May 26, 2024...League1 Ontario Premier Division...Woodbridge Strikers and Vaughan Azzurri game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday May 26, 2024 League1 Ontario game between Woodbridge Strikers and Vaughan Azzurri
played at Vaughan Grove in Woodbridge at 7:00pm.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue uniforms, white numbers)

........................1 Dante Mario Ferraro
2 Luca Pinto...25 Keegan Wilson...18 Elijah Viet Le...3 Gianluca Condello
..........17 Gregory Damian Moulopoulos...6 Jacob Spizzirri (cpt)...27 Sebastian Cochrane
...........8 Joe Mac...9 Ronaldo Marshall...7 Justin Cicchillo

Subs:...76 Ezequiel Enrique Carrasco Ayala...5 Carmine Fiore...10 Ignazio Muccilli...11 Franz Mella
...12 Luka Vasic...14 Santiago Almada...19 Abdul Hamad...21 Anthony Morano...22 Santino De Bartolo
team officials:...head coach Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coach Fabio Panetta...team managers Joseph Fini and John Scarlato
...physiotherapist David Lisi

Vaughan Azzurri (white socks and shirts, red shorts, navy numbers)

........................1 Alessio Carbone
23 Kelvin Joel Ramirez-Figueroa...15 Matthew Medeiros...16 Jacob Begley...21 Adamo Pantaleo
..........25 Daniel Longo...5 Raheem Rose (cpt)...10 Jeronimo Sabbatasso Sola
...........9 Reshaun Walkes...20 Mateo Caride...8 Christopher Campoli

Subs:...12 Grant Marcus Wyles (gk)...3 Gabriel Boakye...6 Michael Alberto Campoli...7 Abdou Raouf Mohamed
...13 Jjustin Santos...14 Christian Napoleon Kyriacou...17 Divraj Sandhu...18 Shawn Noah Shvartshtein
...22 Jami Clayton Royer
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coaches Anthony Daniel Vadori, Fabio Campoli, and Jeffrey Valcius
...physiotherapist Casey Joseph D'Mello...other official Martine Eleuteri

Game officials:...referee Ryan Schwenger...referee's assistants Joey Filipic and Teodora Glisic
...fourth official Nivin Raizada...(red socks and shirts, black shorts)...match commissioner Nick De Freitas

First Half:...game starts 6:59pm...Woodbridge defends north end on this warm evening with a hazy sun in the north west.
55 sec...VA Sola juggles mid air ball and 25 yard shot bounces to goalie.
2 min...VA Rose 35 yard freekick from slight left has defender head away in center of box at 15 yards.
3 min...Vaughan YELLOW card...Medeiros earns it for sliding tackle from side. WS Cicchillo is injured on play and needs trainer.
4 min...WS Marshall 33 yard freekick roller is into player wall. WS Pinto tips rebound after low ball is sent to edge of box
and goalie smothers at 8 yards.
6 min...VA Walkes rushes to right end line and rolls centering pass that defender clears on near post.
10 min...VA Rose takes quick and short cornerkick from left and VA player crosses into box that defenders clear.
14 min...VA Rose cornerkick from left. VA Walkes has two blocked shots inside center of box.
15 min...WS Cicchillo has short cross from left end line after rush is cleared in 6 yard box. WS had set up a quick freekick
after VA Walkes is not awarded a freekick at WS 45 yard line.
20 min...WS Moulopoulos blasts 30 yarder from slight right is well high and wide left of net.
21 min...WS YELLOW card...Spizzirri earns it for knock over at VA 30 yard line.
23 min...WS Cochrane high cross from 30 yard sideline is caught by goalie overhead on right side of 6 yard box.
24 min...VA Sola 30 yard freekick from extreme right has defender in middle of box.
24 min...WS YELLOW card...Assistant coach Panetta earns it for five coaches at bench standing to protest VA being
awarded a throw-in in front of their bench.
26 min...WS players clear ball from their box.
28 min...Vaughan Reshaun Walkes GOAL...VA Kelvin Ramirez-Figueroa chips pass from 75 yards on right that bounces
down the sideline and charging Walkes gets control of at 30 yards and continues run up wing and cuts towards goal
along with two defenders and takes low 10 yard shot catches the left corner of net past diving goalie Dante Ferraro.
32 min...VA Sola squeezes between defenders for weak 20 yard shot that goalie smothers.
33 min...WS Marshall rushes between defenders but goalie is out to edge of box to smother bouncer.
36 min...VA Rose wins freekick when WS Wilson hooks his foot.
37 min...VA Campoli 28 yard freekick from left is chipped well over net.
37 min...VA Longo centers pass to VA Sola who takes quick 18 yard shot down middle wide right of net.
38 min...VA Caride is ordered off the field to have his bloody shin treated.
41 min...WS Cicchillo races to 20 yard line on left then cuts towards center but VA Walkes sticks with him and prevents shot.
42 min...VA Walkes rush down middle and rolls 22 yarder wide left.
45 min...Woodbridge Ronaldo Marshall GOAL...WS Joe Mac dribbles down middle on slight left and crosses
over to right for WS Luca Pinto who sends high cross from 15 yard line over to Marshall waiting at 7 yards on left
who heads ball downward that goalie Alessio Carbone comes over to protect near post and dives to his knees but pushes
the ball between himself and the post.
47 min...half ends 7:46pm.

