June 25, 2022 League1 Ontario...Unionville Milliken SC vs North Toronto Nitros game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Saturday June 25, 2022 between
Unionville Milliken SC and North Toronto Nitros played at Bill Carruthers Secondary School in Markham at 7:00pm.

Unionville Milliken SC (all red uniforms, white numbers)

...................................1 Jared Maloney
19 Daniel McIntosh...12 Mohamed Diallo...4 Tim Mahabir (cpt)...18 Abdullah Mohamed
9 Alex Lewis...14 Mohammad Nur Mohamed...8 Alexandre De Cunha...16 Saif Jaffer
....................3 Anfal Ekhlas...10 Mattheias Broomes

Subs:...6 Zachery Hamedi...7 Michah Chisholm...11 Kenji Chang...15 Zabi Sultanpoory
...17 Roberto Edic
team officials:...team head coach Filipe Bento...assistant coach Azizi Wais...manager Moses Kgasa
...therapist Kurtis Wyrostok

North Toronto Nitros (green socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)

........................1 Ali Ghazanfari-Moghaddan
22 Kai Martin...3 Gabriel Mikina...5 Christian Westlaken...4 Brandon Barone
14 Asher Barnes...6 Juan Delgadillo (cpt)...13 Abdullah El-Chanti...18 Justin Santos
.................8 Zakaria Abdi...10 Ali El-Zeir

Subs:...50 Daniel Delo (gk)...7 Luca Dimarco...9 Jaylen Drummond...11 Emmanuel Obiefuna
...16 Pablo Hempelmann-Perez...17 Daniel Casa...19 Thomas MacCarone...20 Bilal Reslan
team officials:...team head coach Marko Milanovic...assistant coaches Antonio Greco and Filip Prostran
manager Daniela Barillari...therapists Andrew De Souza anda Holly Dunne

Game officials:...referee Giancarlo Pavone...referees assistants Nicholas Thompson and Basil Zmiyiwsky
...fourth official Najeeb Almasri...(teal socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 7:00pm...UM defends north side on this hot evening with a bright sun in the north west.
4 min...NTN El-Zeir receives short cornerkick on left and cross has defender head ball wide right.
4 min...NTN player's cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
7 min...NTN Kai Martin GOAL...Martin gets to loose ball at 25 yards and blasts low shot between players in the box
and into the center of the net.
10 min...NTN Abdi rushes to get to pass up middle to split defence and blasts 22 yard shot that goalie flies to left
to push wide of post.
10 min...NTN players short cornerkick from left has NTN El-Zeir shoot 20 yarder along end line which goalie smothers
on near post.
13 min...NTN Santos is checked off left edge of box by UM McIntosh.
14 min...UM Diallo is injured away from play and needs trainer. The players used the break to get water.
16 min...NTN El-Zeir rolls pass forward for NTN Santos who sends low cross through 6 yard box unplayed.
17 min...NTN Santos cornerkick from right is headed over box. NTN Delgadillo recovers ball that was headed away
and crosses back into box and NTN Barone flicks 7 yard header up middle that goalie palms over box.
18 min...NTN players work out short cornerkick from left and ball is crossed into box and NTN Abdi heads 10 yarder off
underside of bar and ball is cleared.
18 min...NTN El-Chanti arcs 28 yard partial clearance recovery down middle over UM bar.
21 min...UM De Cunha low 28 yard shot up middle that's stopped by goalie diving to right. UM Marabir complained
about the ref's whistle 'stopping' play.
23 min...NTN YELLOW card...Martin earns it for knocking down UM Mohamed at UM 50 yard line.
24 min...A water break is called.
26 min...play resumes.
27 min...UM Mohamed pushes ball over NTN end line.
28 min...UM Broomes intercepts clearance and 20 yard low shot up middle has goalie smother in center of goal.
28 min...NTN Barnes low 18 yard shot from right has goalie save on near post. UM Mohamed was injured in UM box.
29 min...NTN Santos corcnerkick from right is whistled down in box.
30 min...NTN El-Chanti blasts rebound shot that goalie stops.
30 min...NTN El-Chanti 10 yard blast on left has goalie fly to block on near post.
31 min...NTN El-Zeir rush down left and low centering pass has NTN Santos talks low 12 yard shot up middle that
goalie smothers.
33 min...NTN El-Zeir short cornerkick from left is short to NTN Santos who chips ball into box and UM player heads away.
34 min...NTN El-Zeir cross on left is over to NTN Abdi on right who heads towards left post and goalie catches in front
of NTN player waiting for a 1 yard header.
36 min...NTN Abdi in middle rolls pass forward and NTN El-Zeir run on left and 18 yard shot has goalie bat down
and a defender clears.
37 min...UM sub...Edic replaces McIntosh.
39 min...NTN El-Zeir cross through 6 yard box has NTN Santos blast 12 yarder off defender on post for cornerkick.
40 min...NTN El-Zeir rolls shot up middle just wide left of post.
41 min...UM gaolie smashes into his own defender jumping for cross. UM Diallo needs trainer. NTN won a cornerkick
on that play.
43 min...NTN El-Zeir cornerkick from left is rolled out and charging NTN player shoots 30 yarder up middle that's well
wide right and over the back fence.
44 min...UM Broomes cornerkick from left is caught by goalie on right post.
48 min...NTN Mikina rushes up right but pushes ball over end line.
49 min...NTN Barnes low 25 yard shot up middle hits left post.
50 min...NTN Delgadillo cornerkick from left has goalie bat down and defender clears.
50:36 min...half ends at 7:51pm. Oops someone had left the scoreboard clock ticking past 45:00.

