May 15, 2022...League1 Ontario Pickering FC vs Scrosoppi FC (game report by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Sunday May 15, 2022
between Pickering FC and Scrosoppi FC played at Kinsmen Park's Turf Field in Pickering at 4:00pm.

Pickering FC (all white uniforms, black numbers)

..................1 Joshua Naraine
13 Isiah Passley...6 Andrew Ferris...2 Romaine Watkis...8 Barrington Smith
...........20 Imran Abdulatif...14 Liam Salmon...11 Abdul Hamad
...........15 Brandon Thorpe...19 Ibram Faheem...7 Eric Savvas

Subs:...0 Carter Osborne (gk)...3 Ariel Muanza...16 William Lyden...17 Terrence Foster
18 Ameer Madden
team officials:...team head coach Aleks Balta...assistant coach David Benning...therapist Alen Hetherington

Scrosoppi FC (yellow socks and shirts, black short and numbers)

......................71 Dante Carraro
20 Santiago Patarroyo...8 Noah Bickford...3 Tajay Reid...17 Danny Medeiros
2 Anthony Stolar...22 Matthew Laic...10 Nikolas Blaskovic (cpt)...13 Ijah Halley
..............25 Gianluca Scurti...16 Jevontae Layne

Subs:...1 Daniel Clarke (gk)...5 Dario Jezerinac...9 Jaedyn Saunders...11 Mujtaba Ameen Ameen
...14 Ethan Raulino...18 Cameron Kilbride...26 Ajmal Tesilimi...38 Nathaniel Susnik
team officials:...team head coaches Andrew Seurage and Shayne Griffin...assistant coaches Alexandre Oran
and Robert Stillo...managers Hugo Sousa and Sara Raulino...therapist Michael Wong

Game officials:...referee Kim Lee...referee's assistants Melvin Christopher and Kurtis Portengen
...fourth officials Mehdi Boutarfa...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 4:02pm...PFC defends north end on this hot afternoon with a bright sun in the west.
There's a delay before the start as there's too many white shirts and pinnies on the ball kids and team officials.
2 min...PFC Savvas 20 yard low shot up the middle is well wide right of net.
3 min...Scr Layne 22 yarder up middle is just under the bar that's caught by goalie.
5 min...PFC goalie sends poor kick to Scr forwards.
6 min...PFC Abdulatif is injured at Scr 20 yard line and needs trainer.
9 min...PFC Savvas run down right across to PFC Hamad charging in who can't redirect kick on left.
10 min...Scr Scurti duel with PFC Watkis but pushes ball over end line for goalkick.
11 min...Scr goalie clears on midair kick a split second ahead of PFC Savvas at 12 yards.
11 min...Scr Layne is injured when spun around on charge upfield.
12 min...PFC sub...Madden replaces Abdulatif.
12 min...Scr Blaskovic 30 yard freekick from left has defender head away on right post. PFC goalie flies forward
in crowd of players to punch ball away on rebound.
13 min...Scr Blaskovic bends 20 yard shot that flying goalie palms over top corner of net.
14 min...Scr Stolar recovers partially cleared cornerkick from right and blasts 30 yarder over back fence.
15 min...PFC Thorpe cross from 30 yards on right is caught by goalie.
19 min...PFC Salmon 30 yard shot up middle is high and wide left of net. PFC Faheem is injured away from play.
24 min...Scr Scurti on right is squeezed on both side on run and gets away 12 yard shot as he's falling and goalie
stops on near post.
25 min...PFC Salmon 22 yard blast down middle has goalie palm ball over net but a goalkick is given.
26 min...Scr Layne is injured at center line and needs trainer. Both teams take an opportunity with the delay to take a waterbreak.
28 min...Scr Ameen replaces injured Layne before play resumes.
29 min...PFC Thorpe run to right end line and low 15 yard shot just misses left corner.
30 min...PFC Thorpe is hurt at Scr 30 yard line jumping for header.
33 min...PFC goalie grabs through bouncer at 15 yards ahead of Scr Ameen.
34 min...PFC Passley run to right end line and rolls cross just a step ahead of charging PFC Thorpe at 2 yards.
36 min...Scr Blaskovic 35 yard freekick from left has defender head away on right side of box.
37 min...Pickering RED card...Andrew Ferris is shown a direct Red for kicking/stepping on fallen
Scrosoppi Jevontae Layne at PFC 30 yard sideline. Referee Kim Lee consulted with her assistant
on the line because it was right in front of him before giving Ferris the card.
38 min...Scr Blaskovic 35 yard freekick from right is headed away. Scr Medeiros blasts partial clearance from 25 yards
a roller up middle wide left of net.
39 min...Scr sub...Saunders replaces Scurti.
40 min...Scr Medeiros blasts 28 yarder low and wide left through crowd of players.
42 min...Scr Medeiros is injured at Scr 50 yards on sliding tackle on him.
43 min...Scr Halley heads ball up and forward at 15 yards. Scr Blaskovic backheels 12 yard shot that defender clears
off 1 yard line.
43 min...Scr Medeiros bends 25 yarder from left that goalie catches low to save.
44 min...Scr Laic suffers head injury at Scr 45 yard line.
47 min...Scr Laic changes mind and comes off field so team plays short the rest of the half.
48 min...Scr Blaskovic is pushed over on top left of PFC box on run up left.
49 min...half ends 4:51pm.

