May 28, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Sanjaxx Lions vs Pro Stars FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game between Sanjaxx Lions and Pro Stars FC played Saturday May 28, 2016 at Monarch Park Stadium in Toronto at 6:00pm.

Sanjaxx Lions (white socks and shirts, navy shorts and numbers)

...................1 Matthew Zaikos
15 Michael Jia...26 Babour Zorimullah...13 Nathaniel Rodney-Scarlett...11 Darren Billy
5 Bryan Uyiosa...4 James Taylor...16 Luke Mellon...12 Fabio Vilaca
...............8 Tommy Winski...9 Hilliard Serrao

Subs:...0 Evan Phillips (gk)...17 Charles Jia...6 George Murrizi...21 La'el Daniel
...10 Danilo Silva...20 Riz Thawer...14 Jordan Cooke
team officials:...head coach Peter Mellon...team officials Patrick Lowe, Remberto Luna, Nicoletta Bonafede, Devon Porter

Pro Stars FC (all blue, white numbers)

....................1 Alex Jakma
2 Rachaun Palmer...4 Victor Fleming...6 Darragh Roe...5 Jammar Allison (cpt)
8 Erick Olazabal...10 Morgan Copeland...7 Anthony Smith...16 Lucas Marcelic
.............11 Zachary Gowlett...9 Walter Rymar

Subs:...22 Jonathan Albanse...3 Michael Borowski...11 Zachary Gowlett...13 Max Hathaway
...14 Lucas Doros...15 Kibwe Dyer...17 Marco Polancec-Marin
team officials:...head coach Omar Jbaihi...team officials Josef Komlodi, Hrvoje Perkovic, Roy Howell, Gordana Polancec-Marin, Stiven Mikhail

Game officials:...referee Tim Wong...referee's assistants Joshua Smith and Kevin C Read ...fourth official Mario Simon...(all black uniforms)...officials are from the Ottawa area, fourth official is from Kingston

