitute goalie Jake Findlay is listed on the L1O website as not playing at this level until tonight. He is only one year younger than Carter Robart (2004 vs 2003) and performed well for the rest of the game. A Guelph superfan told me after the game that Robart had separated his shoulder and the trainers 'popped' it back in place but head coach Justin Springer decided to make the change when play resumed anyway. Findlay had been warming up within a minute of the original impact.

Christian Calabro (2003) earned the shutout for Vaughan with a few key saves. I was leery of a few rebounds he gave up almost as if the ball was wet but some of the later ones were deliberate slap downs so as he could then smother them when a Guelph player came closer and kill off some precious time. I've been able to watch Vaughan's original 2023 starting goalie Gianluca Catalano who signed a short term deal with Toronto FC II of MLS NEXT Pro league get some action with all the injuries and loan outs in the TFC organization as recently as last Friday when he shut out New England Revolution II until the Penalty shot round.

Calabro was aided by his defensive line of Jaytin Pabla, Nyal Higgins, Christian Zeppieri, and Daniel Gogarty in keeping the shot count down with blocks and forcing low percentage chances.

Referee Ryan Schwenger (who was the referee here Sunday night) gave out six Yellow cards (four to Guelph including the two to Stergiotis). These two teams played once in the regular season back on June 18 with Guelph winning 1-0 on a goal in the eleventh minute from Stergiotis!

The other quarter-final was taking place at the same time in Oakville at Pine Glen (not their usual stadium but this one has stadium lights) and ended a few minutes earlier than our game. Blue Devils beat Burlington 4-1. That sets up the weekend semi-final games of Saturday night 9:00pm at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan with first place Scrosoppi FC hosting Blue Devils FC and Sunday at 6:30pm Simcoe County Rovers hosting Vaughan Azzurri at Georgian College in Barrie.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
twitter @RocketRobin01

Vaughan Azzurri starters