Halftime: The PFC players go back to their dressing room. The Scrosoppi players stay outside while their subs
warm up on the field.

There are now about 100 fans with almost half that have used the north end zone unguarded entrance to get in for free.

Second Half:...starts 5:05pm with the sky more overcast.
A delay to start as two Scr players were ordered to take off the black tape they had applied to their yellow socks.
What makes that strange is the socks are a black & yellow hoop pattern so the difference was minimal.
Halftime sub:...Scr Kilbride replaces injured Laic.
46 min...Scr goalie is out to 7 yards on right to catch high cross from right.
48 min...PFC gaolie is over to right side of goal to catch long cross.
49 min...Scr Blaskovic run towards middle along right end line and chips cross over players on box.
50 min...Scr player's cross is just over Scr Saunders on left post.
51 min...Scr Stolar blasts partial clearance from 25 yards on left just over bar.
52 min...PFC Thorpe 30 yard shot from far right just misses left post.
53 min...Scr Halley can't win Penalty kick on push over on right side of box.
54 min...PFC Madden throw-in from left has defender head away on edge of box.
Oh oh. The mosquitos are out which I didn't think would be so soon after wearing a parka just last week.
It's sunny again.
56 min...Scr Blaskovic is touched over pass and his 22 yard blast from slight right is wide right of net.
57 min...Scr Saunders can't win Penalty kick on bump on run into box.
58 min...Scr Medeiros low blast from 28 yards in caught by goalie.
59 min...Scr Stolar slides to send 22 yard cross on end line that goalie smothers.
59 min...Scr Kilbride 22 yard shot down middle is wide right of net.
60 min...PFC Hamad is injured at PFC 25 yard line and needs trainer. Both teams take a waterbreak.
61 min...PFC sub...Foster replaces injured Hamad.
62 min...Scr Medeiros 20 yard shot is just wide left of top corner.
63 min...PFC Madden 50 yard freekick down middle between players and goalie catches wide right of net.
64 min...Pickering Liam Salmon GOAL...PFC ends up on a 2 on 1 break on the right side
and Scrosoppi Santiago Patrarroyo slides to stop the ball but Salmon takes possession and continues
now in alone and takes 15 yard shot that finds the left side of the net with goalie Daniel Clarke
covering the near post and middle of the net at 6 yards.
66 min...Scr Blaskovic 35 yard freekick from right has defender head away on edge of 6 yard box.
68 min...Scr Bickford pops up header to goalie but PFC Salmon stops in and takes 15 yard shot from right
wide left of net.
70 min...Scr Blaskovic 33 yard freekick has PFC Faheem head away in middle.
71 min...Scr Medeiros 22 yard freekick up middle hits bar on right and defenders clear.
72 min...Scr Patarroyo is centered ball and his 25 yard blast is over the net.
72 min...Scr sub...Jezerinac replaces Medeiros.
73 min...PFC Thorpe is injured at PFC 40 yard line.
74 min...Scr goalie punches away shot at 15 yards keeping it away from PFC Savvas.
75 min...Scr Stolar low 25 yard shot is stopped by defender.
75 min...Scr Blaskovic can't win Penalty kick on run into left side of box.
76 min...Scr Ameen 35 yard high cross from right is caught by goalie.
78 min...Scr Blaskovic is checked off ball on run into left side of box.
78 min...PFC Faheem is injured and wins freekick when Scr player bashes him on run into PFC box.
80 min...Scr Halley can't win freekick on left and ball rolls over end line.
81 min...Scr Blaskovic 22 yard freekick from top right of box has Scr Reid not quite able to turn header on leap
on left post.
82 min...PFC sub...Muanza replaces Thorpe.
83 min...Scr Saunders 20 yard shot is deflected for cornerkick.
83 min...Scr players work out short cornerkick from left is wasted as it never reaches box.
83 min...Scr Saunders pops up header in box has defenders clear.
84 min...Scr Halley cornerkick from right is over players in box.
85 min...PFC Faheem 30 yard freekick from right is over players wide left for goalkick.
87 min...PFC players two headed clearances then Scr player crosses over players in box from right.
88 min...Scr Kilbride chip from 45 yards. Scr Bickford leaping header at 18 yards has goalie catch just under bar.
89 min...Scr goalie is out to 25 yards to clear ball over charging PFC Muanza.
90 min...PFC Passley is injured at PFC 45 yard line.
91 min...PFC players make two plays in a row to stop and clear ball.
92 min...Scr Stolar bends 30 yard bouncer to PFC goalie.
94 min...Scr Kilbride is centered ball and blasts 25 yarder well wide right.
94 min...Scr Ameen rolls ball over end line as he holds off defender at 10 yards on right.
94 min...Scr players are scrambling for the tying goal including Scr Ameen crosses over players in box.
95 min...Scr goalie has to get back to clear a 60 yard chip over his head at 25 yards and clears at 8 yards.
96 min...game ends 5:56pm.