1st Half:...game starts 6:03pm...Lions defends west end on this hazy, hot, and humid evening.
1 min...PS Olazabal cornerkick from left is over players in box.
3 min...Lions Murrizi on break on right has 22 yard shot is stopped by sliding goalie at 15 yards.
5 min...Lions Vilaca 28 yard freekick from left has ball headed down in box and cleared.
6 min...Lions Serrao recovers missed clearance and shoots 25 yarder down middle well over net and back fence.
7 min...PS Gowlett breaks down right but pushes ball over end line.
13 min...PS player's freekick from left hits player's head in wall at 20 yards.
14 min...Lions Taylor chips 45 yarder from left is over players in box and bounces to goalie.
15 min...Lions Vilaca long throw-in from left has PS defender head ball away on right side of box.
17 min...PS Gowlett taps over ball after run and PS Smith blasts 25 yarder over net.
20 min...PS Copeland midair blast from right is so far wide it results in a throw-in.
21 min...PS player's 22 yard shot tips high off defender at 15 yards and goalie catches at 3 yards.
22 min...PS Fleming makes huge sliding save on Lions Uyiosa at PS 12 yard line conceding cornerkick.
23 min...Lions player's cornerkick from right has defender head ball over net.
24 min...Lions Winski cornerkick from left is over box and cleared.
25 min...Lions Hilliard Serrao GOAL...Lions Darren Billy freekick from 40 yards on right has Serrao tip header at 12 yards past charging goalie Alex Jakma at 10 yards into open net after he apparently called off his defenders.
26 min...a water break is called.
28 min...play resumes.
30 min...Lions YELLOW card...Taylor earns it at Lions 40 yard line.
30 min...PS Olazabal 45 yard freekick from left is caught by goalie on left post.
31 min...Lions Serrao flicks header over net from 12 yards on cross from right but flagged offside.
32 min...Lions Winski cornerkick from left has PS Allison head away.
33 min...Lions Winski cornerkick from left has defender head away on right side of box.
34 min...PS Rymar rolls pass from 55 yards on right that finds PS Smith alone up middle from 40 yards and his 20 yard point blank shot saved by sprawling goalie. PS Smith heads rebound down at 20 yards that bounces to goalie.
36 min...PS Olazabal ends pressure by rolling 28 yarder from right to goalie with no PS players charging for it.
37 min...Lions Diaby cornerkick from left has goalie catch.
38 min...PS Copeland pushes ball left as knocked over at 22 yards in middle and PS Rymar blasts 22 yarder from left high and wide left.
40 min...Lions player rolls 35 yard freekick from right that Lions Serrao charges to 12 yards to shoot wide right.
41 min...Lions Serrao pushes pass from 20 yards too far foreward and rolls to goalie.
42 min...Lions Diaby heads back to goalie to beat PS Gowlett to bouncing through ball at 25 yards.
45 min...PS goalie smothers 25 yard low shot from right.
46 min...Lions Diaby 30 yard freekick from left is cleared on right side of box.
47 min...PS Roe 60 yard chip forward bounces to goalie with PS forward well behind play.
47 min...half ends 6:50pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:07pm...it's still hazy with the temperature cooling down.
46 min...PS Palmer cross from 30 yards on right has off balance PS Rymar head 12 yarder over net.
48 min...Lions YELLOW card...Mellon earns it for sliding tackle from behind on PS Olazabal at PS 35 yard line.
49 min...PS Olazabal 35 yard freekick from right hits one man wall at 25 yards and ball is cleared. Olazabal then rolls ball from 28 yards on left and sliding PS Smith at 10 yards can't keep it from rolling over end line.
53 min...Lions sub...Thawer replaces Mellon.
54 min...Lions Taylor rolls 30 yarder from right for PS goalie to pick up.
56 min...PS sub...Doros replaces Roe.
57 min...PS Smith 30 yard freekick from left sideline has PS Rymar from 15 yards on right head ball that is cleared.
58 min...Lions Vilaca long run on left and 20 yard roller past sliding goalie at 15 yards and Lions Winski slides one step behind ball on right post.
60 min...PS sub...Hathaway replaces Rymar.
61 min...PS goalie slides out of box to clear ball without using his hands. He injures PS Fleming on his slide.
62 min...Lions Hilliard Serrao GOAL...Tommy Winski cornerkick from left has ball tipped up in box when goalie drops it and Serrao heads in 8 yarder up middle just under bar.
63 min...Lions sub...Cooke replaces Uyiosa.
64 min...Lions Winski cornerkick from left has goalie palm on left post high and across box.
66 min...Lions Diaby 50 yard freekick from left is flagged offside in box.
68 min...PS Olazabal cornerkick from left is high and over right side of box.
69 min...Lions Vilaca blasts 35 yarder well over net.
69 min...Lions Winski breaks through middle and 30 yard blast is well over net.
70 min...PS Gowlett on right shoots 10 yarder near right endline that goalie catches on short post.
71 min...PS sub...Dyer replaces Copeland.
71 min...water break is called.
73 min...play resumes.
74 min...PS Olazabal blasts 28 yard between players up middle and ball tips off defender at 20 yards and spins for goalie to catch on bounce.
75 min...Lions sub...Daniel replaces Winski.
.........PS sub...Dabire replaces still limping Fleming.
77 min...Lions Thawer 50 yard pass forward from right is too far for charging forwards.
78 min...PS Smith rush up left and crosses from near end line over to PS Dabire on right who can't quite control at 7 yards and loses shot chance.
79 min...PS Olazabal cross from 25 yards on left has PS Dabire leap and 6 yard header from right is off right post and cleared.
80 min...PS goalie catches cross from near right corner flag.
82 min...Lions Daniel interception and 30 yard shot is well over net and onto dressing room roof.
83 min...PS Doros 40 yard freekick from right has no PS players chase it and goalie picks up.
84 min...Lions Thawer cornerkick from right is whistled down in box.
88 min...PS Smith charges down middle to get to ball and heads forward at 12 yards looking like it would go wide right goalie turns back to catch at 3 yards and Smith bashes him over knocking him over end line for injury.
90 min...PS player boots away long Lions throw-in from left.
91 min...Lions Vilaca low 45 yard freekick from left hits player in box. Lions player chips rebound from 45 yards in middle wide left for throw-in.
92 min...Lions win cornerkick on left with deflecion onto roof.
92 min...Lions Serrao 28 yard shot on far left through players and is caught by goalie.
93 min...PS Olazabal 25 yard freekick from right is over net.
93 min...PS Smith on give and go up middle has 12 yard shot is stopped point blank by sprawling goalie.
94 min...Lions YELLOW card...Thawer earns it for complaining about offside call against another Lions player.
95 min...PS Hathaway slides but misses 5 yard shot.
96 min...PS Olazabal low 25 yard shot from left has goalie smother on left post.
96 min...game ends 7:58pm.

