August 28, 2022 League1 Ontario semi-final...Blue Devils FC vs Alliance United game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Results and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game of Sunday August 28, 2022 between
Blue Devils FC and Alliance United played at Bronte Athletic Field in Oakville at 4:00pm. This was a one game
semi final playoff with the winner advancing to the final next Saturday.

Blue Devils FC (all navy uniforms, white numbers)

.......................1 Lucas Birnstingl (cpt)
12 Mario McLennon...5 Shaq Lowe...6 Adam Czerkawski...3 Luka Frankovich
17 Brandon Duarte...23 Kyle Porter...20 Gianluca Spadafora...16 Khody Ellis
.................9 Taha Ilyass...7 Matthew Santos

Subs:...27 Tomas Markovic (gk)...2 Michael Krzeminski...4 Patrick Perriel...10 David Velastegui
...11 Navid Rahman...18 Dre Neptune...19 Matheus Mello...22 Marcus Riviere...24 Kyle Darcheville
team officials:...team head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coach Billy Steele and Glenn McNamara
manager Kim Ashton...therapist Daniel Dalla Rosa

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

........................1 Praveen Ahilan
..........20 Jacob Maurutto-Robinson...2 Kenny Lioutas...5 Samuel Gardner
4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...10 Artem Tesker...13 Farrell Francis...19 Koosha Nazemi
..........17 Atchu Sivananthan...11 Johnson Amoo...7 Nirun Sivananthan

Subs:...30 Robert Ursu (gk)...3 Kalvin Alphonsus...6 Victor Romig...8 Nicholas Osorio
...9 Anthony Sousa...12 Darren Gertiesingh...14 Ahrvin Raveendran...15 Kingsley Belele...16 Shon Siegelwachs
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coaches Cormac Rea and Eric Nelson
...equipment manager Goran Stakic...therapists Daniel Dalla Rosa, Emely Zuniga, and Michael Silvestri

First Half:...starts 4:04pm...Blue Devils defend south side. There's a bright sun in the west in the fans eyes. It is extremely hot.
2 min...BD Ellis rescues ball on left end line and rolls cross that VD Porter shoots 25 yarder down middle well over net.
3 min...BD Porter corcnerkickc from left has defender clear in box.
4 min...BD goalie up to edge of box to beat AU Atchu to bouncer.
5 min...BD Ilyass bends 25 yarder wide right of net.
6 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from right is whistled down as two defenders are pushed over.
8 min...Alliance Artem Tesker GOAL...AU Atchu Sivananthan at 20 yard line on right even with side of 18 yard box rolls
centering pass to charging Tesker who shoots low 15 yarder from 12 yard line that sprawling goalie Lucas Birnstingl
gets piece of on near post but pushes into right corner of net.
9 min...BD Ellis bends 35 yard shot from left that bounces to goalie.
10 min...BD Santos blasts 25 yarder from far right that goalie bats away on near post.
12 min...BD Ellis at 12 yards on left rolls cetnering pass to BD Santos who shoots 20 yarder over net.
14 min...BD Frankovich pushes over AU Atchu for freekick.
14 min...AU Stakic freekick from near right cornerflag has BD Lowe pops up header over end line on left.
.........There are about four cornerkicks in two minutes.
15 min...AU Nirun knocks ball from left forward but AU Atchu falls over and wins cornerkick.
16 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from right is low and BD players have quick breakout.
18 min...Blue Devils Matthew Santos GOAL...Santos rolls pass forward to BD Taha Ilyass whose back is to goal
and is guarded by defender at 20 yard line. Ilyass taps ball to Santos running to center of box and he rolls screen shot
from 20 yards from center into right corner of net beyond diving goalie Praveen Ahilan.
20 min...AU Stakic taps 25 yard freekick to AU Gardner who blasts 25 yarder up middle that goalie catches in center of net.
21 min...BD Ellis short pass to BD Duarte whose low 18 yard shot from left is saved on right by diving goalie.
22 min...BD Santos chips 25 yard shot fro right is just wide left of post.
26 min...BD Porter cornerkick from left is kicked around in box after clearance on near post.
27 min...BD Porter cornerkick from left has goalie catch on near post in crowd of players.
28 min...AU YELLOW card...Nirun earns it for sliding tacakle on prone BD player at BD 22 yard line injurying him.
...........A water break is called when the injury is incurred. No trainer is needed.
30 min...play resumes.
31 min...AU goalie smothers 20 yard shot after BD pressure on two chances.
33 min...AU Maurutto-Robinson long throw-in from right cornerflag is cleared but BD Duarte is injured when two players
squash in at 20 yards line.
34 min...Blue Devils Khody Ellis GOAL...BD Mario McLennon chips ball from 35 yards and Ellis pops header
from 12 yards on left over charging goalie into now empty center of net on bounce.
36 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from left has AU player at 25 yards chips into box and two AU players miss headers
and goalie catches ball on right post.
37 min...BD player's 18 yard roller from right is between players wide left of net.
39 min...AU Tesker eludes defenders on run from right to center but he rolls 30 yarder to goalie.
40 min...BD Porter cornerkick from right has defender on near post head away.
41 min...AU Nazemi is injured in center circle and needs trainer for head injury.
43 min...BD Frankovich beats two defenders cutting in from left and low cross has defeneder clear in 6 yard box.
46 min...BD Frankovich cross around defender near left end line has BD Santos at 5 yards spin and shot to right side has goalie
flying backwards swat ball to right wide of post.
47 min...half ends 4:51pm.

