July 9, 2022 League1 Ontario...Masters FA vs Vaughan Azzurri game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Saturday July 9, 2022 between
Masters FA and Vaughan Azzurri played at L'Amoreaux Park in Scarborough at 8:00pm.

Masters FA Saints (all red uniforms, white numbers)

....................1 Spiridon Koskinas
........2 Jayden Meikle...90 Kemar Rowe...23 Luis Pari Cortez
14 Triston Frankson (cpt)...20 Carmeryon Stewart...13 Terrell Spencer...3 Luis Eduardo Flores
...............70 Francis Ameyaw...18 Devontge Brown...11 Justin Robertson

Subs:...0 Jesus Jose Carbajal Flores (gk)...4 Antonio Herra-Blackwood...7 Joshua Lee...8 Samer Hamade
...9 Timothy Cordova...12 Matthew Morris...16 Marc-Anthony Blackburn...17 Nagthan Ferguson
...29 Romeo Mian
team officials:...team head coach Hubert Groves...assistant coach Devon Porter...manager Rob Meikle
...therapist Samira Razavi

Vaughan Azzurri (white socks and shirts, navy shorts and numbers)

......................12 Anthony Gurrieri
17 Alejandro Portal Oliva...2 Christian Curti...9 Saahb Kular...3 Riley Ferrazzo
...........11 Jason Gajadhar...23 Andron Kagramanyan...8 Massimo Ferrin
...........24 Koisochukwu Nwafornso...10 Jason Mills (cpt)...5 Raheem Rose

Subs:...1 Isiah Goldson (gk)...7 Jahsua Mills...13 Joseph Stocchetti...15 Pariss Mitchell
...16 Dilman Grewal...18 Baldwin Thomas Cerros...19 Daniel Gogarty...22 Omar Marzouk...25 Jaytin Pabla
team officials:...team head coach Patrice Gheisar...assistant coaches Anthony Vadori, Carmine Isacco,
and Jorden Felciano...therapist Katie Bartley suspended player...Joe Mack

Game officials:...referee Phil Benevides...referee's assistants Mehdi Boutarfa and Kyle Cohall
...fourth official Austin Fromhold-Treu...(teal shirts and socks, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 8:02pm...Masters defends north end on this mild night with a bright sun in the northwest.
1 min...VA Jason Mills cross from near left end line wins cornerkick on deflection.
1 min...VA Ferrin high cornerkick from left is well over box. Ball is eventually crossed in from right but headed away.
4 min...VA Ferrazzo pass to VA Jason Mills and low cross is cleared.
4 min...VA Ferrin 15 yard low shot while rushing to middle from left is wide left.
6 min...VA Ferrin cornerkick from right has Masters Brown head away on right side of box.
7 min...VA Massimo Ferrin GOAL...Ferrin gets to a deflected ball on right and low 12 yard shot is past sliding goalie
Spiridon Koskinas into left corner of net.
8 min...Masters Francis Ameyaw GOAL...Masters Justin Robertson finds himself at 15 yards from far right after taking
ball off defender and rolls ball around sliding goalie Anthony Furrieri at 6 yards in alignment with right post over
to Ameyaw who has 5 yard shot from left into open net.
10 min...Masters Frankson 20 yard shot from left is just wide right of post.
14 min...VA Ferrazzo 28 yard shot shot from left between players has diving goalie saves on left and has time to get up
and pick up rebound.
17 min...VA Jason Mills long run up middle but checked off ball.
18 min...Masters Frankson long run up right rolls pass forward to Masters Ameyaw but goalie beats him at 15 yards to smother
ball on right.
19 min...VA Portal Oliva run to right end line and high cross drifts behind net.
20 min...VA Gajadhar rusn on right but pushes ball behind end line.
21 min...VA Rose dribbles around and players and take low 25 yard shot.
22 min...VA Curi has to leave field with a bloody mouth. A Masters players was knocked down at 45 yard and wins freekick.
22 min...Masters Spencer 45 yard freekick from left bounces wide left of net.
23 min...VA Ferrazzo 45 yard freekick from left his caught by unpressured goalie on bounce.
24 min...Masters Spencer blasts 25 yarder from right is well hight wide right.
27 min...VA Jason Mills rolls pass forward to VA Koisochukwu Nwafornso who tumbles over diving goalie at 15 yards.
Referee Phil Benevides awards VA a Penalty kick as ball had rolled by goaltender before contact.
28 min...VA Massimo Ferrin GOAL...Ferrin blasts Penalty kick low to left and sprawling goalie gets a hand to it
but it deflects up and is still into net.
30 min...VA Rose rolls 28 yarder on left between players and wide left.
30 min...VA Koisochukwu Nwafornso GOAL...VA Andron Kagramanyan rolls through ball pass up middle from 30 yards.
Nwafornso gets ball at 20 yards on slight left and shoots to right corner of net.
31 min...VA Rose receives cross from left and shoots 15 yarder on right over net.
32 min...Masters YELLOW card...Brown earns it for tackle on VA Portal Oliva causing him to limp at Masters 40 yard line.
33 min...VA Christian Curti GOAL...VA Massimo Ferrin takes 40 yard freekick from right and leaping Curti
in between crowd of players turns header up middle into right corner of net.
38 min...VA Ferrin high cross from 25 yards on left can't be knocked down by VA Rose at 12 yards on right.
39 min...Masters Stewart rolls through ball from 45 yards but goalie beats three Masters players to pick up ball.
41 min...VA Portal Oliva freekick from 45 yards on right has defender in crowd of players at 15 yards in middle head away.
42 min...Masters Ameyaw can't win Penalty kick on run up left and fall just inside VA box.
44 min...Masters sub...Blackburn replaces Brown.
46 min...half ends 8:48pm.