Final Score:...Sanjaxx Lions.......2....Pro Stars FC....0......

Attendance was about 50 on this hot and humid night. Referee Tim Wong called two minute water breaks at 26 and 71 minutes. He gave out three Yellow cards—all to Lions players.

Best non-scoring chances were at 34 minutes when PS Walter Rymar rolled a pass from 55 yards on the right that found PS Anthony Smith alone up the middle at 40 yards and he ran to 20 yards and his shot was stopped point blank by the sprawling goalie Matthew Zaikos. Smith headed the rebound downward at 20 yards that bounced to the goalie. 58 minutes had Lions Fabio Vilaca had a long run on the left and his 20 yard roller was past the sliding goalie at 15 yards but Lions Tommy Winski's slide to the right post was one yard too late for a tip-in. 79 minutes had PS Erick Olazabal cross from 25 yards on the left and PS Eddy Dabire jumped and his 6 yard header from the right was off the right post and cleared. 88 minutes had PS Anthony Smith charge down the middle to get to a ball and headed it forward at 12 yards looking like it would go wide right and the goalie turned to make a catch at 3 yards and Smith bashed him over knocking him over the end line for an injury. 93 minutes had PS Smith on a give and go up the middle and had his 12 yard shot stopped point blank by the sprawling goalie. The game ended at 96 minutes.

Hard for me to say if double scorer Hilliard Serrao or shutout preserving goalie Matthew Zaikos was the star of the game.

I had never been to this stadium before. It is connected to the high school of the same name. This park is in the east end of the city of Toronto. The neighbourhood has been somewhat modified but many of the houses are more than 100 years old. The field is a decent field turf but I was warned it was pretty hot with the sun burning off it earlier in the day. The dressing room/rest rooms/snack stand look less than ten years old. Sanjaxx split their time of their initial League 1 Ontario season last year between here and Esther Shiner Stadium in North York (my suburb). A team official said they are enjoying being in one place this season and more of their players are from this area of the city.

This was a battle of the two worst teams in the Western Conference with Pro Stars with a record of 0 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie and Sanjaxx with a 0 win, 2 losses, 0 ties. My reason for going to this game instead of Aurora vs Woodbridge tonight was so I could see my 13th and 14th team in the 16 team league by only the five week mark. This game did turn out to be very entertaining.

I had an idea scoring might be a problem for both teams today. Pro Stars had scored three goals in four games. Their top scorer last year Leaford Allen leads the league in scoring this year with seven goals!----but he's now playing for undefeated Sigma FC. I remember him being frustrated last year with all the offside calls against him in one memorable game. His teammates continued the tradition with forwards being called offside and eventually on some occasions none of them running for through ball passes until too late. Another surprise is Thomas Winski (one assist today) last year played for Pro Stars. (OK going further back--Master's FA Saints in 2014)

Sanjaxx other leading scorer Thomas Winski (one goal, the same as Hilliard Serrao had before today) was a late scratch. He said after the game that he was recovering from an ankle injury. Their team was also called on many offsides.

It is a long climb up the standing to catch London FC and Sigma FC who sport 5-0-0 records. Winner of this Western Division plays the best in the East at the end of the season. (22 games in regular season—home and away with the other seven teams in your conference and one each against the eight teams in the other conference).

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Sanjaxx Lions starters