August 6, 2022 League1 Ontario Women's Final...NDC Ontario vs Alliance United game report (by Rocket Robin)

...............................

Results and details of the League1 Ontario Women's Premier Division game of Saturday August 6, 2022
between NDC Ontario and Alliance United played at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:30pm.

NDC Ontario (all red uniforms, white numbers)

...................1 Fairth Fenwick
27 Tatiana Tagne...23 Allison Carabin...4 Zoe Markesini...8 Renee Watson
..........18 Ava Greco...17 Kayla Briggs...11 Rosa Maalouf
.........7 Amanda Allen (cpt)...10 Alanna Raimondo...20 Nyah Rose

Subs:...33 Sofa Cortes-Browne (gk)..34 Madison London (gk)...3 Mikayla Coore-Pascal...9 Patricia Tsokos
...12 Ella Ottey...14 Telja Murray-Powell...15 Alexis Gordon...19 Amelia Campanella...31 Hilary Washington
team officials:...assistant coach Bryan Rosenfeld...manager Tania Singfield
...equipment managers Kennedi Herrmann and Sherif El-Masri...therapist Bruna Mavignier and Samira Razavi

Alliance United (white socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

.......................30 Gurleen Toor
...........6 Valentina Greco...3 Maddie MacKay...12 Hannah Chown
7 Daniella Cipriano...18 Holly Whelan...20 Kristin Parkes...15 Jenny Wolever
...........8 Chelsea Cheung...9 Laura Gosse (cpt)...10 Madison Mariani

Subs:...1 Levanta Staggolis (gk)...2 Eva Harrison...4 Julia Coachrane...5 Isabel Newman
...11 Hannah Harkin...14 Racquel Alexander...16 Miranda Badovinac...17 Hannah Anderson
...19 Samantha Gravina
team officials:...team head coach Angelo Cavalluzzo...assistant coaches Anthony Costa and David Ennis
...therapist Daniel Dalla Rosa

Game officials:...referee Amanda Kwan...referee's assistants Beth McClelland and Angelina Baldino
...fourth official Shashti Majaraj...(teal shirts and socks, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 7:32pm...NDC defends south end on this hot and humid evening with a blinding sun in the north west.
1 min...NDC players rush on left but a pass is sent over the end line for a goalkick.
4 min...AU goalie catches bouncer at 15 yards as NDC Maalouf bumps into her.
6 min...NDC Nyah Rose GOAL...NDC Renee Watson at 15 yard line on left rolls short centering pass and Rose
in alignment with left post rolls 12 yard shot into right corner of net beyond diving goalie Gurleen Toor.
7 min...Alliance Kristin Parkes GOAL...AU Daniella Cipriano cornerkick from right has Parkes race across box
from left along 5 yard line and head ball forward and downward to 2 yard line where ball bounces over sprawling
goalie Faith Fenwick on goalline and into top right side of net.
9 min...AU Cipriano freekick from 45 yards on right has AU Gosse head 20 yarder that bounces wide left of net.
11 min...AU player crosses from right edge of NDC box through box unplayed.
14 min...NDC Nyah Rose GOAL...NDC Renee Watson kicks ball forward up left side to NDC Rosa Maalouf who runs
on left and pushes over defender on her run. Maalouf crosses to center and charging Rose shoots 12 yarder that
flying goalie gets a hand to but ball deflects into top right corner of net.
17 min...NDC goalie beats AU Gosse to grab bouncer ahead of her.
17 min...AU MacKay gets back to break up pass in box to NDC Rose getting to cross from left into box.
20 min...NDC Raimondo in middle passes right for NDC Allen who shoots 15 yarder on far right to outside webbing of net.
23:50 min...a water break is called.
26:40 min...play resumes.
27 min...NDC player's 30 yard shot from left is well wide right of net.
29 min...AU Cipriano cornerkick from right has NDC Briggs on right head ball away.
31 min...AU Parkes 25 yard shot from right has goalie palm ball over bar.
34 min...NDC Maalouf rush down left and goalie is out to edge of box and gets by her but goalie has tipped it over end line
that Mallouf can't get to.
35 min...NDC Tagne cornerkick from left has goalie palm ball through box out right side.
36 min...NDC Watson cornerkick from right has goalie in crowd punch ball forward. NDC Markesini blasts 22 yard rebound
is well over net.
38 min...NDC Maalouf on run down middle after pulling AU Gosse out of the way and slides into prone goalie out to block shot.
.........NDC YELLOW card...Maalouf earns it for complaining about not getting freekick.
42 min...NDC Watson cornerkick from right bends behind net.
43 min...NDC Allen cross from 15 yards wins cornerkick from 6 yard box.
43 min...NDC Allen low cornerkick from right is cleared by nearest defender on right side of box.
47 min...NDC Maalouf run down left and pass to NDC Rose for one-touch shot from 12 yards has goalie make sprawling save
at 3 yards.
48 min...half ends 8:20pm.

