July 17, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Woodbridge Strikers vs Pro Stars FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday July 17, 2016 League 1 Ontario game between Woodbridge Strikers and Pro Stars FC played at Vaughan Grove in Woodbridge at 7:00pm.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue, white numbers)

....................23 Matt George
.........5 Francesco Sinopoli...8 Gabriel Sosa...15 Cameron Brooks
11 Stephen Almeida...16 Dylan Carreiro...9 Oscar Cordon...10 Chrisitan Cavallini...7 Nicholas Chiarot
...............14 Mikateko Zwane...18 Emmanuel Issac

Subs:...1 Nicholas Maffeo (gk)...12 Richard Parker...13 Mario Orestano...17 Damion Scott...21 Joshua Portillo
...22 Michael Bilak...24 Stephen Melo
team officials:...team head coach Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coach Damion Scott...manager John Scarlato
...equipment manager Eric Mokri...therapist Justin Miranda

Pro Stars FC (all white, blue numbers)

.....................1 Alessandro Famele
2 Eddy Dabire...3 Michael Borowski...4 Lucas Marcelic...6 Navid Rahman
8 Erick Olazabal...7 Gil Hong...12 Eros Olazabal...5 Victor Fleming
..............9 Courtney Mitchell-Smith...14 Mann Siewa

Subs:...22 Alex Jakma...10 Anthony Smith...11 Rachaun Palmer...13 Briam Lopez
...15 Tyler Dowell-Tetrault...16 Lucas Doros...17 Liam McCarthy-Willoughby
...18 Marco Polancec-Marin
team officials:...head coach Hvoje Perkovic...team officials Josef Komlodi, Stiven Mikhail
...Gordana Polancec-Marin...Sherry Youssef

Game officials:...referee Brian Butler...assistant referee's Bradley Doubrough and Dino Pipitone
...fourth official Natalie Ford...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 7:03pm...WS defend south end on this mild, overcast evening.
3 min...PS defender heads ball back to goalie to prevent WS Issac from getting to ball.
4 min...WS Carreiro long run from center line downfield and to left and cross has WS player 15 yards roller from right end line is smothered by goalie.
9 min...WS Cordon eludes defender near right cornerflag but cross drifts behind net.
11 min...WS Carreiro 40 yard freekick from left has defender in box heads wide right for cornerkick.
12 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from right has defender head away.
12 min...WS Carreiro cross from 20 yard line on right near sideline has goalie save.
13 min...PS Davire cross from 40 yards on right is high and wide left of net.
15 min...PS Eros Olazabel gets pass up left and rolls 20 yard shot wide right just steps ahead of PS Mitchell-Smith charging to right post for open net shot.
17 min...WS Cordon is injured at WS 35 yard line but doesn't need trainer.
18 min...PS Erick Olazabal cornerkick from right has goalie punch ball out. PS Erick Olazabal recovers and cross from 30 yards on right has WS player head over net but PS Dabire plows into goalie and WS win freekick.
20 min...PS Hong cornerkick from left has PS player heads 12 yarder from middle of box that defenders clear.
23 min...WS Carreiro 45 yard freekick downfield on right has WS Almeida near right end line cross wins cornerkick.
24 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from right is partially cleared and WS Almeida at 25 yards blasts skyball well over net.
27 min...WS Chiarot throw-in from left has WS Issac run to end line and have shot from 12 yards is blocked and deflect off him for goalkick.
29 min...WS Chiarot cornerkick from left is high over box and bounces wide right for goalkick.
30 min...PS YELLOW card...Hong earns it for sliding tackle on WS Zwane at PS 33 yard line.
31 min...WS Carreiro 35 yard freekick from left bends wide left of net.
32 min...PS Mitchell-Smith 28 yard shot from left bounces to goalie.
33 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from right has defender head down in box and kick away.
35 min...PS Slewa high cross from near right end line bounces through box unplayed.
36 min...PS Erick Olazabal 30 yard freekick from left is cleared from box.
37 min...WS Issac long run downfield on left on 1 on 1 and from 15 yards rolls centering pass but another defender clears.
39 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from right has defender in box pops up header and another defender clears.
40 min...WS Cavallini wins cornerkick on left after finally having cross blocked.
41 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from left is short with WS Zwane but checked before getting into box.
43 min...PS Erick Olazabal is injured on edge of WS box and needs trainer.
43 min...PS player's cross from 25 yards on right has defender head away.
44 min...PS Slewa blasts 25 yard shot that sliding WS Chiarot 5 yards away takes in the face. Referee calls for trainer immediately.
47 min...half ends 7:50pm.

