June 19, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Woodbridge Strikers vs Windsor Stars (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the League 1 Ontario game between Woodbridge Strikers and Windsor Stars played Sunday June 19, 2016 at Vaughan Grove in Woodbridge at 3:45pm.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue, white numbers)

.................23 Matt George
11 Stephen Almeida...5 Francesco Sinopoli...15 Cameron Brooks...3 Kyle Watson
13 Mario Orestano...6 Andrew Derayeh...19 Ignazio Muccilli...12 Zarhary Kalk
...........16 Dylan Carreiro...18 Emmanuel Issac

Subs:...2 Darian Bygrave...8 Gabriel Sosa...10 Christian Cavallini...20 Damian Scott
...21 Joshua Portillo...22 Michael Bilak
team officials:...team head coach Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coach Damion Scott...manager John Scarlato
...equipment manager Eric Mokri...therapist Justin Miranda

Windsor Stars (all white, black numbers)

..................1 Kyle Vizirakis (cpt)
3 Dredon Kelly...2 Anthony Falkenstajn...5 Marco Benabo...17 Bradley Dossantos
14 Martin Nyul...6 Stefan Zastavnikovic...8 Jack Sargent...15 Noah Pio
..............9 Jumbo Iyowuna...10 Celso Carapau

Subs:...0 Michele Catani (gk)...4 Kyle Ruggaber...7 Erik Cirovski...16 Stefan Milidrag
...19 Bogden Suciu...18 Tyler MacFarlane
team officials:...assistant coach Demetri Vacratsis...manager Vancho Cirovski

Game officials:...referee Armando Pereira...referee's assistants Cyrus Eshafi and Filip Dujic
...fourth official Hassain Rifai...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 3:49pm...Strikers defends south end on this very hot and humid afternoon with a bright sun in the west with a breeze from the west.
30 sec...WS Issac low 28 yard shot from right is smothered by goalie.
2 min...Win Carapau can't win Penalty kick.
5 min...WS Kalk 25 yard low cross from left has goalie pick up at 15 yards before WS forward can get to him.
7 min...WS Issac rush on right and cuts low 25 yard shot wide left.
9 min...WS Carreiro cross from 20 yards on left has defender at 8 yards head ball away.
12 min...Win Zastavnikovic receives centering pass from left and 22 yard blast from right is high and wide right of net.
14 min...Win Pio long run up left wing and give and back gets ball back to him and rolls 20 yarder up middle that goalie smothers.
15 min...WS Issac wins freekick when continueing jostled on run down middle.
16 min...Strikers Ignazio Muccilli GOAL...Muccilli bends 22 yard freekick from left as an in-swinger into right corner of net beyond flying goalie.
19 min...Win Iyowuna shot from 20 yards on right is partially blocked and deflects wide right for cornerkick.
20 min...Win Sargent cornerkick from right has goaloie head ball for cornerkick.
21 min...Win Sargent cornerkick from right has defender head ball away on left.
23 min...water break is called for 2 minutes.
27 min...WS Orestano dribbles to left from center at 20 yards and shoots wide right.
28 min...WS Derayeh pushes ball too far forward at 25 yards and goalie picks up at 15 yards before forwards get to it.
30 min...WS Muccilli cornerkick from left is well over heads of crowd in box.
31 min...Win Kelly 40 yard chip cross from right bounces wide left of net.
32 min...Win Iyowuna has 22 yard shot down middle is blocked by defender then rolls 20 yard rebound that goalie smothers on left post. The WS goalie picks up a foot injury but the play is unnoticed.
37 min...Win Nyul 30 yard freekick from right has ball headed down but defenders dribble to right and out of box unchallenged.
38 min...Win Pio cornerkick from left is high and goalie palms ball through box for throw-in on right.
38 min...Win Falkenstajn long throw-in from right has defender clear in box.
39 min...Win Sargent 35 yard chip down middle over players and goalie catches.
40 min...WS Issac is given breakaway up middle by WS Derayeh and rush in from 40 yards and 20 yard shot has diving goalie push ball wide right of net.
41 min...WS player's cornerkick from right has goalie punch ball forward then stop 22 yard shot.
41 min...the fourth official leaves the game.
42 min...Win Pio cornerkick from left has goalie punch away in crowd of players.
43 min...WS Carreiro is given short pass but Win Kelly makes great sliding check to prevent 8 yard shot.
43 min...Win goalie jumps up to catch cross from right in crowd on right post.
44 min...Win Sargent 30 yard freekick from right has defender head away at 18 yards.
45 min...Win Dossantos 40 yard chip from left has goalie catch.
45 min...WS Issac on rush down left has Win Falkenstaajn check him near end line.
47 min...Win YELLOW card...Falkenstajn earns it for tough tackle on center line.
48 min...half ends 4:37pm.

