August 25, 2022 League1 Ontario Quarterfinal...Alliance United vs ProStars FC game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Thursday August 25, 2022 between
Alliance United and ProStars FC played at Vaughan Grove in Vaughan at 9:00pm. This was a one game quarterfinal playoff
with the winner advancing to one of the semi-finals this weekend.

Alliance United (all orange uniforms, black numbers)

.....................1 Praveen Ahilan
20 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...2 Kenny Lioutas...4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...5 Samuel Gardner
7 Nirun Sivananthan...9 Artem Tesker...19 Koosha Nazemi...3 Matthew Monteiro
..............17 Atchu Sivananthan...10 Dusan Kovacevic

Subs:...30 Robert Ursu (gk)...6 Russel Stewart...8 Nicolas Osorio...11 Johnson Amoo
...13 Farrell Francis...14 Abdul Hamad...15 Kingsley Belele...16 Shon Siegelwachs
...18 Colin O'Dwyer
Team officials:...team haed coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coaches Comac Rea and Eric Nelson
...equipment manager Goran Stakic...therapists Celia Palombella, Danile Dalla Rosa, and Michael Silvestri

Prostars FC (all white uniforms, blue numbers)

....................24 Jared Maloney
39 Baryai Khan...2 Carlo Difeo...6 Victor Gallo (cpt)...36 Al James
.....12 Alexander Zis...42 Mashhood Rehman..34 Christopher Campoli
.....10 Ameer Kinani...41 Markiyan Voytsekhovskyy...7 Feris Ammari

Subs:...-- Emmanuel Issac...23 Dante Ferraro...25 Santiago Patarroya...29 Julian Desousa
...32 Marcus Nunes...33 Isaiah Noel...35 Maceo Harrison...38 Bradley Ogbevuon...40 Adel Rahman
team offiials:...team head coach John Yacao...manager Gabriel Pop...equipment manager Rahael Bell
...therapist Loveleen Gaidhu

Game officials:...referee Nivan Raizada...referee's assistants Jason Vaillancourt and Nick Vagenas
...fourth official Ryan Schwenger...(teal socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 9:03pm...Alliance defeneers south end.
1 min...AU Kovacevic cross from right end line has AU Nazemi not quite able to tip in from 5 yards.
2 min...AU Lioutis key header on jump to clear cross into box.
2 min...PS YELLOW card...Gallo earns it for grab and spin around of AU Atchu.
3 min...AU Gardner 25 yard freekick up middle is sent over bar above center of net.
5 min...PS YELLOW card...Difeo earns it for tripping up AU Nirun on run up left.
6 min...Alliance Nirun Sivananthan GOAL...AU Nicola Stakic takes a 30 yard freekick from left into box
and Sivananthan at 8 yards in crowd of players flicks in header to top right corner.
8 min...PS YELLOW card...Rehman earns it for body check injurying AU Nazemi at AU 45 yard line and he needs trainer.
10 min...AU Atchu low cross from right into box has ball cleared by defender.
12 min...PS Campoli can't draw Penalty kick from left end line on push over.
14 min...AU YELLOW card...Monteiro earns it for sliding trip on PS Voytsekhovskyy at AU 35 yard line.
15 min...PS Zis 35 yard freekick from left is between players wide right of net.
16 min...AU YELLOW card...Nazemi earns it for tackle at center line sideline.
17 min...AU goalie dives forward to push cross from right forward PS Difeo away. PS James blasts 22 yard rebound from slight left
is shot wide right.
21 min...PS Kinani blasts 22 yard roller from right just wide left of net.
23 min...PS goalie picks up roller sent in from left end line.
23 min...AU sub...Siegelwachs replaces Nazemi.
24 min...AZ Atchu can't win Penalty kick on right side of box when PS Gallo bumps him over.
27 min...Alliance Atchu Sivannathan GOAL...AU Shon Siegelwachs rush on left sends in cross and Atchu settles
it at 12 yards and blasts low shot that's blocked by a defender but the ball deflects back to him at 8 yards and he shoots
rebound to low open left corner of net as goalie Jared Maloney had slid to the right post on first shot.
28 min...PS Kinani is injured in bump at AU 45 yard line.
30 min...PS player blasts 33 yarder over net and back fence.
32 min...PS Difeo cornerkick from right is out to 22 yards and PS Gallo blasts 25 yarder is blocked at edge of box.
34 min...AU Lioutis makes key clearance in 6 yard box of low cross.
35 min...AU goalie catches cross from PS Ammari from far right on near post.
37 min...PS Voytsekhovskyy can't win Penalty kick when he splits defence on left and is bumped over.
...........PS YELLOW card...head coach Yacao earns it at insistance of fourth official for complaining about calls.
...........AU goalie Ahilan is also injured and needs trainer.
42 min...PS Ammari 22 yard blasts from far right is tipped over net.
43 min...PS Zis cornerkick from left has two PS players fall in box.
44 min...AU goalie dives forward at 2 yards on right post to punch ball out of box.
45 min...AU Gardner makes key clearance on ball sent into 6 yard box on low cross from right.
49 min...PS Ammari cornerkick from right is over players in box. PS Voytsekhovskyy low 18 yard blast from left has goalie
dive forward to bat ball down and defender clears at 5 yards.
49 min...half ends 9:52pm.