Halftime: the subs for both teams warm up on the field. The temperature is dropping and the sun is now below the treeline.

Second Half:...starts 9:05pm.
Halftime sub:...Masters Morris replaces Eduardo Flores.
48 min...Masters Spencer 50 yard shot from left is bounced to goalie as no players run for it.
50 min...Masters Morris passes ahead to Masters Frankson who can't turn to control at 20 yards and loft and rolls ball to goalie.
52 min...VA Ferrazzo tries to elude defender but 30 yard shot deflects off defender for cornerkick.
52 min...VA Rose is part of short cornerkick play has low 20 yard shot trapped by goalie on near post and defender clears.
53 min...VA YELLOW card...Rose earns it for play that injured two Masters players at Masters 30 yard line.
55 min...VA Riley Ferrazzo GOAL...VA Jason Gajadhar passes from 35 yards in middle to right for VA Raheem Rose
who crosses along 10 yard line and Ferrazzo one-touches shot up middle into top right corner of net.
56 min...VA Koisochukwu Nwafornso GOAL...VA Raheem Rose centers low pass from left over to VA Jason Gajadhar who
tries to turn on Masters Cameryon Stewart who partially stops it at 22 yards. Nwafornso recovers loose ball at 20 yards
and turns annd fires to top right corner on net. He then does a back-flip celebration.
58 min...Masters Spencer 30 yard freekick from left is headed away. Spencer eventual rekick is wide right of net.
59 min...The L1O match official tries to chase a drone flying overhead away.
61 min...VA sub...Stocchetti replaces Rose.
...........VA sub...Mitchell replaces Kagramanyan.
65 min...VA Portal Oliva 30 yard chips cross to left has goalie come out to 8 yards to punch away.
65 min...VA goalie is out to 25 yards to beat Masters Ameyaw to through ball.
66 min...VA Gajadhar cross from 25 yards on far right has VA Ferrazzo get two shots blocked included spinner deflected off him
and out for goalkick.
68 min...Masters sub...Ferguson replaces Robertson.
..........Masters sub...Mian replaces Frankson.
70 min...VA Ferrazzo long run up middle but is checked off ball on edge of box.
71 min...Masters sub...Hamade replaces injured Blackburn who had already left the field.
72 min...Masters Spencer 40 yard freekick has Masters player back up and fall with ball then backs over end line.
73 min...VA Portal Oliva dribbles and 20 yard cross is blocked has goalie catch but cornerkick is given.
74 min...VA Ferrin cornerkick from right bounces through box unplayed.
76 min...Masters YELLOW card...Pari Cortez earns it for grab on VA player at 22 yard line.
76 min...VA Ferrin 25 yard freekick hits head in player wall for clearance.
77 min...VA sub...Thomas Cerros replaces Ferrin.
77 min...VA Mian steals ball at center line and passes to VA Nwafornso but goalie beats him to ball.
78 min...Masters YELLOW card...someone gets it for bashing of VA player at Masters 45 yard line.
..........VA YELLOW card...someone earns it for bashing of Masters player at Masters 40 yard line.
These were on the same play and did not involve the same players.
79 min...VA sub...Marzouk replaces Nwafornso.
79 min...VA Ferrazzo 45 yard freekick from left has VA Marzouk miss shot but wins cornerkick.
80 min...VA Thomas Cerros cornerkick from right has play whistled down in box.
81 min...VA sub...Gogarty replaces Jason Mills.
............VA sub...Grewal replaces Kular.
............VA sub...Jahsua Mills replaces Ferrazzo.
............Masters sub...Cordova replaces Spencer.
82 min...Masters Matthew Morris GOAL...From a Masters throw-in from the right at the 15 yard line,
Masters Nathan Ferguson receives the ball and chips 22 yarder over defenders into the box where Morris is unmarked
and he shoots low 10 yarder forward into right side of net.
85 min...VA YELLOW card...Portal Oliva earns it for holding Masters Morris.
86 min...Masters Stewart 30 yard freekick from right as ball bounce over a bunch of players who have fallen in the box
and flying goalie pushes wide right but play had been whistled down for a VA freekick.
86 min...VA Mitchell cross along 10 yard line on right has defender head away.
87 min...Masters YELLOW card...Ameyaw earns it for his part in two Masters players squeezing VA Thomas Cerros
on a double body check.
88 min...VA Mitchell passes to VA Thomas Cerros who rolls 18 yarder wide left of net.
92 min...Masters Rowe clears low cross into Masters box.
93 min...game ends 9:53pm.

