Sat September 24, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Master's Futbol vs Durham United FA (from League 1 Ontario website)

Ten Man Masters Upset Durham 4-1
09/25/2016, 6:00pm EDT
By Adriano Lamberti

Saturday night saw Master’s Futbol take all three points from their guests 
at a brisk L’Amoreaux Sports Complex. Masters scored three times while 
playing with ten men to pick up their third win of the season, 4-1 
over Durham United FA.

An Allando Matheson (32') goal gave the hosts the lead at the half before 
Alex Dimitriu was sent off (54') for violent conduct - a straight 
red card was shown in addition to a caution he received earlier 
in the match.

Going down a man only seemed to galvanize Masters as they scored 
three times  - Aaron Massy (56'), Tyrell Rayne (66') and 
Sherwin Emmanuel (90' + 1') - while shorthanded. This was Masters' 
third win in 2016, but their second in four matches.

Junior Groves, Master's Futbol’s Technical Director, cited recent 
form as a positive heading into the off-season.

"They've been playing well, I would say, for the last four weeks 
they've been playing really well and could have won those games." 

He also spoke to the confidence his squad has when they don’t 
squander chances and score first.

"We got that [first goal] done today… and once we got that done, 
you could see the belief coming into the players," 
continued Groves.

Durham United, meanwhile, continues to search for answers 
to their inconsistent season.

Coach Felix Dirienzo was baffled post-match stating, 
"if I could explain that [unpredictable season] then I could 
solve the inconsistencies." 

His side could only score once, via substitute 
Justin Gordon (69'), with the numerical advantage and never 
quite looked into the match. To that point Dirienzo noted, 
"no excuses—we were flat. The boys just couldn't get 
it together." He then summarized the game succinctly and 
accurately with, "we had a bad day and they had a good day."

It was a physical affair, creating much work for both teams' 
trainers, especially early on as the players adjusted to the 
cool temperature. There were three additional minutes added 
to the first half, mostly due to players writhing on the pitch 
with various knocks. Durham was forced into a rare goalkeeper 
swap as their starter (League1 Ontario elder statesman 
Eugene Alves), had to be replaced at half-time due to swelling 
around his right eye that was hindering vision.

Both squads still have something to play for during this 
late stage of the season. Masters (3W-1D-16L) has two matches 
remaining in their 2016 campaign: October 1 st versus 
Toronto Skillz FC and October 5 at Aurora United FC. 
Both teams are a mere two points up on Masters, who currently 
hold the last spot in the east division.

Durham can still finish a respectable third in the tough 
east division. They have one match remaining against 
North Toronto Nitros - a team they could tie for third 
position (September 30, Kinsmen Park, Pickering).

back to 2016 League 1 Ontario Men's index

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