September 12, 2021...League1 Ontario Men's Premier--Woodbridge Strikers vs Masters FA Saints game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday September 12, 2021 League1 Ontario Men's Premier League game between
Woodbridge Strikers and Masters FA Saints played at Vaughan Grove in Maple at 6:00pm.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue uniforms, white numbers)

..........................76 Alexander Pothemont
26 Francio Henry...6 Joshua Parades...5 Raphael Owusu...15 Mohamed El-Sabahy
7 Aziah Reid...3 Tristan Gayle...8 Franco Guiliano...20 Exxose Kadiebue
................11 Dante Pavan...10 Ignazio Muccilli

Subs:...1 Matthew Lozada (gk)...9 Abdou Raouf Mohammed...16 Amron Asaad...19 Shaiem Blair
...21 Jacob Rodriguez...22 Santino De Bartolo...23 Gianpiero Pellicano...24 Zion Richards
team officials:...team head coach Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coach Michael Aquino
...managers Hayley Green and John Scarlato...therapist David Lisi

Masters FA (white socks, shorts, and numbers, black shirts)

.........................1 Spiridon Koskinas
.......2 Anthony Wright...6 Eddy Dabire (cpt)...5 Michael Fayehun
9 Shaquille Agard...90 Misse Miyenga Randy Durand...8 Samer Hamade...15 Atif Ali
......13 Terrell Spencer...18 Reshon Philips...19 Matthew Morris

Subs:...00 Tayjon Campbell (gk)...7 Francis Ameyaw...11 Osman Hussein...12 Stefan Nikolic
...13 Terrell Spencer...16 Jayden Meikle...20 Alex Lewis
suspended player: Triston Frankson
team officials:...team head coach Rick Titus...assistant coach Devon Porter
...manager Hubert Groves and Solange Lionel-Lewis

Game officials:...referee Filip Dujic...referee's assistants Ryan Shwenger and Nick Vagenas
...fourth official Brian Butler...(pink shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 6:07pm...Woodbridge defends south end on this overcast evening with storm clouds above.
1 min...W Pavan low 25 yard shot between players is wide right of net.
3 min...Masters Durand 35 yard shot down middle is wide right of net.
4 min...W Reid runs to right end line and cross drifts behind net.
5 min...Masters Morris leading rush pushes ball over end line.
6 min...W Henry pokes ball away from Masters Philips preventing 20 yard shot on long run down middle.
7 min...W Reid with ball on right side of box turns and taps to W Muccilli who shoots low 15 yarder that flying goalie
stops at 3 yards.
9 min...Masters Spencer rush up right and low cross has defender clear in 6 yard box.
9 min...Masters Philips 10 yard shot around defender up middle but is wide left of net.
12 min...W Kadiebue cuts between defenders and 15 yard shot is blocked. A W player and Masters Agard are injured in the box.
Agard had it worse with a head injury and needed the trainer.
13 min...Masters Dabire makes flying header to clear cross from right into Masters box. The Masters goalie picks up a deflected
clearance from 15 yards.
14 min...W Reid shoots 15 yard roller from left that's smothered by diving goalie.
15 min...W Owusu pokes 15 yard shot in crowd of players wide right of net.
18 min...W YELLOW card...Reid earns it for tackle on Masters Durand injurying him at Masters 25 yard line.
19 min...Masters goalie catches 25 yard shot under bar sent in by W Kadiebue down middle.
21 min...W Muccilli 15 yard low shot from left deflects off defender at 12 yards and goalie dives to save on left post.
23 min...Masters Agard threads through ball pass up middle. Masters Spencer rolls 15 yard shot wide left under defender's pressure.
Hey the scoreboard is working and it's a 'count up' clock!
26 min...W El-Sabahy low 30 yard roller up middle between defenders is picked up by goalie.
28 min...Masters Agard is injured in center circle.
29 min...Masters sub...Ameyaw replaces Hamade.
29 min...W Kadiebue blasts low 28 yarder from right well wide left of net.
30 min...Masters Spencer low through ball pass has Masters Ameyaw stick out foot at 12 yards but he can't redirect ball.
30 min...Masters Philips low 15 yard shot from left rolls to diving goalie.
32 min...W Muccilli rolls cross from left sideline and W Giuliano blasts 25 yarder up middle well over net.
33 min...Masters Ameyah can't win Penalty kick when tripped turning away on right side of box.
34 min...W Parades 12 yard shot is crowd of players is blocked. W Giuliano 12 yard shot in crowd of players in middle is batted
down by goalie and picked up.
34 min...Masters Agard 15 yard roller on run up left and goalie smothers on dive.
35 min...Masters YELLOW card...Agard earns it for hard tackle on W El-Sabahy at W 30 yard line injurying him and he needs trainer.
39 min...W Reid has 12 yard shot is blocked up middle by sliding defender.
40 min...W Kadiebue eludes defender on left but 18 yard shot is picked up by goalie on left post.
41 min...Masters Meikle replaces Durand.
42 min...Masters Morris beats defender on left and cutting toward net shoots 20 yard roller that sliding goalie stops but is injured.
43 min...Masters Ameyaw touches back pass in middle. Masters Spencer blasts 25 yarder down middle well over net and back fence.
44 min...W Kadiebue eludes defender and recovers from check to shoot 22 yarder up middle well over net.
47 min...W El-Sabahy taps pass on left forward and W Pavan blasts 10 yard shot from left well over net.
48 min...Woodbridge Dante Pavan GOAL...WS Ignazio Muccilli at 30 yard line in middle rolls pass
forward and Pavan between defenders on slight right shoots low 15 yarder into left corner of net beyond
diving goalie Spiridon Koskinas.
48 min...The half ends at 6:55pm with no time after goal for restart.