2nd Half:...starts 8:05pm...the sun is out for the first time!
halftime sub:...WS Orestano replaces Zwane.
46 min...PS Slewa 45 yard low shot through players bounces to goalie.
48 min...PS Hong 45 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away on edge of box.
50 min...WS Carreiro 30 yard freekick down middle has goalie block on dive to right. WS Almeida recovers on right end line but he's surrounded by defenders.
51 min...PS Marcelic makes header clearance at 8 yards on WS Issac cross from 20 yards on left.
52 min...PS Erick Olazabal and Eros Olazabal line up for freekick. Erick blasts 25 yard freekick from left over bar.
53 min...PS sub...Palmer replaces Rahman.
53 min...PS Marcelic 55 yard chip over between players and bounces to goalie.
54 min...PS Hong 30 yard cross from left has defender head away.
56 min...WS Cavallini taps pass forward to WS Cordon after downfield throw-in and Cordon 20 yard shot has goalie slide and block at 15 yards.
59 min...PS Fleming long throw-in into box but WS players clear.
60 min...PS Hong cornerkick from left has PS Palmer lean back at 10 yards but not able to turn header and falls backwards.
61 min...WS sub...Parker replaces Cordon.
61 min...WS Carreiro cornerkick from left has goalie punch wide right. WS player's cross from right is high and over box and finds WS Brooks who shoots 15 yarder well over net.
63 min...WS Parker low 18 yard shot from far right is smothered by goalie on right post.
65 min...WS Orestano rush in from left and backheels pass from 15 yards but no one is there.
67 min...PS Hong 40 yard freekick down middle is blasted high wide left over net.
68 min...PS Mitchell-Smith is offside so his 15 yard shot from left is called back instead of being awarded a goal.
70 min...PS sub...McCarthy-Willoughby replaces Eros Olazabal.
.........WS sub...Bilak replaces Sinopoli.
71 min...WS Parker wins cornerkick on deflection after chances blocked by him and WS WS Cavallini.
72 min...WS Bilak cornerkick from right has WS Sosa duck at 12 yards and head ball wide left from right.
73 min...WS YELLOW card...Chiarot earns it for tackle at WS 40 yard line.
74 min...PS Hong 45 yard freekick from right has defender in box boot ball away.
75 min...Pro Stars Erick Olazabal GOAL...PS Rachaun Palmer takes low shot from 25 yards up middle that's stopped by diving goalie Matt George. Olazabal recovers rebound and takes low 15 yard shot into left side of net.
75 min...WS sub...Portillo replaces Cavallini.
76 min...WS Carreiro is injured and needs trainer.
77 min...WS Parker pushes pass forward to WS Issac who shoots low 15 yarder that diving goalie pushes wide left of post.
78 min...WS Portillo cornerkick from left has goalie catch in crowd of players near left post.
79 min...WS sub...Scott replaces Carreiro.
80 min...WS Portillo cornerkick from left has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players. WS player's chips back into box and is called offside.
81 min...WS Carreiro to WS Parker and back give and go is cleared on edge of box.
82 min...PS Mitchell-Smith cross from 22 yards near left end line has PS Erick Olazabal on right blast 15 yarder well over net on end line.
84 min...PS goalie clears ball on slide ahead of WS Parker charging in for defender's bad headed back pass.
85 min...WS Bilak cornerkick from right is whistled down for WS Issac hand ball on deflection.
86 min...WS Orestano rolls pass forward and WS Issac blasts 15 yarder that goalie palms wide right.
86 min...PS sub...Lopez replaces Fleming.
86 min...WS Bilak cornerkick from right has WS Sosa head 15 yarder over net.
88 min...WS Almeida 40 yard freekick from right has leaping WS Sosa head ball over bar.
89 min...WS RED card...Nicholas Chiarot earns the ejection for a hand ball in the WS box on a PS 2 on 1 play that he almost broke up but PS Courtney Mitchell-Smith with goalie near him tried to pass to open man for tap-in. (this was actually Chiarot's second Yellow as he earned his first at 73 minutes).
90 min...PS Courtney Mitchell-Smith starts and stops his stutter step Penalty kick and ends up blasting it well high over the net. (we saw that in the Euros!)
90 min...PS sub...Dowell-Tetrault replaces Mitchell-Smith.
93 min...PS McCarthy-Willoughby bashes into goalie who'd just made catch on edge of box.
94 min...PS YELLOW card...McCarthy-Willoughby earns it for sliding tckle at WS 50 yard line.
96 min...game ends 8:56pm.