Halftime: Both teams subs warm up.

Second Half:...starts 10:09pm.
Halftime sub:...AU sub...Francis replaces Monteiro.
45 min...PS Voytsekhovskyy is injured near cner line.
46 min...PS Difeo race to end line on right and low cross has PS Voytsekhovskyy shoot 7 yarder down center over bar.
49 min...PS player's low cross from left has defender clear from center of box.
50 min...AU Stakic slides to break up 2 on 1 rush preventing shot at 12 yards.
53 min...PS Voytsekhovskyy bends in 40 yard cross from left that goalie catches on bounce at 15 yards in middle ahead
of charging PS Khan.
53 min...PS James 33 yard shot from left has goalie have to palm ball over bar conceding cornerkick.
54 min...PS player's cornerkick from left has goalie punch away.
54 min...AU goalie beats PS Khan to bouncing through ball.
55 min...PS Voytsekhovskyy bblasts 25 yard shot from left high and wide right of net.
55 min...AU sub...Osorio replaces Tesker.
56 min...PS Kovacevic is in alone on breakway down middle and goalie is out to 20 yards to slide and block 22 yard shot.
57 min...The AU goalie ards along left end line to catch a PS deflected shot from 20 yards.
58 min...PS sub...Nunes replaces Rehman.
59 min...AU Kovacevic gets dropped back pass and low 25 yard shot is smothered by goalie.
60 min...AU sub...Amoo replaces Kovacevic.
61 min...PS Ammari blasts 25 yarder from left is high just missing top right corner of net.
63 min...PS player in middle taps pass left to PS Ammari but and AU defender slides to block his shot.
65 min...AU Atchu can't win Penalty kick on fall forward in box on rush.
66 min...AU Stakic chips freekick from just outside top left of box is wide right of net.
66 min...Alliance Atchu Sivananthan GOAL...AU Shon Siegelwachs runs up middle and at 30 yards rolls pass forward
and to right for charging Sivananthan at 15 yard line. He continues and takes 10 yard shot from right that looks like
sliding goalie gets a piece of at 8 yards but ball carries over him into left side of net. The goalie had to keep one eye
on AU Russell Stewart rushing down the middle.
68 min...PS sub...Desousa replaces Campoli.
70 min...Alliance Nirun Sivananthan GOAL...AU Johnson Amoo rush down left and passes past Nirun and
AU Nicholas Osorio shot down middle from 12 yards is saved by diving goalie. Nirun lifts 7 yard rebound shot
over prone goalie into center of open net.
71 min...PS sub...Ogbevuon replaces James.
72 min...PS Nunes high cross from 35 yards near right sideline has defender clear in middle of the box..
72 min...PS YELLOW card...Khan earns it for something.
73 min...AU Siegelwachs 10 yard shot from left is batted down by goalie as AU player was waiting for rebound called offside.
76 min...PS Zis cornerkick from right has PS Kinani on near side flicks 10 yard header wide left of net.
77 min...AU Stakic taps to AU Amoo whose 15 yard low shot up middle is pushed wide by diving goalie and defender clears on right.
79 min...PS Kinani blasts low 18 yarder from left that goalie smothers. AU Stakic is injured on play and needs trainer.
81 min...AU Nirun flicks 12 yard header forward which goalie catches.
84 min...AU Stakic is injured on kick in ankle at AU 50 yard line.
87 min...PS YELLOW card...Desousa earns it for sliding check on AU Stakic. It's the third slide/knock on Stakic
in the last 2 minutes. A dust-up is broken up by the AU coach instructing his players not to react.
89 min...AU Siegelwachs run up middle and hits AU Osorio in back of head.
90 min...PS Ogbevuon blasts 25 yarder from left well high and wide right of net.
91 min...AU Atchu taps ball over to AU Stakic who rolls 15 yarder wide left.
91 min...AU sub...Belele replaces Atchu.
92 min...AU sub...Hamad replaces Gardner.
93 min...PS player's cornerkick from right is over players in box. There are then three more crosses cleared by defenders.
93 min...game ends 10:57pm.

Final Score:......Alliance United.......4...........ProStars........0...........

Attendance was a surprising 200 people. I had arrived about 90 minutes before game time but stayed
in my car in the parking lot as the hard falling rain slowed down and eventually stopped. It never
did restart except for a few drops at different times during the game. I'd expect people realized
the weather had changed and built up from 40 to the 200 number by the end of the first half.
The fourth official ordered instructions to be given that fans couldn't just line up against the fence
as it was too close to the west sideline. The stands were filled but this wasn't even the main field
of Vaughan Grove. Although there was no other activity on any fields tonight, having it on the main
field would have chewed up the grass. This field was artificial turf and drained quite well before
the game started.