Halftime: The subs warm up for Alliance then the starters come back to bench for a team talk. All the Blue Devils return
to the dressing room until halftime is half over then the subs come out to warm up.

Second Half:...starts 5:06pm although the scoreboard clock is not initially started but is jumped forward a few minutes later.
Halftime sub:...AU Siegelwachs replaces Nazemi.
47 min...The fourth official takes a deflected ball in the head. Ouch!
48 min...BD Santos passes to BD Ilyass who gets low 18 yard shot that flying goalie dives to bat away.
49 min...BD Czerkawski is injured on edge of AU 18 yard box and needs trainer.
50 min...BD goalie catches a popped up header.
51 min...AU Gardner 40 yard through ball pass on left sent over end line.
53 min...BD Santos 70 yard ball from right has goalie beats BD player to through ball.
54 min...BD Santos 25 yard blast tips wide right of post.
54 min...BD Porter cornerkickc from right has BD Ilyass pop 10 yard header well over net.
56 min...AU Atchu 35 yard cross from right bounces to goalie.
57 min...AU sub...Osorio replaces Amoo.
58 min...BD sub...Neptune replaces Czerkawski.
61 min...AU Gardner 60 yard cross from left has goalie beat AU Atchu to catch on right side of box.
61 min...BD Ilyass low 30 yard shot from left is caught by goalie on near post.
65 min...AU Stakic 45 yard freekick from right has ball bounce but AU Gardner can't get away shot at 7 yards in box. BD players
have a fast break out.
67 min...Alliance Samuel Gardner GOAL...Alliance Nikola Stakic takes high cornerkick from left and AU Kenny Lioutas
on right side of 6 yard box heads ball over goalie on near post along 3 yard line and Gardner heads 3 yarder in center
of box over defender BD Luka Frankovic into top left corner of net.
68 min...BD Santos cross from 30 yard line on right has defender fly forward to head away at 20 yards in middle.
70 min...BD Ilyass short pass forward has charging goalie beat BD Ellis to ball just inside box on left.
70 min...AU player's long throw-in from right end line has goalie catch in crowd of players.
71 min...Blue Devils Taya Ilyass GOAL...BD Dre Neptune cross from 25 yard line near sideline on left has Ilyass leap
between three defenders and knee 5 yarder from right past goalie falling backwards on near post and ball bounces
into left side of net.
..........AU YELLOW card...Osorio earns it for dissent about the goal. (I thought it was to Stakic but the L1O website listed otherwise).
72 min...A water break is called.
75 min...game resumes.
75 min...BD sub...Velastegui replaces Spadafora.
76 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from left has BD goalie catch over head of AU Atchu. BD Velastegui is injured on play.
77 min...BD YELLOW card...Valastegui earns it for delay taking throw-in by stalling then letting teammate take it.
78 min...AU gaolie catches cross from left in crowd of players.
79 min...BD Velastegui 30 yard cross from left is caught by goalie on bounce on right side of box.
80 min...BD MacLennon and AU Nirun are both injured on collision at BD 35 yard line. Both need trainer. Players take
a non-scheduled water break.
82 min...AU sub...Sousa replaces injured Nirun.
85 min...AU Sousa cross from 15 yarder on right has no one in box to make play.
86 min...BD sub...Mello replaces Ellis.
86 min...AU Stakic 50 yard freekick from right is over players on left and bounces for throw-in.
87 min...AU YELLOW card...Tesker earns it for extra bump on BD player after whistle.
88 min...AU sub...Belele replaces Maurutto-Robinson.
89 min...BD Santos can't win Penalty kick on check on left side of box.
90 min...AU Belele cross into box from left is cleared.
91 min...BD YELLOW card...Duarte earns it for bump on AU Osorio after whistle.
92 min...AU Stakic 30 yard freekick from left has AU player tip header wide right in crowd of players at 5 yards on right side of box.
93 min...AU YELLOW card...Francis earns it for trip on BD Velastegui at BD 47 yard line.
95 min...AU Siegelwachs long throw-in from left has defender on left side of box head away.
95 min...game ends 5:56pm.