Halftime: UM stay on their bench for halftime rather than going back inside the school. The NTN players go back
to their 'dressing room' which doubles as a public washroom for fans.

Second Half:...starts 8:05pm...the field is now almost half shaded from the sun and the temperature is thankfully dropping.
47 min...NTN Santos run on left and blasts shot from 20 yards that goalie slides to stop.
49 min...NTN Mikina rolls ball to left for NTN MacCarone but goalie slides out and let's ball go by goalie for goalkick.
50 min...UM Jaffer is checked off ball in NTN box by defender preventing 10 yard shot.
51 min...NTN El-Zeir 20 yard shot from left is off defender.
51 min...NTN Delgadillo cornerkick from left is caught by goalie for quick breakout.
53 min...NTN Martin bends cross for NTN Abdi at 15 yards but goalie is out to get hand to it and push it wide left.
55 min...NTN Mikina 20 yard freekick on slight right has goalie get hand to tip over bar.
56 min...NTN El-Zeir and NTN Santos work out short cornerkick on right and Santos rolls 18 yarder wide that goalie
smothers on near post.
57 min...NTN Santos cornerkick from right has goalie catch in crowd of players.
60 min...NTN El-Zeir has 22 yard shot blocked by defender after long run.
61 min...UM sub...Chang replaces Nur Mohamed.
62 min...UM Chang low 35 yard shot up middle has goalie dive left to smother.
63 min...NTN defenders prevent shot in box.
63 min...UM YELLOW card...Mohamed earns it for trip at NTN 50 yard line to stop break out.
64 min...NTN Barnes cross from right has NTN Abdi head 12 yarder down middle wide right of net.
66 min...NTN Zakaria Abdi GOAL...NTN Ali El-Zeir crosses from left and Abdi blasts 12 yarder up middle that
goalie Jared Maloney gets a hand to but ball deflects into right corner of net.
66 min...a water break is called.
.......NTN sub...Hempelmann-Perez replaces El-Zeir.
69 min...play resumes.
73 min...NTN Westlaken rolls centering pass NTN El-Chanti blasts 20 yarder that goalie pushes away from to right corner of net.
.....UM Ekhlas needs trainer away from play.
74 min...NTN Hempelmann-Perez cornerkick from left has goalie push wide right of short post.
75 min...NtN Delgadillo finishes cornerkick play with blast of partial clearance tha goalie saves on sprawl.
78 min...UM sub...Hamedi replaces injured Ekhlas.
78 min...UM Lewis takes 18 yard shot that goalie slides on short right post to kick away clearance.
79 min...NTN Barnes eludes check at right cornerflag and cross has goalie catch.
81 min...UMM sub...Sultanpoory replaces Jaffer.
82 min...NTN Delgadillo 35 yard freekick from left has goalie punch away.
82 min...NTN sub...Dimarco replaces Barnes.
83 min...NTN Santos blasts 25 yard freekick from right into player wall.
84 min...UM Broomes rolls centering cross from left into box but defender stops and clears.
85 min...NTN sub...Casa replaces Martin.
86 min...UM Kenji Chang GOAL...Chang pushes defender aside on run down middle and chips 10 yarder
to right corner of net just inside post past goalie Ali Ghazanfari-Moghaddan.
87 min...NTN goalie beats UM Broomes to through ball to catch at 15 yards.
88 min...NTN player can't draw Penalty kick on slide by defender just inside box that upends him.
89 min...NTN Hempelmann-Perez rolls pass from center to NTN Dimarco who blasts 15 yarder on right that goalie catches
on near post.
92 min...NTN Delgadillo high 35 yard freekick from left has defender clear from box.
93 min...NTN sub...MacCarone replaces Abdi.
94 min...NTN Delgadillo nutmegs defender on left end line but goalie picks up ball.
95 min...NTN YELLOW card...Westlaken earns it for body check at NTN 45 yard line.
96 min...UM Broomes chips 45 yard freekick that goalie runs forward to catch in crowd of players.
96 min...game ends 8:56pm.

