October 2, 2011 CSL--North York Astros vs Mississauga Eagles FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday October 2, 2011 CSL game between North York Astros and Mississauga Eagles FC played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 4:30pm.

North York Astros (orange socks and shorts, black shirts, white numbers)

....................1 Enea Perego
3 John Jung...14 Kurt Ramsey (cpt)...6 Diego Benzi...17 Steven Craig
8 Kunle Fayehun...5 Michael Tischer...2 Anthony Valentine...18 Maxim Dorneval
.............16 Rei Ishikawa...15 Diego Maradona

Subs:...20 Norbert Bengyel (gk)...4 Boiken Shehu (def)...9 Damon Naghavi (fwd)...11 Raoof Zamanitar (mid)...12 Vladyslav Vasylyev (fwd) ...13 Joseph Matti (mid)
team officials:...coach Gerardo Lezcano...assistant coaches Gabriel Lezcano and Gerardo Lezcano Sr...sports director Jorge Collazo ...general manager Bruno Ierullo

Mississauga Eagles FC (green socks, shorts and numbers, white shirts)

....................12 Melford James Jr
........17 Mohammed Habibzi...13 Antoine Paul...26 Kwesi Klass
16 Shaun MacDonald (cpt)...4 Ivan Juric...10 Damian Scott...23 Jose Melo (cpt)...7 Matthew Macri
..............9 Shawn Brown...14 Tristan Watson

Subs:...2 Darragh Roe (mid)...3 Tristan Scott (mid)...5 Thierry Mangwa-Batomen (def)...11 Omar Nakeeb (fwd)...15 Gregoire Akcelrod (mid) ...19 Brandon Wellington (def)
team officials:...coach Tony Costa...goalkeeping coach Richard Machado...physio Peter Kim

Game officials:...referee Steve De Piero...referee's assistants Michael Gallo and Alexis Vaughan...fourth official Marc Henoud ...(neon red shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 4:38pm...Astros defend east end on this cold and windy late afternoon.
1 min...MEFC Klass 30 yard shot from left is wide left of net.
10 min...MEFC Watson is injured at Astros 5 yard line.
13 min...MEFC Juric on right end line taps ball back but Astros clear.
14 min...Astros Ramsey cross from 20 yards on right end line hits top of bar and pops up for goalie to catch.
21 min...MEFC Brown cross from 20 yards on far right bounces to goalie.
22 min...MEFC Damian Scott low 25 yard shot up middle is smothered by goalie.
24 min...Astros Ishikawa 30 yard shot down middle is just over bar.
29 min...MEFC Klass cross from 22 yards near left end line has MEFC Damion Scott head 6 yarder over net.
30 min...MEFC Klass 45 yard freekick has defender block ball at 12 yards and clear.
31 min...Astros Dorneval blasts 35 yarder from left over net.
33 min...MEFC Damion Scott has ball fall to him at 15 yards and blasts low shot that has falling Astros Benzi block it at 7 yards.
36 min...MEFC Melo 45 yard freekick from right has defender pop up header and goalie catches behind end line.
36 min...MEFC Macri cornerkick from left has Astros Ramsey head ball away in box.
40 min...MEFC Damion Scott spins at 15 yards in and has defender block shot.
41 min...MEFC Watson taps over to MEFC Damian Scott who blasts from 15 yards up middle and flying goalie pushes ball wide right.
42 min...MEFC Brown cornerkick from right has MEFC Melo head ball wide right from 4 yards in crowd of players.
43 min...MEFC Klass cross from near left cornerflag is over box.
44 min...Astros Ramsey bends in 30 yard cross from right and Astros Fayehun blasts partial headed clearance wide left from 22 yards on one touch.
47 min...half ends 5:25pm.

2nd Half:...starts 5:39pm.
halftime sub...MEFC Nakeeb replaces someone.
46 min...MEFC Macri is injured at Astros 30 yards.
48 min...MEFC player chips 18 yard shoot that bounces to goalie.
48 min...MEFC Brown cross from 25 yards on left has MEFC Melo scissor kick from 10 yards over net.
50 min...Astros Maradona 30 yard freekick down middle has goalie catch when ball dips.
52 min...MEFC Nakeeb cross from 25 yards near end line is behind net.
53 min...MEFC Brown cornerkick freom left has MEFC Paul head ball low and defender blocks ball at 2 yards.
53 min...MEFC Nakeeb whiffs ball midair from 5 yards on crossed in pass from left.
54 min...MEFC Macri 25 yard cross has goalie fumble ball wide right for cornerkick.
59 min...MEFC Macri rush to ball on right and stops. This action has defender catch him and rolls pass that's intercepted by defenders.
62 min...Astros Tischer injured at Astros 50 yard line but MEFC players play-on and MEFC Juric pushes ball behind end line on rush.
63 min...Astros Maradona injured at Astros 50 yard sideline.
64 min...Astros Benzi 60 yard freekick from left has Astros Fayehun stop, tip, and blast 18 yard shot over bar.
65 min...Astros Ramsey 18 yard shot on right is over bar.
65 min...MEFC Melo 20 yard shot is blocked by defender.
66 min...MEFC sub...Roe replaces Damion Scott.
.........MEFC sub...Wellington replaces Brown.
68 min...Astros Benzi dribbles out of own box to beat two MEFC players.
69 min...MEFC Ishikawa cross from 25 yards onright has Astros Fayehun pop up header and goalie punch ball forward.
70 min...MEFC sub...Tristan Scott replaces Macri.
72 min...MEFC Tristan Scott 25 yard cross from right is high and MEFC Roe on 5 yards on left head ball wide left of net.
73 min...Astros Fayehun 20 yard blast down middle has flying goalie block.
75 min...MEFC Melo cornerkick from left has goalie on right corner swat through box for cornerkick.
76 min...MEFC Ishikawa cornerkick from right has MEFC Valentine head ball from 7 yards that flying goalie stops.
77 min...MEFC player crosses from 25 yards near right end line finds MEFC Roe offside.
78 min...MEFC Melo turns and blasts 12 yarder that defender blocks at 6 yards.
79 min...MEFC MacDonald cornerkick from right has Astros Dorneval duck and heads ball away near right post.
80 min...MEFC MacDonald cornerkick from right has MEFC Habibizi in crowd in box has shot blocked.
81 min...MEFC Jose Melo GOAL...MEFC Tristan Scott cornerkick from left has Melo in crowd of players fly over and head in ball from 6 yards.
82 min...MEFC Tristan Scott high cornerkick from left is over players in box.
84 min...MEFC Nakeeb on rush on right taps ball back to MEFC Roe who shoots and...(see below)
85 min...MEFC Shaun MacDonald GOAL...MEFC Darragh Roe on left at 15 yards from left post passes ball through only defender to MacDonald in open who kicks 10 yarder up middle into the top left corner of net past goal Enea Perego.
87 min...Astros Diego Maradona GOAL...Maradona rushes on right and eludes flying goalie Melford James Jr (looked like he was trying the wrestling move 'high cross body') at 18 yards and takes a 12 yard shot from far right into left side of open net.
89 min...Astros Benzi 60 yard freekick from left has Astros rescue on right end line and shot.
91 min...MEFC Nakeeb heads 5 yarder on right post wide right getting cross from left.
92 min...MEFC YELLOW card...MacDonald earns it for time wasting.
92:47 min...game ends 6:26pm.