Halftime: There are no fan games or contests for the first time this season. It now looks like rain.

Second Half:...starts 8:02pm.
Halftime sub:...WS Muccilli replaces Moulopoulos.
46 min...VA Campoli and Walkes on give and go run up right has Walkes shoot 12 yard roller into outside webbing of net.
46 min...WS Cicchillo is injured near center line away from play.
47 min...WS sub...Mella replaces injured Cicchillo.
49 min...VA Walkes slides to poke 10 yard WS player's shot from left forward and wide left.
50 min...VA Longo 30 yard freekick up middle is chip and finds VA Begley at 7 yards line on left and he heads across box
but VA Walkes has already run past the pass.
51 min...WS Muccilli 20 yard shot on run up right is low but wide left.
52 min...WS Mac is injured in collision and needs trainer.
53 min...VA player's low freekick from 30 yards is low and into player wall.
55 min...VA Medeiros is injured at center line with a leg cramp and needs trainer.
57 min...WS player's quick freekick from right. WS Spizzirri blasts 20 yarder from slight left over net.
58 min...VA Medeiros is injured in same spot and needs trainer.
59 min...WS player makes long throw-in from left and WS Mella blasts 20 yarder off bar.
59 min...VA sub...Raouf Mohamed replaces Medeiros.
............WS sub...Morano replaces Marshall.
60 min...WS Cochrane chips freekick along 15 yard line from right. WS Morano twists 10 yarder in crowd of players just wide
of left post.
62 min...VA Sola low cross from 25 yards along left end line has defender clear in 6 yard box.
63 min...WS Mac has to have field for bloody finger and bloody shin noticed later.
64 min...WS Muccilli 40 yard freekick from right squeezes between players wide left for goalkick.
65 min...VA YELLOW card...head coach Isaaco earns it for constant infringement and complaining.
66 min...VA Wilson 45 yard cross from slight right has VA player leap and heads wide left in crowd of players in box at 8 yards.
67 min...VA goalie is out to left edge of box to beat WS player to through ball.
68 min...VA Wilson chips 40 yarder that goalie catches.
69 min...WS sub...De Bartolo replacess Cochrane.
..............VA sub...Boakye replaces Sola.
70 min...WS Mac runs to left end line and VA cross has goalie catch overhead wide right in 6 yard box.
71 min...VA Rose juggles ball on rush anad shoots 15 yarder over bar and back fence.
72 min...VA Boakye rushes up right and crosses over box along 10 yard line.
73 min...WS Pinto rush up left wing and rolls centering pass which sliding defender stops.
74 min...VA Raouf Mohamed 25 yard shot from slight left after receiving pass from right is just over bar.
75 min...WS Muccilli eludes defener and rolls centering pass from right and WS Mello has shot blocked.
76 min...WS De Bartolo low cross from right near end line has goalie squat to catch.
77 min...VA Longo 33 yard freekick from right has goalie in crowd of players puch it forward and out of the box.
78 min...VA sub...Shvarshtein replaces Caride.
79 min...WS Muccilli and Mella work out short cornerkick from right earns another cornerkick.
79 min...WS Muccilli cornerkick from right has goalie in crowd of players punch ball forward and out of the box.
80 min...Woodbridge Ignazio Muccilli GOAL...WS Santino De Bartolo from 60 yards on right chips pass forward for
WS Franz Mella who sends low pass forward and through defenders for charging WS Anthony Morano but goalie is out
to 15 yards to slide and try to smother ball as player leaps over him. The ball squeezes loose and Muccilli shoots
this rebound low from 17 yards around fallen goalie into open net.
82 min...VA sub...Santos replaces Longo.
83 min...VA Raouf Mohamed cuts 12 yard shot that sliding defender deflects wide of net.
84 min...VA Santos high cornerkick from right. VA Rose pops header from 8 yards on left side left of net.
86 min...VA defender ensures WS player runs ball over end line.
86 min...Vaughan Reshaun Walkes GOAL...VA Abdou Raouf Mohamed at 35 yard line on left sideline slides and sends
centering pass over to VA Raheem Rose at 22 yards in alignment with left post. Rose rolls short pass over to Walkes
wide open at 8 yards in alignment with right post and he rolls shot forward into right side of net with goalie
frozen in middle.
88 min...WS Mella pokes ball from VA Pantaleo from behind to prevent clear shot from 20 yards.
90 min...WS Spizzirri has head injury at center line.
91 min...WS YELLOW card...Mella earns it for something (time wasting?)
93 min...VA Boakye blasts 35 yard shot up middle that goalie catches just under the bar.
94 min...WS YELLOW card...Condello earns it at center line for something (time wasting?)
94 min...VA Pantaleo on run up right has cross from 30 yard line that VA Begley heads rom left across box from 5 yards wide of post.
96 min...game ends 8:53pm.