Of course another impressive thing was that Alliance United couldn't play at their usual home fields
of Centennial College or Varsity Stadium (both associated with the University of Toronto) because
of School, school, school at this time of year so this game was at the home of Woodbridge Strikers
on I'd expect fairly short notice (last weekend the top seven teams were dueling not only for the six
playoff spots but also for better seedings and the right to host a home date).

I hadn't realized that it was two brothers scoring all of the goals. Nirun is a 1995 and Atchu
is a 1997 and both attend(ed) the University of Toronto. Nirun attended from 2013 to 2017
specializing in Neuropharmacology. Atchu was/is going for Masters of Biomedical Engineering.
Wow, I don't think either would be interested in earning $40K playing in the CPL!

Referee Nivan Raizada took awhile to gain control of this game but Yellow cards at 2, 5, 8, 14,
and 16 minutes finally got the players to play with less fierce challenges although there was still
a lot of rough play. He didn't fall for any of the lame Penalty kick calls shouted by the players
and benches by both teams. Final count on the Yellow was eight (six for ProStars). The L1O website
shows another two to ProStars for players who didn't even get in the game. I was near enough
to both benches to see any card there and I only saw ProStars head coach John Yacao at 37 minutes
get one for dissent after he was pointed out by the fourth official. The two Yellows to their
ProStars central defenders in the first five minutes let Alliance forwards rush up the middle
with more bravery.

AU captain Nikola Stakic had to survive three knockdowns in about 90 seconds at around 87 minutes
until finally a Yellow card was given for a sliding tackle. AU head coach Ilya Orlov was giving
instructions late in the game “No reaction” and “We've got a game on Sunday”. One substitute
was given instructions not to retaliate if he wanted to play in their next game. This was all done
after the fourth goal when the result was out of hand because Alliance traded blow for blow right
from the opening whistle.

I kept hearing instructions “Shaggy get back”, “Shaggy move up”. I know I'd heard that in earlier
games. I asked an Alliance substitute player at halftime. It's a nickname of Alliance cornerback
Jacob Maurutto-Robinson. I thought I'd written earlier that he looked like the cartoon character
because of the goatee. So tonight I asked him after the game. No he has a full beard. He answered
that he's had the nickname since he was 16. Hmm I have a real grainy picture of him on my website
in the starting lineup for Toronto FC Academy in a L1O game in 2016 where he was clean shaven.
Maybe I watched too many cartoons over the years.

Alliance had finished their regular season Saturday night in London winning 4-1 over the last place
team. ProStars finished their season Sunday afternoon in Burlington 4-3 in a nailbiter holding
on at the end after having to play the entire second half at ten men. That win was crucial to grab
the sixth and final playoff spot.

Obviously the ProStars Red carded player couldn't play tonight but the distaste shown by his teammates
for his behaviour has me thinking he won't be back with them next season. Another write-in player
wasn't able to make it but the bench strength AU 20 PS 19 gave each coach enough choices. Just that
goal at 6 minutes gave Alliance a huge advantage and ProStars drawing the first three Yellows also may
have rattled them.

Praveen Ahilan earned the shutout for Alliance with a few key saves. He was protected by his back line
of Jacob Maurutto-Robinson, Kenny Lioutas, Nikola Stakic, and Samuel Gardner.

Former L1O Communications Coordinator Cormac Rea was on the Alliance bench as an assistant coach. He said
he's been working for the University of Toronto's men's and women's team since 2019. The Alliance 2022
roster is made up mostly of U of T alumni and for the youth minutes, players from Wexford SC
and Markham SC youth clubs. The arrangement they have is why the name Alliance United was created
and endured. Back in 2019 Alliance were using a roster heavy on current U of T students but
a mid September L1O playoff game had the school players committed to a school game and a team of teenage
ringers took their place for the L1O fixture. I'm still grateful to Ilya Orlov for tipping me off
so I had time to drive across town in time to see the other L1O semi-final and miss the 5-0 beat down
and eventual 15-0 agregate. This year the relationship from the season's beginning with U of T
is mostly 'alumni'.

So we needed tonight's result to decide both the semi-final match ups because of seeding. It will be # 1
Vaughan Azzurri hosting #5 Simcoe County Rovers on Saturday night at 7:00pm at their home of North Maple
Regional Park and #2 Blue Devils FC hosting #3 Alliance United on Sunday at 4:00pm at Bronte Park
in Oakville. Their usual home at Sheridan College is likely unavailable just like Alliance's was tonight.
School, school, school!

I was guessing the time and dates of these matches until tonight so any build-up is on short notice.
Only certainty is the final will be held Saturday September 3 at what I'm expecting will be
the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan (the date was actually announced by the league but the venue
and time have not). The Final in past years has always been played at the OSC.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Alliance United starters