April 29, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Durham United FA vs Aurora United FC (by Rocket Robin)

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

Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game between Durham United Football Alliance
and Aurora United SC played Friday April 29, 2016 at Pickering Soccer Centre in Pickering at 8:00pm.

Durham United FA (all black,yellow numbers)

..................1 Eugene Alves
3 Jacob Sooklal...2 Taejon Mikle-Ryan 13 Le Shaun Young...12 Bruce Cullen
10 Kashiff De Jonge...5 Eddie Lay...8 Taylor Lord (cpt)...7 Christian Moncrieffe...17 Joseph Roccasalva
....................9 Le Rohne Young

Subs:...00 Peter Katsaras (gk)...18 Joshua Paredes...14 Justin Gordon...11 Mark Tarazhi...19 Will Tanner
...16 Gary Canam...15 Nahon Campbell
team officials:...head coach Sanford Carabin...team officials Felix Dirienzo, Desmond Warner,
Corrado Roccasalva...therapist Dr Alex Hakins

Aurora United SC (yellow socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

...................1 Duncan Jobson
2 Christian Strangis...19 Tope Makinwa...4 Michael Valenti...13 Lucas Azeredo
.....7 Jonathan Parolina (cpt)...5 Frederick Ameyaw...17 Gianmariano Della Serra
.....9 Kaleb Powell...10 Simon Adjei...11 Zakariae Mahrady

Subs:...-- Johnny Borsellino (gk)...20 David DiPlacido...8 Esi Ghassemi...6 Kelsang Lungkara...12 Youssef Mahrady
...14 Arman Mohammadi...3 Trevon Weaterall
team officials:...head coach Jimmy Brennan...team officials Dominic Reynolds, Marcia Quiroga and Andres Torres