Halftime: Both teams return to the dressing rooms. No one stays out to warm up. The temperature is cooling.
The sun is setting in the north west.

Second Half:...starts 8:39pm...The temperature has gotten cooler and the sun is below the treeline.
Halftime subs:...NDC Tsokos replaces Rose.
.................AU Badovinac replaces Greco.
48 min...AU Gosse retreats to poke ball from NDC Briggs giving up cornerkick.
48 min...NDC work out short cornerkick from right and when ball is crossed into box has defender head away on left side of box.
50 min...NDC Watson 55 yard chip from right bounces to goalie.
50 min...AU Whelan chips 30 yarder that NDC Carabin clears at 10 yards.
51 min...AU Chown long throw-in from right wins cornerkick on header.
52 min...AU Cipriano cornerkick from right has NDC Carabin head ball away in crowd of players in box.
53 min...NDC Markesini slides to concede cornerkick on rolls cross from left.
54 min...AU Wolever cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
55 min...NDC Watson clears bounced cross into box from AU Mariani on left.
56 min...AU Cipriano rolls 30 yard shot for goalie to make easy stop.
58 min...AU Badovinac run on right and cross from 28 yards has AU Parkes make off balance 15 yard shot up middle that's
wide left.
59 min...NDC Watson low 20 yard shot from left has goalie smother on near post.
62 min...AU Cheung cross from 28 yards on right has AU Parkes flick 10 yard header wide left.
63 min...NDC Rosa Maaloof GOAL...Maaloof receives long chipped pass from 70 yards at AU 25 yard line on left.
She cuts in on defender and bends in 25 yarder from left over leaping goalie at 5 yards in middle of goal and ball
finds top right corner of net.
64 min...AU Badovinac receives cross from left and heads 15 yarder upward.
65 min...AU Cheung passes from right roller. AU Bodovinac slides and 12 yarder up middle is rolled wide right.
66 min...NDC YELLOW card...Carabin earns it for knock down at NDC 45 yard line in middle.
66 min...AU YELLOW card...Chown earns it for knock down at AU 25 yard line.
67 min...NDC Tsokos flicks 15 yarder wide let on receiving freekick from 28 yards on right.
70 min...AU Mariani intercepts NDC Markesini and chips 30 yarder just over net down middle.
70 min...a water break is called.
71 min...AU sub...Alexander replaces Cipriano.
72 min...game resumes.
73 min...AU Chown long throw-in from right is cleared on edge of box.
74 min...NDC Allen is knoed down just outside right side of AU box and needs trainer.
75 min...NDC Coore-Pascal replaces injured Allen. NDC get by without a captain.
76 min...NDC Tsokos bends 20 yard blast from left just high and right of top right corner of net.
78 min...AU Wolever cornerkick from left has ball bounce through box. AU Gosse falls but can't draw Penalty kick.
82 min...NDC Markesini 20 yard freekick from slight right chip is caught by goalie overhead at 6 yards.
82 min...AU Wolever cornerkick from right has AU Gosse head down but defenders clear.
.........NDC Maalouf is injured on edge of box and needs trainer with a leg injury.
85 min...play resumes.
85 min...NDC Tsokos run down left holding off defender and 15 yard shot has sprawling goalie save.
86 min...NDC YELLOW card...Tagne earns it for time wasting taking a cornerkick on the left.
87 min...NDC Maalouf blasts 22 yard roller from right just wide left of post.
89 min...NDC YELLOW card...Assistant coach Rosenfeld earns it for standing outside the players bench box.
The fourth official brought it the referee's attention.
89 min...AU Alexander 28 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie between players while under no pressure.
90 min...NDC sub...Washington replaces Maalouf.
93 min...AU Alexander 30 yard freekick from right has defender leap at 6 yards in crowd on left side of box.
95 min...AU Wolever 33 yard cross from left has goalie catch.
95 min...AU Mariani bounces 22 yard shot from right wide right of net.
96 min...game ends 9:30pm.

