October 3, 2023...Analysis: Attitude, Spirit, Determination on Show as Nine Stripes Take Control of their Destiny (from York United FC site)

October 3, 2023...Analysis: Attitude, Spirit, Determination on Show as Nine Stripes Take Control of their Destiny
(from York United FC site)

ANALYSIS: ATTITUDE, SPIRIT, DETERMINATION ON SHOW AS NINE STRIPES TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR DESTINY

There's one game left in the regular season and The Nine Stripes know another win will confirm their place in the playoffs.

THE DETAILS

KEVIN THE SAVIOUR

Kevin dos Santos climbed off the bench on 65 minutes and then scored an 88th minute match-winner which could be the most important goal for The Nine Stripes this season. The 23-year-old has improved to six goals and is now tied with Mo Babouli as the club’s joint top scorer. He was named Gatorade Player of the Match for his game-changing effect and talked through that late moment of magic.

"As soon as I saw Mo [Babouli] I made that run inside," he revealed in his post-game chat with the press.

"I was asking for that ball in the pocket and then Jeremy [Gagnon-Lapare] touched it. I think that was a good touch. I think if he didn't touch it, I wasn't going to get there. I tried doing a nutmeg in training yesterday and it didn’t work so luckily it worked today and yeah, I just wanted to get that shot away and it worked so I’m happy for that," he said.

"We have to go into the next game and win just to clarify. Otherwise we'll be watching TV [to know] what's going on with the other teams. But we're just focused on ourselves. We go into the game and win: it's that simple. And then playoffs come."

CAPITAL REIGN

In this season's series, York United wins the provincial derby with a 3-1-0 record. The Nine Stripes won the first fixture 1-0 at TD Place in April then followed up with a 2-1 home win in June. The third instalment was played in August and it ended in an explosive 3-3 draw in the capital. The Gaffer tried to explain why his side had the upper hands over their rivals.

"This league is a funny league in a lot of ways because the parity is so close and some matchups are better than others for certain reasons," Nash said in his post-match conference.

"We matched up well this year with both Ottawa and Halifax - two teams we're fighting with and they're all close games - except the first one maybe in Halifax - and quality teams. Sometimes matchups work in your favour and sometimes they don't. We've had the better performances against them this year and we've been able to take 10 points out of 12 so that's great and but now we've got to turn to a Vancouver - a different beast - and try and tackle them."

REVIVAL SUNDAY

Sunday’s slim 1-0 was fully deserved as The Nine Stripes did more than enough statistically to secure that all-important win. Martin Nash’s side dominated in all areas. York United had total shots of 13 compared to the eight by the visitors. For shots on target, it was 8v6. The 62% ball possession for York United meant it was a lopsided affair. The pass accuracy for the home side was 88% while Atleti had 74%

A delighted Nash said: "Today, I thought the performance was good. I thought we controlled possession quite well. We managed their counter-attack quite well. There were a few moments in the first half but in the second half we did a better job in managing their counter. They're not an easy team to break down."

"We had a couple of good chances, like Austin [Ricci] getting in there at the end. But it was nice to get that goal. Then trying to see it out against a team that does have the ability to change on a dime and they can be very dangerous in attack...I’m proud of the performance the guys put in - they had to. [They had] backs against the wall a little bit and it's all to play for next weekend."

THAT SAVE OF THE MATCH

We can talk about the York United esprit de corps and that late Kevin Santos brilliance which secured the all-important victory but that crucial first-half save from Niko Giantsopoulos is what might have won the match. The captain was quick off his line to block Zachary Verhoven’s goal-bound shot from inside the box on 33 minutes, spreading himself superbly to make a huge block. In all, Niko made six saves and Kevin dos Santos highlighted the importance of having Giantsopoulos between the sticks.

He said: "It's amazing because he [Niko] keeps us in the game. If Niko doesn't make those saves and then we've got to fight again, score a goal...I have to mention Niko because when Niko is not there, you can see. It's big saves, important saves."

Ridwan Ibrahim Asante

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