Final Score:....Pickering FC..............1............Scrosoppi FC.................0............

Attendance was about 110 on this hot afternoon with a bright sun in the west which all the fans had
to stare into. The video of the game will look good because the cam was set up on the west side.
This was the first home game of the season for Pickering. The 'gate' of the game will probably be half
that as people who came around to the east side from the south would go through the admission gate
but those who entered from the north end zone fence came in for free. There aren't really any 'stands'
except two old metallic bleacher sections (think the endzone at York Lions Stadium for the supporters
but bent and rusty). Fans were carrying their own lawn chairs to sit on the ridge of the tall berm
on the east side. The very young ball boys all ended up clumping on the east side on the fan side
of the fence and ended up playing their own game. Any ball over the fence on the east would hit
the side of the hill and roll back towards the fence anyway.

The original L1O schedule had all the Pickering home games taking place at the Pickering Soccer Centre
which is an indoor facility. This had to be changed as the dome collapsed under the weight of snow
on Monday January 17th. 10 centimetres of snow was falling each hour and it eventually caved!

Pickering had only a three week preseason according to their head coach Aleks Balta. The team did not
play in any of the L1O divisions last year. Combined with the whole league not playing in 2020,
it's been three years since I've seen them and I couldn't remember anyone at first glance of the
game sheets. No wonder the league promoted them as a new team like Simcoe County Rovers
and Electric City FC.

I usually glance at the standings before the game to see how each team is doing but didn't find
the time today so the result would have been even more of a surprise. Pickering entered the game
with losing all three of their games. Scrosoppi came here with a 2 win, 1 loss record.

This result was all the more stunning that Pickering played a man down for 63 minutes (10 minutes
of combined added time at the end of each half). Near the end I felt Scrosoppi wouldn't score
if the game was 120 minutes! Their shooting was just 'off' or saved by goalie Dante Carraro
who looked so short but was always there to jump to catch under the bar and deserved the shut out.