Final Score:.......Woodbridge Strikers.......0........Pro Stars FC.......1.......

Attendance was about 50 on this mild evening with dark clouds overhead for most of the game but a few raindrops only lasted a minute near the end of the first half.

This game seemed exceptionally dull compared to last night's Aurora United vs FC London game until near the end. There were few scoring opportunities but then Woodbridge has the best defence in the league and Pro Stars average less than a goal per game. Strikers defenders blocked the majority of Pro Stars shots or checked the player off the ball before the play got that far. Strikers offence though struggled with players setting others up but missing that accurate shot or trying one too many perfect set up passes.

Referee Brian Butler gave out five cards that I counted (three to Woodbridge) plus the Penalty kick. The game ended with a shouting and pushing match between players after the game. Injury time had PS Liam McCarthy-Willoughby plow through WS goalie Matt George who had just made a routine catch on the edge of the box with nothing but a freekick call. Although McCarthy-George less than a minute later pick up a Yellow for a sliding tackle on a WS outfield player, it was still little consolation. I expect it was George's father (a man I see at all their games) who yelled out "....an absolute disgrace..." to explain the officiating.

Alessandro Famele earned the shutout for Pro Stars with a few good stops.

Best non-scoring chances (and I said there weren't many) were at 56 minutes when WS Christian Cavallini received a downfield throw-in and tapped a pass forward to WS Oscar Cordon who took a 20 yard shot that the goalie slid and blocked at 15 yards. 77 minutes had WS Richard Parker pushed a pass forward to WS Emmanuel Issac who shot a low 15 yarder that the diving goalie pushed wide left of the post. 84 minutes had the PS goalie slide to clear the ball a step ahead of a charging WS Parker set up by a defender's poorly headed backpass. 86 minutes had WS Mario Orestano rolled a pass forward and WS Issac blasted a 15 yarder that the goalie palmed wide right of the post.

Woodbridge's record falls to 9 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie for 28 points which still lets them hang on to first place in the Eastern Conference. They still have only allowed 11 goals in 13 games which is the best record in the league.

Pro Stars' record improves to 2 wins, 7 losses, 3 ties for 9 points which is seventh in the West. They have only scored 11 times in 12 games.

After the game I asked goal scorer Erick Olazabal a few questions after we could find a safe place from the post-game shouting and pushing match.

Erick and his twin brother Eros played for Toronto FC Academy when TFC organized their first Academy team in 2008. He said they only played there the first year. Both brothers attended Manhattenville College in New York from 2009 to 2011. They had disappeared from me hearing about them until suddenly reappearing this year. Erick said he played for Milltown FC during that time. That is the team that Dino Rossi (who is the L1O league chair/commissioner) set up in the CSL league for 2010 but only stayed one year until joining the Peel Halton Soccer League. The team plays in Milton which is the hometown of the brothers. Pro Stars play their home games in Brampton which is north-east of Milton.

I asked why he's played so many more games this year than his brother. Erick said Eros was the assistant coach of Manhattenville College and had commitments with them. L1O stats show he just started with Pro Stars earlier this month.

I told him to look out for the twin cornerbacks Charles and Michael Jia who play for Sanjaxx Lions. Their first meeting was May 28th which I attended but Erick wasn't there. Their home match is September 24th.

Erick answered that Manhattenville College is a different school than Manhatten College which is where TFC Academy PDL team midfielder Leonard Sohn will be attending.

I saw TFC Academy's first game in the CSL on Friday May 16, 2008. Erick was their captain (Eros came in at 80 minutes). Ashtone Morgan was a starter too! They beat Toronto Croatia 1-0 which was a stunning upset as they were the defending champions.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Woodbridge Strikers starters