Final Score:....Blue Devils FC........3........Alliance United......2.........

Attendance eventually climbed to 200 by the end of the first half. Parking is at a premium at Bronte Park
as a kids baseball game was going on in the diamond beside the football field. I got here early
and had a choice and turned down a spot near the outfield fence, oops home run, broken windshield,
but shouldn't have feared because the boys playing looked all under the age of 12. There's more parking
I've used in previous years about 500 yards away.

The weather was very hot and humid with a blinding sun in the west. A water break was scheduled in each
half with players asking “when” halfway through the half but referee Scott Bowman calling them
almost 30 minutes into each half with them working out naturally for an injury in the first half then
right after what turned out to be the winning goal. At halftime, some of the fans had drifted over
to the west side of the field and the north end zone where there are no stands but plenty of shade.
Those trees were needed as they saved about half the balls that flew over the fence from actually leaving
the field.

A 4:00pm start is the usual time for Blue Devils home games but they were hopefully expecting they would
be able to play at the field at Sheridan College but much the same way Alliance found out in their
quarterfinal match on Thursday night when they could play at neither Centennial College nor Varsity Stadium
because of school, school, school, Blue Devils got the same answer. Soccer purists won't like Bronte
for its painted-on football lines so Sheridan would be more popular with those watching on YouTube.
It makes it easier for me to measure how far away a shot is taken because half the geometry is already
measured.

This game had lots of close checking and injuries. The therapists for each team and specialist
Antonio Petrolo were kept busy. Worst ones were at 80 minutes when BD Mario McLennon
and AU Nirun Sivantanthan crashed together and both needed trainers. Nirun needed to be subbed out.
BD Adam Czerkawki was injured at 49 minutes and needed the trainer but played on until 58 minutes.
After the game he had his arm in a sling. That could be important for him playing in the final.

Referee Scott Bowman who also officiates CPL games gave out six Yellows (two to Blue Devils) that I counted.
Peel off one each for AU dissent and BD timewasting and the rest were for rough play. He properly ignored
calls from each bench of “handball” for every contact above the knee cap but did call a lot of freekicks
because of the close checks.

Missing from the Alliance lineup that played in their quarterfinal on Thursday were winger Matthew Montiero
and forward Dusan Kovacevic. A Pierce Lang article read that they had signed from Blue Devils earlier
this season and were under a non-complete contract. Just under three full days since their last game
may have taken some steam out of Alliance.

No time to rest for Alliance head coach Ilya Orlov because tomorrow he has a University of Toronto team
practice to conduct.

So the Final teams, location, and time has been settled. Vaughan Azzurri vs Blue Devils FC on Saturday
September 3 at Ontario Soccer Centre at 1:00pm in Vaughan (not the home field of the Azzurri).

The six team playoff system worked to the higher seeded team in that the quarterfinals between the lower
four teams midweek gave an advantage to the two teams earning a bye to the semi-final because each
on a full week's rest won their one game to earn a spot to the final. I had not expected the league
to have staggered scheduling to allow fans to attend every playoff game but it worked out for me.

Last year Blue Devils beat Vaughan at the semi-final stage then lost to Guelph United in the Final.
This year one of those teams will be the winner.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Blue Devils starters