Halftime: The players stay out at their benches as the dressing rooms are about 300 yards away.

Second Half:...starts 7:06pm.
46 min...W Pavan 35 yard freekick up middle is low and rolls for goalie to smother.
47 min...MFA Francis Ameyaw wins Penalty kick when tripped just inside box after run in which he was turning away
from goal.
48 min...Masters Shaquille Agard GOAL...Agard rolls Penalty kick down middle as goalie Alexander Pothemont dived left.
49 min...W Muccilli on run up left shoots low 18 yard that rolls just right of post.
50 min...Masters Spencer then Masters Wright make key clearance header to clear crosses.
51 min...Masters goalie stops low 25 yard shot up middle.
51 min...Masters Fayehun after rush up right takes low 20 yard shot is stopped by diving goalie.
53 min...Masters Spencer on 2 on 2 rush on right shoots low 20 yarder wide left of post.
55 min...Masters Francis Ameyaw GOAL...MFA Reshon Philips passes from center line to charging Ameyaw who takes
a few steps and shoots low 12 yarder on right into left corner of net.
56 min...Masters Philips can't win call when pulled from behind just outside box.
57 min...W Pavan bends 22 yard freekick from left is high and wide left of top corner. W Giuliano charging into box
for header on left post.
58 min...W Kadiebue leaps to head cross from left over bar from 10 yards.
59 min...Woodbridge Raphael Owusu GOAL...WS Ignazio Muccilli 25 yard freekick from slight right has charging Owusu
head 7 yarder from left into right side of net over goalie.
61 min...Masters Terrell Spencer GOAL...MFA Reshon Philips in middle at 25 yards rolls pass to Spencer who blasts 18 yard
roller from right into left side of net.
62 min...W sub...Roauf Mohammed replaces Pavan.
63 min...Masters Morris has goalie make point blank save at 6 yards and Morris rounds fallen goalie and 4 yard shot from left
is saved by sliding W Henry who blocks shot and is injured on play. Masters are awarded cornerkick.
65 min...W sub...Blair replaces injured Henry.
65 min...Masters YELLOW card...Dabire earns it for tackle at W 35 yard line.
66 min...Woodbridge RED card...Aziah Reid earns his second Yellow card on a delayed call from referee Filip Dujic for tripping
MFA Reshon Philips at 30 yard line who was breaking up middle.
67 min...Masters Spencer blasts 30 yard freekick up middle is into player wall.
68 min...Masters Reshon Philips GOAL...MFA Terrell Spencer after run sends low cross from 25 yards along right end line
and flying Philips at 10 yards in middle heads ball into right side of net.
69 min...Masters Reshon Philips GOAL...Philips is sent pass up middle and breaks in from 50 yard line. He takes low shot
from 20 yards that goalie gets piece of at 15 yards but ball deflects into net.
70 min...Masters sub...Masters switches goalies as Campbell replaces Koskinas.
72 min...W sub...Asaad replaces Parades.
..........Masters sub...Nikolic replaces Morris.
72 min...W Muccilli two crosses from cornerkick and both are cleared by headers.
73 min...Masters Spencer run on left and low cross from 20 yards along end line has goalie dive forward to smother.
74 min...Masters sub...Lewis replaces Philips.
78 min...A light rain starts but soon stops.
78 min...Masters Ameyaw is tripped up on breakaway but referee allows play on as Masters players continues on left wing.
79 min...W sub...De Bartolo replaces Muccilli.
.........W sub...Richards replaces Kadiebue.
.........W sub...Pellicano replaces El-Sabahy.
82 min...W Pelicano and Giuliano tap around freekick on left edge of box and shot is deflected off head in box for cornerkick.
83 min...W player's cornerkick from left is cleared from center of box.
83 min...Masters Asaad is bumped off ball in box but wins cornerkick on right.
84 min...Masters Spnecer cornerkick from right is cleared back to him and he recrosses to left post where Masters players
can't control it.
88 min...W Giuliano has shot blocked on left side of box then pokes ball recovered from 10 yards that goalie picks up.
88 min...W Gayle is injured in own box with leg injury and needs trainer.
92 min...game ends 7:53pm.

