August 31, 2024...League1 Ontario Scrosoppi FC vs ProStars FC game report (by Rocket Robin)
Result and details of the Saturday August 31, 2024 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game between Scrosoppi FCFinal Score:.....Scrosoppi FC..............2.............ProStars FC...........0.........
Attendance started off slow but after halftime actually picked up to about 250 people on this very hot, sunny, and humid day. Every fan knew this could be the game that won Scrosoppi the title but within the last week Scrosoppi games have all been relocated to the Zachin Automotive Soccer Centre. Their game Wednesday night (A 1-0 win against Alliance United) was to squeeze it onto the schedule after a thunderstorm cancellation from the last weekend in June. Their game this coming Wednesday against Burlington for a postponement from two Sunday's ago can also be explained as field availability but right from the schedule coming out, this game was to be in Milton 45 km away and at 7:00pm. Glad that this many fans showed up. The ProStars goalie Sunny Dhaliwal kept them in the game during the first half with some point blank saves. The soccer dad sitting beside me said to his young son that 'if it wasn't for the goalie, it would have been 3-0 by now'...He revised that to 5-0 at the end of the first half. Scrosoppi then wanted to score and took one too many passes to set up or put their final shot off target looking for that perfect goal. Jared Maloney and Robert Barkman shared the shutout for Scrosoppi. Each played one half with Maloney starting the game. I don't recall any injury but it might be squad rotation because they've had a lot of games to make up recently. Barkman is also listed as only age 17 so if the team is in trouble with not enough under age 20 minutes this would be a way to squeeze some in. Also a good resume builder “I shared a shutout in the game that won my team the league title...” Referee Kevin Kim gave out three Yellow cards (all to ProStars players). Two of them were back to back at 59 minutes for either a foul which I missed and argueing the freekick call...or both for argueing the call! He also called a water break at 23 minutes. There was also an improvised one at 67 minutes when PS Edric Velazquez went down with a leg injury and needed the trainer. By the time they got a subbed inserted before the restart three minutes later, everyone who wanted some water a gotten some. So there we go. Scrosoppi won the league title with one game to spare. They were always near the top but because they had played two or three games less than Vaughan Azzurri at some points of the season, they looked they were always the second place team. Both teams only lost once all season but Vaughan two more ties in their results. The match commissioners had to erect a aluminum column in case Scrosoppi won today. It was somewhat like a pop up tent with a bolt missing which would then have a champions canvas stretched over it for Scrosoppi players to pose under with their medals and trophy if they won today. Scrosoppi officials unpacked a box of black t-shirts for their players that had the SFC logo on one side and '2024 League One Champions' on the other when it was time to collect their medals. They'd also brought a box of 100 scarves that were to be given away at the gate to the first fans who got here. Photographer Martin Bazyl who takes pictures for this league among others said he received a call to get over here as they would need him to take pictures when it became clear Scrosoppi would win. Also Scrosoppi head coach John Yacao wasn't listed on the bench today did get here in time to receive a medal. I asked him about his absence and it was his commitments to TMU (university) that made him late. Last night I saw him when I went to watch L1O North Toronto vs Alliance United at Downsview Park and he was helping TMO Women's team beat Trent University. TMU teams had two more games today. The North Toronto game was suspiciously marked as POSTPONED hours before gametime on the L1C app but it turned out it will go down in the books as a forfeit win for North Toronto as Alliance couldn't muster enough players with absences for schooling and stacking their U-20 teams etc. Scrosoppi's record improves to 15 wins, 5 ties, 1 loss for 50 points with one game to go. They are second best at scoring goals 51 to 55 for Vaughan but lead the lead in goals against with a microscopic 12 against. Hey that one loss this season was against ProStars back at the end of June out in Brampton...I was there! Uhh more history. ProStars finished their season today with a record of 7 wins, 3 ties, 12 losses for 24 points. They finish tenth in the twelve team league well ahead of twelfth place Hamilton (automatic relegation) and eleventh place Guelph United who will play against the Championship Division (second tier) runner up although that one was complicated by the fact that winners TFC Academy finished first but declined the promotion and in fact withdrew their participation in League1 Ontario because of pressure from the American MLS NEXT Pro forces who have created a new tier to finish their pyramid for their next season. Medals given out? Yes. Well let's clear the field. Players you can pose for pictures with the trophy in Locker Room 13 as now the field will be used for the Pickering FC vs Scrosoppi FC L2 men's Pro/Rel Playoff at 5:00pm!back to 2024 League1 Ontario menu
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