Final Score:...Unionville Milliken SC.......1.......North Toronto Nitros.......2........

Attendance topped up at about 60 with fans scattered around the steep beirne surrounding the south
endzone and east side with just a few in the aluminum stands still under the hot sun for the first half.

Referee Giancarlo Pavone gave out three Yellow cards that I noticed (the web site says four) with
two (website says three to NTN players). He also scheduled a water break for each half and players
ran to the sidelines when trainers were brought onfield to examine player injuries so the referee
added five minutes to each half.

Wow. The search for the insurance goal proved elusive as NTN peppered shots from everywhere to try
to get them past UM goalie Jared Maloney. The fourth official said 'well that must be eight'
and that was with plenty of time to go. It was a real shooting gallery out there but that goal
proved important as UM scored on one of the few times they didn't have an NTN defender clear or check
them off a ball before they could get away a shot.

Best non-scoring chances (and I'll just mention the creme-de-la-R.Crumb) were at 10 minutes when
NTN Zakaria Abdi rushed up the middle to get to a pass and split the defence and blast a 22 yard shot
that the goalie flew to the left to push wide of the post. 18 minutes had Abdi head a 10 yarder off
the underside of the bar and a defender was able to clear. 29 minutes had Asher Barnes take
a low 18 yarder from the right that the goalie was able to save on the near post. 30 minutes had
Abdullah El-Chanti blast a shot from 10 yards on the left that the goalie saved on the near post
and the next minute Ali El-Zeir ran down the left and his low centering pass had Justin Santos take
a low 12 yard shot up the middle that the goalie smothered. 34 minutes had El-Zeir cross on the left
over to Abdi on the right who headed the ball towards the left post that the goalie caught in front
of an NTN player waiting for a one yard header. Two minutes later and Abdi in the middle rolled
a pass forward and El-Zeir ran on the left and his 18 yard shot had the goalie bat down and a defender
clear. 39 minutes had El-Zeir cross through the 6 yard box and Santos blasted a 12 yarder that hit
a defender and deflected for a cornerkick. That cornerkick produced a shot for El-Zeir who rolled
one up the middle just wide left of the post. Within a minute the UM goalie smashed into his own
defender as he jumped for a cross and UM Mohamed Diallo needed a trainer. The UM goalie caught
a cornerkick at 44 minutes in a crowd of players and in injury time Mohammad Nur Mohamed took
a low 25 yard shot up the middle that hit the left post. 55 minutes had Gabriel Mikina take a 20 yard
freekick from the slight right that the goalie got a hand to to tip it over the bar. A short
cornerkick was rolled into the box and Santos rolled a shot that the goalie smothered on the near
post. Within a minute the UM goalie had to catch another cornerkick in a crowd of players. 64 minutes
and Barnes cross the right and Abdi headed a 12 yarder down the middle just wide right. And finally
the insurance goal! NTN kept the pressure on for another but just more of the same.

Look for Jared Maloney to be on the team-of-the-week for his performance. There was no safety net
as once again UM had no back up goalie (I'd seen them play the Wednesday before last in the same
situation). They only had five subs although the rules in this development league are seven subs
can be used and nine can be on the bench for a possible two 'concussion protical' reasons they
could be brought in. Well it's the choice of nine subs, that can be selected that gives the coaches
more strategy of defenders, midfielders etc. Get well soon injured players but being short puts
more stress on the players that have to play longer which sounds like the problems
of.......York United FC of the CPL.

The NTN defence of Kai Martin (when he wasn't bombing up the wing), Gabriel Mikina, Christian Westlaken,
and Brandon Barone made things rather easy for goalie Ali Ghazanfari-Moghaddan although he had to make
a few key saves to keep UM off the board when the score was close.

By the time I got home the other two game results were in the books.

North Toronto Nitros stay in first place improving to 9 wins, 2 losses, 1 tie for 28 points.
That's four points better than Alliance United who won on Friday night although Alliance has a game
in hand.

Unionville Milliken's record falls to 3 wins, 7 losses, 2 ties for 11 points. That's seventeenth
in the twenty-two team league.

Top six teams this season make the playoffs. Top twelve averaged over the next two years survive
the division split in the Premier Division with the other ten in the Championship Division.

Hey tomorrow, I will see if NTN's Aidan Hugo will finally get into a CPL game for York United FC.
Not a peep about him but meme's and stories already about some Australian defender who's signed with
the team. Hugo has been an unused sub for the two games that he's been signed.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Unionville Milliken SC starters