Game officials:...referee Alexis Vaughan...referee's assistants Isabel Senecal and Marc Henoud
...fourth official John Vlahos (teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:03pm...DUFA defends east end.
1 min...DUFA goalie sprawls to stop Aur Powell 25 yard shot and needs treatment for injury.
2 min...DUFA Roccasalva cross from 20 yards is headed away at 6 yards by defender.
5 min...Aur Azeredo 50 yard freekick from left bounces through crowd of players for goalie who punts it quickly upfield.
6 min...Aur Mohammadi has to switch from his torn jersey #9 to #14.
7 min...Aur Adjei cuts low 22 yard shot that goalie smothers.
8 min...DUFA De Jonge shoots 22 yarder over net. Mohammadi finally gets back on field. (fourth official John Vlahos outlined to the Aur bench that because it was an equipment stoppage, the player couldn't return to the field into the next stoppage in play).
11 min...Aurora Lucas Azeredo GOAL...AUFC Jonathan Parolini centers from 25 yards on the right. AUFC Frederick Amevaw taps pass to Azeredo on left and he blasts 10 yarder into top middle of net over goalie Eugene Alves.
12 min...DUFA Moncrieffe bends 25 yard blast up middle just wide left of net.
12 min...DUFA De Jonge blasts 22 yard roller from right just wide left of post.
17 min...DUFA Cullen 35 yard freekick from left is partly cleared. DUFA Lay blasts low 20 yarder through crowd of players wide right of net.
18 min...Aur Mohammadi rolls centering pass from 25 yards on right. Aur Adjei spins and gets away weak shot from 18 yards rolls to goalie.
21 min...Aur Zakariae Mahrady runs on left but pushes ball over end line.
22 min...Aur goalie outjumps DUFA Roccasalva to grab bouncer at 15 yards.
24 min...DUFA De Jonge receives long pass from near center line and blasts low 20 yarder off oustside of right post.
27 min...DUFA Le Rohne Young 18 yard shot is blocked by defender.
30 min...Aur Azeredo long throw-in from left has defender heads away in box.
31 min...DUFA De Jonge bends cross from 25 yard on right between players and wide left for goalkick.
34 min...DUFA Lay bends 25 yard kick fromleft that goalie catches.
35 min...DUFA Mikle-Ryan 60 yard freekick from right has DUFA De Jonge head 12 yarder over net but offside flag was up.
36 min...DUFA Roccasalva blasts 20 yarder up middle off bar and desperate clearance is made by defenders.
37 min...DUFA Moncrieffe low 22 yarder fromleft rolls through players wide right of net.
38 min...DUFA Roccasalva crossafter runon left has sliding DUFA De Jonge kick 10 yarder over net.
39 min...DUFA Roccasalva rush up middle and rolls ball to DUFA De Jonge on left and he blasts 12 yard shot into short side webbing of net.
40 min...DUFA Cullen cornerkick from left has leaping DUFA Le Shaun Young in crowd of players at 12 yards heads ball wide right.
41 min...DUFA Cullen long run on left and cross is through box out right side. DUFA De Jonge runs in from right but 10 yard shot is tipped by defender wide right for cornerkick.
43 min...DUFA Lay cornerkick from right is headed away for quick breakout.
44 min...DUFA Cullen 25 yard freekick from left is through players in box.
46 min...half ends 8:49pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:04pm.
halftime sub:...Aur Weatherall replaces Powell.
46 min...DUFA YELLOW card...Le Shaun Young earns it for kicking ball away after whistle.
47 min...DUFA Lay cornerkick from right has DUFA De Jonge not able to get away shot at 10 yards on left.
48 min...DUFA Eddie Lay GOAL...DUFA Joseph Roccasalva gives short pass from 18 yards
on right and Lay blasts 15 yarder up middle bending ball into top left side of net past goalie Duncan Jobson.
51 min...Aur Parolini long throw-in fromright is whistled down in box.
52 min...DUFA Lord in box clears long Aur throw-in from right.
55 min...DUFA sub...Paredes replaces Mikle-Ryan.
55 min...DUFA Cullen cornerkick from left is tipped up to right and defender clears before DUFA Lay can connect at 10 yards on right.
56 min...DUFA Roccasalva shoots low 15 yarder from left wide right.
57 min...DUFA Sooklal cross from 25 yards on right is cleared in Aur box.
57 min...Aur Parolini is injured in center circle and needs trainer.
61 min...DUFA Le Shaun Young heads 12 yarder when he receives long throw-in from left and goalie catches under bar.
62 min...DUFA Moncrieffe cross from 22 yards on far right has DUFA Le Rohne Young chest at 12 yards that bounces to goalie.
63 min...DUFA Cullen 40 yard freekick from left has ball bounce to right and goalkick is given when DUFA player tries to hook ball back near endline.
65 min...Aur YELLOW card...Weatherall earns it for kicking at DUFA De Jonge at Aur 50 yard line.
66 min...DUFA De Jonge can't win Penalty kick when jostled off ball on run just inside box.
67 min...DUFA sub...Gordon replaces Roccasalva.
68 min...Aur Zakariae Mahrady blasts 25 yard shot from right that goalie palms over bar.
69 min...Aur Azeredo cornerkick from right is whistled down in box.
70 min...Aur Makinwa is injured at Aur 40 yard line.
71 min...Aur YELLOW card...Zakariae Mahrady earns it for pulling down DUFA player at Aur 35 yard line.
72 min...DUFA Cullen 35 yard freekick from left is knocked away.
74 min...DUFA Eddie Lay GOAL...DUFA Christian Moncrieffe takes 35 yard freekick from
left that has Lay kick 12 yarder through crowd of players into left side of net.
74 min...Aur sub...Ghassemi replaces injured Makinwa.
75 min...Aur YELLOW card...Parolini earns it for knocking down DUFA Lay in center circle.
76 min...DUFA Gordon long run down left and wins cornerkick on deflection of cross.
77 min...DUFA Cullen cornerkick from left has Aur Adjei head ball away.
78 min...DUFA Cullen cornerkick from left has Aur player head ball away.
79 min...DUFA Cullen cornerkick from left is short and passed back to him but he can't get it crossed into box.
80 min...DUFA YELLOW card...Sooklal earns it for hard tackle on Aur Azeredo on run that blew his shoe off.
81 min...DUFA YELLOW card...De Jonge earns it for sliding tackle on Aur Azeredo on run at DUFA 30 yard line.
81 min...Aur Ghassemi 35 yard freekick from left is wide right of crowd of players and out right side of box for goalkick.
82 min...DUFA sub...Tarazhi replaces Le Rohne Young.
83 min...Aur Weatherall freekick from left edge of box has DUFA De Jonge pop up header and play is whistled down in box when goalie is bumped.
86 min...DUFA Moncrieffe 28 yard freekick from left is just over net.
87 min...Aur YELLOW card...Strangis earns it for complaining about DUFA being awarded another freekick.
87 min...DUFA Lay 35 yard freekick from left is lofted in and goalie catches.
88 min...DUFA goalie beats Aur Adjei to bouncer at 15 yards.
90 min...Aur YELLOW card...Ghassemi earns it for knocking down DUFA Gordon at Aur 30 yard line.
91 min...DUFA Lord 35 yard freekick from left is just over net.
92 min...DUFA Moncrieffe bounces 25 yard shot from right ath goalie catches.
93 min...DUFA Moncrieffe is injured inside center circle.
94 min...Aur player's long throw-in has defender in box head ball away. Aur Adjei heads 12 yarder wide right on long cross from right sideline.
95 min...Aur Weatherall 55 yard freekick from left is popped up and over end line for cornerkick.
95 min...Aur Azeredo cornerkick from left has Aur player not able to turn header.
95 min...game ends 9:54pm.