Final Score:......North York Astros...........1............Mississauga Eagles FC.........2...........

Today's attendance was only about 20 (and more than half were Eagles fans) on this cold, overcast day. There had been rain most of the morning and early afternoon.

Astros played a good game until 75 minutes when Eagles kept the ball in the Astros end and drew cornerkicks one after another as the Astros were hanging on at the end. Eagles finally broke through and to score on their third cornerkick within two minutes and their second goal was scored when Astros opened up and Eagles ended up with two players in the Astros box with only one defender and the goalie to beat.

York Region Shooters goalie Camilo Benzi was here watching his younger brother Diego Benzi play defence for the Astros. He said the Astros usually tire at the end of games. I'd pre-called they'd not hang on for the tie and would be scored on at 85 minutes. That turned out to be the second goal against them so I suppose we were both right.

Referee Steve DePiero kept his cards in his pocket for this game which always had enough defenders back to break up or block most attackers rushes. He was busier before the game started in making sure someone was called in from the grounds crew to fix the holes in each net.

Best non-scoring chances were at 29 minutes (actually first dangerous opportunity of the game) when MEFC Kwesi Klass crossed from 22 yards near the left end line and MEFC Damion Scott headed a 6 yarder over the net. 41 minutes had MEFC Tristan Watson tap over a pass to Scott who blasted from 15 yards up the middle and the flying goalie was able to push wide right. MEFC Shawn Brown took the resulting cornerkick and had MEFC Joey Melo in a crowd of players head from 4 yards wide right of the post. 48 minutes had Brown cross from 25 yards on the left and Melo send a shot over the net on a 10 yard scissor kick. 53 minutes had Brown take a cornerkick from the left had MEFC Antoine Paul head the ball low and a defender blocked at 2 yards. 64 minutes had Astros Diego Benzi take a 60 yard freekick from the left that had Astros Kunle Fayehun stop the ball, tip it up and blast an 18 yard shot just over the bar. 73 minutes Fayehun take a 20 yard blast down the middle that the flying goalie blocked. 75 minutes had Melo take a cornerkick from the left had the goalie on the right corner swat the ball through the box. MEFC Shaun MacDonald's resulting cornerkick from the right had MEFC Darragh Roe head from 7 yards that the flying goalie stopped. 78 minutes had Melo turn and blast a 12 yarder that the defender blocked at 6 yards. Then the goals! 91 minutes had MEFC Omar Nakeeb get a cross from the left and head a 5 yarder on the right post wide right.

I hadn't planned on coming to this game until the afternoon when I saw it was still raining and figured I'd find no shelter at the Brampton City United vs St Catharines Wolves game. Esther Shiner Stadium has a small press box so I can keep my notes dry. I also thought someone from City of Brampton would ensure the game was not played so their field would not get stomped up! Right that happened early in the day. Ironically the game was moved to Hershey Field in nearby Mississauga which is the home grounds of MEFC.

MEFC had beaten Astros 4-0 on Friday night in Mississauga on Friday night in a quirk in the schedule that had them meet on what was to be each team's last games. Eagles finish their season with a 13-10-3 record and pull into seventh place. They are tied with York Region Shooters at 42 points but are ahead because they have one more win than the Shooters. Shooters have one more game to play so could pass the Eagles by midweek. Astros have one make-up game against TFC Academy. Their current record is 0-19-6. That gives them one more chance to pick up their first victory this season.

Two game playoffs of quarterfinal teams start next weekend. TFC Academy (who will not make the playoffs) has three games still to play but those games are conveniently against non-playoff teams so they can be played over the next few weeks. Stefan Vukovic was in a tie for the scoring title with 17 goals although I heard he scored today but the injured Richard West has one regular season game for Brampton City United and may still catch him. TFCA finishing their schedule also gives fans in Windsor and London a chance to see the Academy. I believe TFCA will put the two recruits from the Windsor area in their lineup even if they normally play in the CSL Reserves league as good publicity--'Kids, this could be you!'.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Astros starters