2nd Half:...starts 4:53pm.
49 min...Strikers Ignazio Muccilli wins Penalty kick from referee Armando Pereira when after he deked a defender inside-out in the left side of the box, Stars Dredon Kelly tripped him sliding in from behind at 8 yards.
50 min...Strikers Ignazio Muccilli blasts Penalty kick high to left side of net and goalie Kyle Vizirakis steps to the left to bat the ball down. Muccilli gets to the rebound and gets away a second shot from 12 yards that the goalie blocks at 7 yards while even with the left post and finally the defenders clear.
50 min...WS Carreiro breaks in alone at 30 yards down middle even with left post and shoots just wide of post from 28 yards.
52 min...WS Kalk is injured on left sideline in Win end.
53 min...WS Kalk rush down left eluding defenders including deking Win Kelly on left endline and taps pass to WS Carreiro who blasts 15 yarder down middle well over net.
54 min...Win sub...Milidrag replaces Sargent.
56 min...Win Nyul 25 yard shot from right is blocked by defender at 15 yards.
57 min...WS Almeida on 3 on 3 rush down right blasts 28 yarder over net and back fence.
58 min...WS Muccilli 30 yard freekick from left has goalie push wide left of post.
59 min...WS Muccilli cornerkick from left is high and over players in box.
60 min...WS Muccilli cornerkick from right has Win Nyul sky clearance wide left for another cornerkick.
61 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from left has defender head ball through box. WS Muccilli crosses from right end line from 18 yards and WS Carreiro shot has goalie grab on left post.
62 min...WS YELLOW card...Orestano earns it for tackle on Win Nyul as retaliation even though referee awarded WS a freekick at Win 40 yard line.
63 min...WS Carreiro takes 40 yard shot from right is through players and bounces to goalie.
64 min...WS sub...Cavallini replaces Orestano.
65 min...Win sub...Cirovski replaces Pio.
65 min...Win YELLOW card...Kelly earns it for pushing over WS Cavallini just outside Win box.
66 min...WS Almeida 20 yard freekick from left is just over bar.
68 min...Strikers Emmanuel Issac GOAL...Strikers Ignazio Muccilli sends a through ball pass that Issac gets to at 45 yards on left and rushes forward while cutting to the middle and at 25 yards appears to push the ball too far forward but gets to ball at 18 yards and shoots into low left corner behind charging goalie at 12 yards.
71 min...a water break is called.
.......Win sub...Suciu replaces Falkenstajn.
74 min...Win YELLOW card...Zastavnikovic earns it for football hold on WS Cavallini at Win 50 yards preventing run up the middle.
75 min...WS sub...Portillo replaces Kalk.
76 min...WS Muccilli cornerkick from right is tap to WS Carreiro rolls bacck and Muccilli runs along right end line and pass has WS Cavallini has shot blocked.
77 min...WS Cavallini 22 yard freekick up middle deflects off defender for cornerkick on left.
77 min...Win sub...MacFarlane replaces Zastavnikovic.
78 min...WS Carreiro and WS Muccilli work another short cornerkick from the left but ball is cleared before getting to box.
79 min...WS Almeida has 28 yard shot deflect high off defender and goalie grabs wide right of net to prevent cornerkick.
81 min...Win Suciu shoots 30 yarder between players from right well over net.
82 min...WS sub...Scott replaces Issac.
.........WS sub...Bilak replaces Muccilli.
84 min...WS Almeida rush with WS Scott on give and go but defender clears at 7 yards and starts a fast break.
85 min...Win Nyul 30 yard shot up middle is well over net.
86 min...WS Almeida and WS Cavallini have give and go up right side and Almeida is checked off ball at 10 yards.
87 min...WS Portillo cuts in from left wing and 22 yard shot from left is high wide right.
89 min...Win Dossantos cross from 22 yards on left has Win Cirovski take mid air shot from 20 yards up middle well wide left of net.
93 min...Win Iyowuna 35 yard shot up middle rolls wide left.
93 min...game ends 5:41pm.