Final Score:....Woodbridge Strikers.......2........Masters FA.........5..........

Attendance picked up as the game wore on to about 100. Rain had been predicted to start hours
earlier but the first drops didn't start until 78 minutes and didn't start getting harder until
well after the game was over. Masters fans made up at least 30% of the crowd.

This game had a lot of hard tackles and the trainers were called out a few times for injuries.

Masters head coach Rick Titus had criticized some of his players (not by name) after they were
soundly beaten by CPL side York United FC 5-0 saying they weren't ready and changes would be made.
A new player was Michael Fayehun who played as a central defender with captain Eddy Dabire
and they were towers of strength tonight. Fayehun had played for Aurora FC in 2019 but they
have dropped from the league. Fayehun was a mainstay with Woodbridge for years before that
and they could have used him tonight as many times tonight their defence just had to react
to through balls throughout the entire second half. On nights when his team wasn't playing
he'd be at games taking photographs for the league when not taking wedding pictures for his business.
Titus must know every player that's ever played for this league!

Titus once again was not afraid to make subs early (seven allowed this season) making two before
halftime including getting eventual goal scorer Francis Ameyaw into the game at 29 minutes.

He also switched goalies at 70 minutes bringing in Tayjon Campbell, a grad of Seneca (College) Sting
and letting him earn his first minutes under no pressure.

I asked a Woodbridge official about player Tyrese Edwards who was removed by ambulance last month
with a fractured patella in their game against Vaughan Azzurri. He's fine but he's through for the season.

Woodbridge once again used one of their turf fields for this game...(about 300 metres from the dressing
rooms so players stayed at their benches during halftime) while letting their main grass field be hacked
up by a men's league game. When I was leaving there was a fistfight between two players while play
carried on upfield. I'm not sure why the club rents out their best field on night's when their
L1O Premier League team is playing. This field does have a scoreboard and tonight it was working for
the first time I've seen starting at around 25 minutes and counting 'up' which is something I'd never
seen the old scoreboard on the grass field do as it always counted down with a buzzer at 0:00 like
a hockey game.

Woodbridge still hasn't won a game this season and their record falls to 0 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie
for 1 point and they are last in the seven team Eastern Conference. They've had two of their last
three games postponed because of thunderstorms.

Masters are undefeated since losing to York United FC in the preliminary round of the Canadian Championship
on August 21st. The next week their game against 1812 FC Barrie (actually held in Brampton) was postponed
because of thunderstorms and last week they tied powerhouse Vaughan Azzurri 3-3. Their record improves
to 3 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie for 10 points. They'd only scored 6 goals until tonight so great offensive
outburst. The win moves them momentarily into a tie for first place with Vaughan Azzurri and 1812 FC Barrie
although the Azzurri vs North Toronto Nitros game was scheduled to start at 8:30pm. Only the top two teams
in each of the East and West make the playoffs in this shortened season.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Twitter @RocketRobin01

Woodbridge Strikers starters