Final Score:....Masters FA.....2.......Vaughan Azzurri.......6........

Attendance was about 80 on this mild night with the temperatures turning it into windbreaker weather
by halftime as the sun set. On the field behind the west side sideline was a co-ed group of about 80
doing some kind of frisbee throwing. It was some kind of tryout/practice possibly for Ultimate Frisbee.
I was just glad it wasn't another soccer game as I always get confused by hearing a second whistle
and the players in the game I'm watching not stopping. The second half had a drone buzzing the field
that the referee ask the L1O official to get rid of although I don't know how with him just typing
some messages on his phone but the thing did eventually rise up higher and higher and disappear.

Turning point for this game was from 28 minutes with three goals in 6 minutes to put the game out
of reach in the first half. It could be expected with Vaughan being at the very top of the table
and Masters being at the bottom. Only two of today's seven L1O Men's Premier games were in the GTA.
I had thought I'd go to the afternoon game in downtown Toronto but instead went to the nearby city pool
to meet a friend and that turned out to be the right decision as the subway wasn't running because
of construction work on a new crosstown streetcar line. This would have been the day Toronto FC was
supposed to have their big signing debut (yeah injuries have put that off a few more weeks) but my
dread of overcrowded and slow shuttle buses made me happier that I'd lucked into my choice.

Referee Phil Benevides gave out seven Yellow cards that I counted (four to Masters). Damn the L1O site
only has listed one to each team. I was helping the guy out 'replaying' the goals from my notes so he
could add assists to each scorer. None of the cards were for any vicious hacking that sometimes happens
when a game gets out of hand. OK maybe at 87 minutes when VA Baldwin Thomas Cerros was body checked
by a defender and each side of him as he tried to squeeze through could be considered one.

This game was more competitive than the Canada CWNT team against Trinidad & Tobago but that multi-goal
span in the first half put the game away faster than that Concacaf game.

What a difference a year makes as Vaughan was undefeated last season in the Eastern Conference
while Masters was runner up but Masters had a few key players pilfered by new L1O teams and a few
others moved on and they've fallen far. Vaughan has had a few players claimed or signed away
in the last few weeks this season and they keep evolving. Last night I watched early 2022 star
Orlendis Carlos Benitez Hernandez play the last 16 plus stoppage time for CPL Forge FC (his longest
game so far as he's still working on fitting in). The opponents York United FC had Vaughan's regular
goalie Gianluca Catalano signed to a CPL emergency contract and he played for York when they travelled
to Edmonton for the Canada Day game but he wasn't on last night's CPL gameday roster so he may
be on his way back to Vaughan.

The O.C.B.H story isn't so Hollywood as I thought....Forge head coach Bobby Smyrniotis filled in the story
to my question at the press conference last night. Yes Bobby was at the L1O game on June 11 to scout
their 'farm/associated' team Sigma FC to sign defender Daniel Stampatori and Vaughan was the opponent
but O.C.B.H was a player in the Forge 2022 pre-season training camp but the CPL rosters are so small
that they couldn't sign him then. With injuries, the 'league mechanisms' were put in motion and he was
signed to make his first appearance June 12 in the Forge win against Pacific FC.

Moving into his spot is Massimo Ferrin (even today wearing the O.C.B.H. #8 jersey) who I saw two weeks
ago score the early candidate for the 'L1O Goal of the Year' with a 1 v 6 run against FC London
at 93 minutes to score the winner. Two goals tonight and he's a CPL prospect although he may scare
some teams off as he's already 23 and played the last two seasons at the USL Championship level.
There's an encouragement for CPL teams to sign U-23s to meet a 'minimum young-player minutes' standard.

This game was the last game of Saturday but the rest of the weekend doesn't matter because the teams
are at the extreme opposite end of the standings.

Vaughan Azzurri's win of course keep them in first place with a record now of 10 wins, 0 losses,
3 ties for 33 points.

Masters stays in last (22nd) with a record now of 1 win, 8 losses, 5 ties for 8 points. Last weekend
they held the then first place team, North Toronto Nitros, to a tie on the road but expecting that
to happen two weeks in a row was a stretch.

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.
Currently to be twelfth, you need 16 points. (ie Saturday night)

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Masters FA starters