Final Score:.......Woodbridge Strikers.....2....Windsor Stars.......0.......

Attendance was about 40 on this very hot and humid afternoon with a bright crossfield sun from the west.

There was an official two minute water-break in each half plus any water the players could grab while an injury was treated. Strikers games are usually played on Sunday evenings but Windsor is about a five hour drive from the west (across the river from Detroit Michigan). It probably sounded good when they drew up the schedule but this has turned out to be the hottest weekend in the Toronto area so far this year. Best seating for today was near the south end-zone where there was some tree shade.

Strikers had the most and the best chances of the game but never could relax until they scored the second goal. So many games if you don't capitalize the other team comes back to equalize! Stars had their chances in their second half mostly broken up by defenders or shots from 30 yards or more.

Best non-scoring chances of the game were at 40 minutes when WS Emmanuel Issac was given a breakaway up the middle by WS Andrew Derayeh and he rushed in from 40 yards and his 20 yard shot had the diving goalie push wide right of the net. 50 minutes had WS Dylan Carreiro break-in alone at 30 yards down the middle in line with the left post and he shot just wide from 28 yards. Three minutes later WS Zarhary Kalk rushed down the left wing eluding defenders including deking Stars Dredon Kelly along the left end line and tapped a pass to WS Carreiro who blasted a 15 yarder down the middle well over the net. 66 minutes had WS Stephen Almeida's 20 yard freekick from the left just over the bar.

Referee Armando Pereira gave out four Yellow cards (three to Stars—two of them in the second half for defender drag downs of Strikers players charging forward.

Strange sight was seeing fourth official Hassain Rifai leaving the game at 41 minutes. The referee escorted him from the field while splashing water on his neck. He answered me after the game that Rifai had told him before the game that he wasn't feeling well but filled the assignment because they were short of officials this weekend. He had been fasting (no food or liquid until 9:00pm) and this ultra hot weather even while being under a canvas didn't help enough. Pereira handled first half extra time by yelling out "three minutes" which was easy to hear. A League 1 Ontario official handled the many subs in the second half.

Strikers have certainly recovered from their first loss of the season last Sunday against Durham United FA. They won a game on the road on Friday night against FC London for only that team's second loss.

London is about four hours west of Toronto.

This is the third season of League 1 Ontario but Strikers have never actually played Windsor at home in a league game. Last year the July 19 game was turned into a Cup game Strikers won 2-1 and interesting Kyle Vaizirakis also stopped Ignaio Muccilli on a Penalty kick in that game too! At the end of the season with Oakville already clinched the title, the unplayed league game went into the books as 0-0. In 2014 their league game was scheduled for Sunday October 5 but Windsor had to play a rescheduled Cup game against Vaughan Azzurri the night before and they no-showed the next day even though the game was played at Ontario Soccer Centre (only 500 metres away). The game went into the books as a 1-0 forfeit win for Strikers. Stars officials are supposed to have said at the time (second hand info) they were beaten up from the game the night before. I live about 45 minutes away from there so it's been welded into my memory all this time.

OK back to 2016! Strikers record improves to 7 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie for 22 points and first place in the Eastern Conference. Stars record drops to 4 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie for 13 points and third place in the Western Conference. This is the first week of inter-conference play. Teams only play one game against teams in the other conference think of the MLS schedule!).

Saturday July 9 marks the Fortieth Anniversary of the Woodbridge Soccer Club. There is an entire day of events planned but I noticed the Strikers are playing an away game that day. The women's L1O team plays at home on Sunday night so I expect they will fill the Saturday with their kids teams.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Woodbridge Strikers starters