Final Score:....NDC Ontario........3.......Alliance United.........1.........

Attendance was about 800 (figures/estimate supplied to me by League1 Canada commissioner Dino Rossi
during the trophy presentation). This Ontario Soccer Centre is the regular home stadium of the
NDC Ontario team which was always going to be the final's venue for broadcasting and crowd purposes.

The afternoon had been very hot and humid and by game time the temperature had cooled somewhat but
still not too comfortable to sit and watch so it must have been really hard on the players. By the
second half with the sun below the treeline and it gradually getting dark and a crossfield breeze
from the west, it was better but still no more than t-shirt weather.

Referee Amanda Kwan scheduled one water break in each half. She gave out five Yellow cards that
I counted (fou

For this final, the game was livestreamed on You Tube with Pierce Lang doing the commentary from
the treehouse structure on the east side of the field and Ari Soroka doing the PA announcements.
Great as I haven't got out to Oakville this season to see any home Blue Devils games so it was
nice to say 'Hello'. Post game special effects arrived in time as confetti cannons and smoke
cannisters were rush delivered by one of the commissioner's sons.

Tonight was the final of the L1O Women's Premier League's 2022 season. There were 20 teams playing
a 19 game schedule with six teams making the post season. A midweek two game quarterfinal
of the lower four teams led into a weekend semi-final of the remaining four teams and then this
weekend's final. A short five game post season! I will be waiting for that when it's time for
the Men's Premier League playoffs.

NDC came in as the second ranked team with a record of 14 wins, 1 loss, 3 ties for 48 points.
They scored 62 goals in the regular season and allowed 15 for a +47 goals for/against. They scored
the most goals and that +/- was best in the league. There one loss was to Alliance United
at Varsity Stadium in downtown Toronto back on July 9th and the score that day was 3-1...making
tonight a perfect revenge check mark to the season.

Alliance finished sixth with a record of 11 wins, 4 losses, 4 ties for 37 points. They had to take
the long road through the playoffs with upsets of Vaughan Azzurri then FC London.

NDC (stands for National Development Centre) is a new team to the L1O competition. It is Canada's
national women's development team for Ontario (there's a team in Quebec and one in British Columbia).
The make up of the team is U14s to U18s. It may be said that this team should be the best L1O team
in the province but that need not be the case as older players are on other teams and there's always
the chance some players could be missing due to tournaments. Tonight their head coach Joey Lombardi
wasn't here as he is away with the Canada Women's U-20 training camp as they prepare for the U-20
World Cup starting next week. From the league's website, they have used 31 players which is exactly
the same number as Alliance used.

I was familiar with some of the players as I'd watched the Concacaf Women's U-17 Championship
before the L1O season started and remembered Amanda Allen and Rosa Maalouf.

Alliance United is similar to their L1O men's team in that they are made up of players from
the University of Toronto either current player's or alumni as well as local youth teams Markham FC
and Wexford SC. Their oldest player and co-leading scorer Laura Gosse (12 goals, tied with
Chelsea Cheung) is a coach and the captain of the team. The coaches have the same titles with
the univesity.

This was the last game of the women's season so now it's back to the men's game. So far the score
for my L1O attendance is Women 1, Men 32 and counting! I really wanted to see this game as I felt
guilty about missing Canada's National team playing an exhibition game against South Korea down
at BMO Field while I was marooned doing post game work at the CPL York United FC game at the same
time on the other end of Toronto.

Bryan Rosenfeld was listed as an assistant coach for NDC tonight. He told me after he was filling
in because of the head coach being away but he normally works for Ontario Soccer. I gave him
my web page address where he can find scans of programs to the old Canadian Soccer League as he was
a goalie for Toronto Blizzard among other teams.

****So what now for the winners? Well because many players on the NDC Ontario team will play
as Team Ontario in the Canada Games, the team will NOT play in the League1 Canada Women's tournament
in Quebec against the League1 champions of British Columbia, Quebec and a Quebec host city. Their
position will be taken by Alliance United! I don't recall this being mentioned before the final
was played last night or it might have killed off some of the live gate.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

NDC Ontario starters