Final Score:....Woodbridge Strikers......2.......Vaughan Azzurri......2.........

This was only the second home game for Woodbridge at their renovated stadium. 490 seats at Vaughan Grove (the home of Woodbridge, it's beside the Ontario Soccer Centre property)....real seats, not benches and I'd estimate a crowd of over 500. (not every seat was filled but fans also lined up along the west side touchlines that weren't blocking the stand). This was the most I've seen here in years. Supporters group too, one of them with a megaphone. The threat of rain usually scares fans from coming out to L1O games but even though it got quite dark, the rain held off.

Reshaun Walkes spoiled the celebration with his second goal at 86 minutes to ensure the points were split. Samantha Murphy had scored two goals for Woodbridge to help their Womens' Premier Division team beat Vaughan's Women 2-1 in a game that had ended just before I got to the stadium.

Woodbridge has had to find new goaltenders as Daniel Clarke was drafted by the CPL HFX Wanderers in the U-Sports Draft in the offseason. He did go to university in Nova Scotia so he was being watched out there. Shafique Wilson is now the back up goalie for Toronto FC II of MLS NEXT Pro. (Showing it's two way traffic, forward/winger Reshaun Walkes played last season for Toronto FC II). I follow Woodbridge on X/Twitter and am constantly reading the success of their youth teams in tourneys. Even the Holy Cross high school which borders their grounds and had at least eight youth players I recognized won some competition to be called best school in the city.

Referee Ryan Schwenger gave out six Yellow cards in the game. Four of them went to Woodbridge but two of those were in second half injury time which may have been for time wasting. He gave out one to a member of the coaching staff of each team. The Woodbridge one at 24 minutes was for five of them standing up at their players' bench to protest a Vaughan player being awarded a throw-in right in from of them. Assistant Fabio Panetta took the card. Vaughan head coach Carmine Isacco given one at 65 minute at the insistance of fourth official Nivin Raizada for constant complaining and crowding over too often past their players' bench towards the fourth official's space. Now if this stadium forgot one thing maybe it was they should have painted some lines in front of the players box to stop the infringement.

Trainers on both teams were kept busy having to run onto the field to treat injured players and patch up cuts on the sideline when players were ordered to leave the field.

Woodbridge is still undefeated after five games with a record of 2 wins and 3 ties for 9 points. This was the last game of the weekend and they are in fifth place of the twelve Premier Division teams. Head coach Peter Pinizzotto wasn't pleased with the tie because of the late goal given up. He reminded me when questioned that last year they had the most ties of any team of the twenty-one teams. Yep! Their final game last season was a 1-1 draw against Hamilton United that held Woodbridge off from passing them. With the two year point-weighted schedule for 2022-23 season found them finishing thirteenth and missing the twelfth place cutoff for the Premier vs Championship division split. They were only spared being placed in the second tier Championship Division because of Electric City FC folding in the off season.

Vaughan is also undefeated at 3 wins and 2 ties for 11 points. They are holding onto third place.

Meanwhile Burlington SC has opened up with a 5-0-0 start for 15 points. Burlington also defeated second place Scrosoppi FC in a PK settled League1 Ontario Cup game knocking them out in Round of 16 action. Scrosoppi was held to a 1-1 tie in league play last weekend against Woodbridge. Woodbridge had their own Cup ambitions ended midweek with a PK settled defeat against North Toronto.

Woodbridge Strikers head coach Peter Pinizzotto

My post game interview with Woodbridge Strikers head coach Peter Pinizzotto (6 minutes, 59 seconds)
Your thoughts on tonight's game?
How important is it to get off to a fast start this season now that there aren't any playoffs?
How much of a relief is it to squeeze into the Premier Division after things looked bleak the last weekend of last season when you finished thirteenth?
Why are you playing better than last season?
How does it feel to play at your renovated field and stadium tonight in front of a full house?
How can you keep replacing goalies moving on to higher leagues?
The success of your youth teams.
What do you say to your former players like Darren Tilley who are now coaching?

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

Woodbridge Strikers starters