Final Score:...Durham United FA........2......Aurora United SC.......1.....

Attendance was about 100 as the night wore on at this indoor facility. The game had originally been scheduled for Kinsmen Park in Pickering as late as the beginning of the week but I read a re-tweet from the DUFA goalie reminding followers to be here instead. I'd been faked out once last season so checked around and reminded the league admins to update their site. I was glad it was indoors as the temperature fell to 5oC by the time I got home.

Referee Alexis Vaughan gave out eight Yellow cards that I counted, all in the second half and five to Aurora. This game got rough at times. Aurora's Kaleb Powell had to change shirts at the 6 minute mark when his #9 got ripped from collar to chest in a skirmish. Aurora's Lucas Azeredo was tackled at 80 minutes so hard that it blew his shoe off and earned a Yellow for the DUFA player. Less than one minute later another tackle from behind to Azeredo drew another Yellow card after he'd only run 10 yards upfield.

Best non-scoring chances were at 24 minutes when DUFA Kashif De Jonge received a long pass from near the center line and blasted a low 20 yarder off the outside of the right post. 36 minutes had DUFA Joseph Roccasalva blast a 20 yarder up the middle off the bar. Two minutes later Roccasalva crossed the ball after a run on the left and De Jonge kicked a 10 yarder over the net. The next minute Roccasalva rushed up the middle and rolled the ball to De Jonge on the left and he blasted a 12 yard shot into the short wide webbing of the net. 68 minutes had Zakariae Mahrady blast a 25 yard shot from the right that the goalie palmed over the bar.

I felt Durham looked like the better team from the 20 minute mark onward. I felt Aurora wouldn't get the tying goal unless it came against the run of play.

Aurora had a few freekicks and cornerkicks blown down in the DUFA box for pushing incidents. The DUFA goalie came out to 15 yards twice to grab some bouncing balls a split second before an Aurora player could get to them.

Eddie Lay immediately becomes the league's leading scorer with two goals. He is new to the team coming from the nearby West Rouge Under 21s. Many of the other players I recognize from last year including captain Taylor Lord, twin brothers Le Rohne and Le Shaun Young, goalie Eugene Alves, Bruce Cullen, Joseph Roccasalva, Christian Moncrieffe, Justin Gordon and Taejon Mikle-Ryan. The team will be even stronger with the return of Matt Stowell whose father reminded me that he is serving a one game suspension carried over from last season.

Aurora United is one of the new teams to the league this year. They have no players I recognized except captain Jonathan Parolini who played for Woodbridge Strikers last year. Head coach Jimmy Brennan is a former Canadian National player and played with Toronto FC of MLS and then coached TFC Academy teams for a few years. Technical director David DiPlacido was listed as a sub but I didn't see him on the bench. He played for Toronto Lynx in the A-League and was listed decades older than any other player as a '1977'.

Durham United moves into first place in the Eastern Conference. Geography has the split between the eight teams in each conference running right down Yonge Street in the center of Toronto. Tony Laferrera who was actually coach of the women's League 1 team last year said to make sure I write that he expects DUFA to win the league this year! That's pretty confident but I'll wait until I see some of the other teams play before I offer a prediction.

League chair Dino Rossi says this full game will be available in the next few days on their own You Tube channel. I'd asked him earlier in the evening if there had been any professional players last season. His answer was 'no'. I said there may have been some as I knew some players worked in teams' summer camps and coached in their youth academies so we both said 'yes if you consider that as professional'. This year there may finally be some pros—(my opinion) just me looking at some league team profiles on the site. I know the league introduces themselves as a semi-pro league so I'm sure they'll be proud to announce that when it happens.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Durham United FA starters