September 6, 2024...League1 Ontario L1 Cup Final...Vaughan Azzurri vs Simcoe County Rovers game report (by Rocket Robin)

Result and details of the Friday September 6, 2024 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game between Vaughan Azzurri
and Simcoe County Rovers played at Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 8:30pm. This was the final of the 2024 L1 Cup.

I will be posting pictures, logos, and more of a play-by-play about this game someday (ie. the offseason).

10 min...Simcoe County Rovers Jevonte Layne GOAL...SCR Javier George receives pass after short throw-in from left and sends roller forward from 30 yards to SCR Orlendis Benitez Hernandez just inside top left corner of box and he taps to charging Layne who dribbles forward and rolls 10 yarder into short left side of net past squatting goalie Baj Maan.

79 min...Vaughan Gabriel Boakye GOAL...Boakye on right recovers SCR headed clearance from box and eludes shirt grab attempt by SCR Paul Karagiannakos and shoots 22 yarder from slight right around SCR Allen Blegay upward and ball dips into top right corner of net between arms of goalie Peter Sherberstov.

95 min...end of regulation time.

Penalty shootout: Vaughan will shoot first and the south end goal will be used.

1. VA Raheem Rose shoots high and over top right corner of net as he slips asa he takes his shot.
1. SCR Orlendis Benitez Hernandez GOAL...Hernandez shoots to top left side as goalie dives right.
2. VA Andy Baquero shoots low to right. Diving goalie saves on right post.
2. SCR Aidan Hugo does slow walk up and rolls ball to right. Goalie dives to right and smothers.
3. VA Mateo Caride GOAL...Caride stagger steps and shoots high left out of reach of flying goalie.
3. SCR Jevontae Layne shoots high over bar to top left after skip stepping his run up as goalie ducks left.
4. VA Raouf Mohamed GOAL...Mohamed has not run up and shoots low to left as goalie dives right.
4. SCR Ijah Halley shoots low to left and goalie dives and pushes ball wide left.
5. VA Reshaun Walkes GOAL...Walkes stagger steps and shoots low to right as goalie dives left.

Final Score: Vaughan Azzurri.....1......Simcoe County Rovers......1......
Vaughan win Penalty kick shootout 3-1

Attendance picked up by halftime to about 350 people. A late start of 8:30pm ensured that more travelling fans could get here from Barrie. They made up at least 2/3 of the crowd.

There was a very light rain at the beginning of the warm ups but nothing more until after the trophy was presented. I was expecting more rain so watched the game from the first floor of the 'treehouse' on the east side to stay dry. The camera for the YouTube broadcast was on the second floor (also sheltered from the elements).

There weren't very many chances during the game. Both sides had defences that limited the shots to outside the box with many blocks and then cleared for fast breakouts up the field. I credit the Vaughan backline of Gabriel Boakye, Jacob Begley, and Mathieu Laurent and the Rovers back four of Alejandro Portal, Tajay Reid, Cameron DaSilva, and CJ Smith.

Referee Liam Tremblay gave out only two Yellow cards (both to Vaughan players) in a close checking game with most infractions let go as the players just played on. Vaughan players were particularly incensed by the clutching and tackling while Rovers coach Doneil Henry was about complaining exactly the same thing on behalf of his players. Vaughan's Raouf Mohamed was in the Jackie Robinson role taking a pounding with him being shoved out of bounds almost into the SCR players' bench. VA Andy Baquero took a Yellow for arguing the non-call.

I complimented Tremblay on his officiating when the officials were presented with medals along with the players. He could have given out nine Yellow cards to each team and had a stop and restart game all evening or let the game carry on like it did making it very exciting for the fans. I only counted one injury that required a substitution and that was when SCR CJ Smith was injured at 76 minutes and Allen Blegay took his place after the trainer had done his best.

L1O Premier divisions' leading scorer Reshaun Walkes was burned on at least three offside calls. He scored the deciding Penalty kick. He had two four goal efforts in their last two league games—a Penalty kick goal in each game. After the game a Vaughan official said they started their season by being outcalled for Penalties for and against by 10-0 until they finally were awarded one.

The winners were presented with the recently reinstated League1 Cup trophy. This is a competition that has not been held since 2018...that was before COVID...because as more and more teams entered the league which had only one level until this season, there were too many league games in the regular season schedule to hold another competition. Last winners before tonight was Vaughan Azzurri (2018) who also won the first season 2014 then again in 2016 with Woodbridge Strikers winning in the odd numbered years of 2015 and 2017. Team officials were also given the canvas skin of the '2024 L1 Cup Winners' sign for their clubhouse. The trophy on the other hand will have to be returned for next years tourney.

League1 Cup play is awkward. It got off to a good start with clubs from the three tiers of the league playing their first game (if they didn't get a bye) one weekend before the regular season started. After that games were confined to midweek and often at whatever stadium was available. Tough to book a field from your city if you can't be sure your team would be out after one game. The league had a lot of regular season games rescheduled because of all the storms in the area. Rovers had to wait exactly two months between their quarterfinal match to their semifinal. This was only my third L1 Cup game. Besides the first week (hey third tier 'The Borough' vs second tier Pickering), I went to the quarterfinal of Sigma FC vs Vaughan on a Wednesday played at tonight's stadium which is always a default stadium for any team having trouble booking a field. Sigma was considered the home team for that game.

In regular season play these teams had met twice, both ending in ties. 1-1 on Sunday April 28th, the first weekend of the season with Rovers scoring an added time goal (I was at the game in NMRP in Maple) and 4-4 in Barrie on Saturday August 10 with Ijah Halley scoring a Penalty kick at 77 minutes. Same goalies were in that August game.

Baj Maan was the regular Rovers goalie for their 2023 season so he must have had a read of their Penalty kick patterns.

The Rovers physio actually had more to do before the game when he wrapped up team president Peter Raco's foot who had injured it while jogging in the day. After the game I saw him hobbling around on a crutch. While getting his foot treated I did ask him about the stadium problems they were having. Conflict about a new site in Barrie may hold up progress for years. A message board rumour about Toronto FC II being bounced from York Lions Stadium because of the new women's team AFC Toronto playing there and CPL York United FC staying will mean there won't be many dates available. No stadium around here meets the MLS NEXT Pro standards. Also Raco said he expects the team will skew younger and it's down to averaging age 21 now. Goalie Peter Sheberstov is only 17, starting the season with their feeder club Aurora FC U20s. Also appears we've both lost track of the Credit River Cup competition committee. I could see trouble at the end of last season when North Mississauga was dropped to the second tier and wouldn't have games with the other teams.

That just about wraps up the Premier Division. There is one more game and that is the promotion/relegation game with eleventh place (of the Premier Division) travelling to St Catharines to play the Roma Wolves (third place Championship Division) to see which team gets the 2025 spot in the Premier Division. That game was supposed to be at this stadium next Friday night but was rescheduled for Wednesday in St Catharines. Friday night I'd have been at a CPL York United game but Wednesday...hmm although it is a long drive...

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

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