Scrosoppi may have been put off their game before it started. They had to wait at least 45 minutes
to get into their dressing room as the maintenance guy with a chain of 30+ keys couldn't find one
that fit. They came in from Milton on one of the common yellow school buses that will be back on the
road taking your kids to school on Monday! Bump-Bump-Bump. The player benches were too short for
anything but a kiddie's game. The players were harassed by the fourth official for not sitting
on the bench and not having enough pinnies.

This was a pretty rough game with lots of injuries and at least three of the subs made for players down.

Lots of freekicks but referee Kim Lee only gave out the one card and wisely for something this serious,
consulting with the assistant on that line barely 10 yards from the incident. She ignored all requests
for Penalty kicks requested by Scrosoppi that most neutrals would consider soft if given. Both teams
took unscheduled water breaks conveniently halfway through each half during
trainer-required-on-the-field injuries.

Most serious injury was a head injury to Scrosoppi's Matthew Laic at 44 minutes. After the trainer
checked him out he resumed play but he said he had to come off within three minutes and the team just
played short until halftime.

Best non-scoring chances were at 13 minutes when Scrosoppi Nikolas Blaskovic bent a 20 yard shot that
the flying goalie palmed over the top corner of the net. 34 minutes had PFC Isiah Passley run to the
right end line and roll a cross through the 6 yard box just a step ahead of charging PFC Brandon Thorpe
at 2 yards. 43 minutes Scrosoppi Ijah Halley heads a ball up and forward at 15 yards that Scrosoppi's
Blaskovic backheels a 12 yard shot that a defender clears off the 1 yard line. 71 minutes had
Scrosoppi's Danny Medeiros took a 22 yard freekick up the middle that hit the crossbar on the right
and the defenders cleared. 88 minutes had Scrosoppi Cameron Kilbride chip a ball from 45 yards that
Scrosoppi Noah Bickford leapt to take an 18 yard header that the goalie caught just under the bar.

A few players on the Scrosoppi team site are Cyrus Rollocks (not here today) and Ijah Halley who were
both with the York 9/United FC of CPL in the last few years. In the long wait before the visiting
team's dressing room was opened, I talked a bit with Ijah who came here with two younger brothers.
All with long dreadlocked hair. The youngest brother plays for one of the Pro Stars youth teams
and the older one for a local Milton team. I thanked Ijah for being one of my first Twitter followers.

Kinsmen Park has been used by L1O in previous years when the team was known as Durham United but it was
the grass field that I remember. That part of the park is not open this early in the season.
The artificial turf is less maintenance. From years ago I remember the team had to pester the city
to mow the field as the grass was too long. Maybe for spite the city cut it before the game but left
all the 5 inch long clippings where they fell so the grass really stopped the rolled passes from
reaching the passers' attended target.

I didn't put my white York United kit on today because the colour was the same as Pickering's uniforms
and it was too hot anyway. Remember last weekend I wrote I was wearing a parka to each night game
I attended? Today I was swatting off mosquitos and brought my sunblock.

Interviews with head coaches after the game: 


Scrosoppi FC co-head coach Andrew Seurage

Scrosoppi FC co-head coach Andrew Seurage:....3 minutes, 59 seconds  (audio recorded by Rocket Robin)
Thoughts on today's game?  
How has your team built up in your first full season? 
How/where did you get your players? 
How did you get Ijah Halley on your team? 
How important is it for your team, city, recruiting etc for your team to stay in the Top 12 
    when the 2024 division splits?  


Pickering FC head coach Aleks Balta

Pickering FC head coach Aleks Balta:....8 minutes 29 seconds  (audio recorded by Rocket Robin)
Thoughts on today's game?  
Reason for the short pre season? [hint: the roof of the Pickering Soccer Centre collapsed!] 
What do think of the turf field at Kinsmen Park? 
I comment on the stop/start of this team over the years as Balda said he's new to this team. 
How important is it for the team, city, recruiting, etc to survive in the top 12 when the division 
     is split from the current 22 in the next two years?  
Is your team set or will there be university players joining?