November 7, 2021 League1 Ontario Women's Premier--Final Woodbridge Strikers vs Blue Devils FC game report (by Rocket Robin)

November 7, 2021 League1 Ontario Women's Premier--Final Woodbridge Strikers vs Blue Devils FC game report
(by Rocket Robin)

.....................

Result and details of the Sunday November 7, 2021 League1 Ontario game between Woodbridge Strikers and Blue Devils FC
played at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 7:00pm. This was Final of the League1 Ontario Women's Premier Division.

Woodbridge Strikers (all blue uniforms, white numbers)

......................1 Vanessa Fiore
........9 Lindsay Appleton...18 Kira Bertrand...8 Medina Doka...17 Kiara Puntillo
22 April Syme (cpt)...28 Jalana Ellis...4 Serena Dolan...20 Arina Mouratidis
...............13 Christabel Oduro...11 Cat Rogers

Subs:...5 Alexis Campbell...12 Victoria Trapani...14 Chiara Mondelli...15 Hayley Howes
...16 Jayda Thompson...21 Christina Papachristos...23 Claudia Vozza...24 Anisa Boland...--Kennedi Herrmann
team officials:...team head coach David Porco...assistant coaches Gabriele Cremonese and Trevor Bertrand
...manager Adam Candido...equipment manager Christina White

Blue Devils FC (all white uniforms, black numbers)

..........................1 Elisa Lapadula
17 Stephanie Lemeza...6 Nicole Mailloux...16 Emily Porteous...5 Erin Cliffe
4 Laura Twidle (cpt)...13 Lidia Bradau...10 Jivan Yacou...19 Patrycia Kozak
.............12 Amanda Shmalz...22 Laura Callender

Subs:...26 Alessia Zito (gk)...2 Kaleigh McKye...3 Elizabeth Farsang...7 Leanne Forker
...14 Alexia Rhooms...15 Carter Merrigan...18 Samantha Naus...21 Savhanna Robinson
team officials:...team head coach Natalie Bukovec...assistant coach John Yacou...manager Rachel Melhado
...therapist Daniel Della Rosa

Game officials:...referee Amanda Kwan...referee's assistants Marko Grubisic and Adam Chorazyczewski
...fourth official Derrick Tarwell...(pink shirts, black shorts and socks)

First Half:...game starts 7:10pm...WS defends north end...It's dark already as Daylight Savings Time ended last night.
The temperature is getting colder.
3 min...WS Dolan 35 yard freekick from right is chested down by WS Oduro but ball is cleared at 8 yards.
4 min...BD Twidle receives centering pass and 22 yarder down middle hits top of bar and over net for goalkick.
6 min...Woodbridge Serena Dolan GOAL...Dolan blasts a 35 yard freekick down the middle that dips as goalie
Elisa Lapadula reaches her right arm up and gets a hand to it to try to palm it over the bar but she pushes it into
the net just under the bar in the center of the net.
10 min...WS Oduro rush on right from 55 yars and 20 yard shot is stopped by goalie at 8 yards.
12 min...BD Twidle 30 yard shot down middle is well wide right of net.
14 min...BD Lemeza 35 yard freekick from right falls in box but ball is cleared.
18 min...BD Twidle run on right and 22 yard deflected shot off sliding defender rolls for goalie to smother.
19 min...WS Dolan cornerkick from right is just over head of WS Oduro in 6 yard box and bounces wide left for goalkick.
23 min...BD Kozak first touch is too far down left and is over end line when pressured by defender.
26 min...BD Bradau 25 yard shot stopped by goalie on bounce on left post.
27 min...BD Twidle bumps off defender to shoot 22 yarder up middle wide right.
27 min...BD Kozak cornerkick from right is short to BD Shmalz but cross is blocked for throw-in.
28 min...BD Lemeza long throw-in from right is flicked across box and goalie catches.
30 min...WS Oduro rush to left and low 25 yard cross/shot is cleared by defenders.
31 min...BD YELLOW card...Cliffe earns it for pull down of players on run up right.
31 min...WS Syme pops header from 12 yards that hits back of bar and lands on top or net on WS player's 35 yard
freekick from right.
35 min...WS Oduro cross from 28 yards on far left hs goalie bobble and save in box.
37 min...WS Mouratidis run for ball to lefft end line and cross drifts behind net.
39 min...WS Dolan 35 yard freekick from slight left is in front of charging players and bounces wide right.
41 min...BD player's throw-in near cornerflag on left finally crossed in and goalie catches on near post.
42 min...BD Kozak cornerkick from right has charging BD Twidle knock down and shoot 20 yarder over net.
43 min...BD player's cornerkick from left is short and finally crossed in and cleared.
45 min...WS goalie beats BD Kozak to smother through ball on right.
46 min...WS Mouratidis low cross from left end line just a step ahead of a WS player walking in.
46 min...half ends 7:56pm.

Halftime: Both teams return to the dressing room including the subs as it's getting colder!

Second Half:...starts 8:14pm.
Halftime subs:...WS Thompson replaces Puntillo.
...................WS Boland replaces Ellis.
...................WS Trapani replaces Doka.
49 min...BD Shmalz pushes defender aside but can't get to ball in box for shot when crossed in from right.
51 min...WS Dolan pops header from 8 yards over top left corner of net on cross from left.
52 min...BD goalie picks up low 30 yarder between players on left.
55 min...WS Dolan 40 yard freekick from right has goalie dive to save on left post as other players crowd into box.
57 min...WS Thompson pass forward into box is cleared then Thompson takes low shot herself that's cleared.
58 min...BD sub...McKye replaces Callender.
63 min...WS Mouratidis breaks in on left and rounds goalie at 10 yards and low shot is saved by sliding defender at 2 yards.
68 min...BD Shmalz eludes defender on left and cross into box is headed away.
69 min...BD sub...Farsang replaces Shmalz.
70 min...WS Dolan cornerkick from right has WS player run it over end line on left.
73 min...BD Farsang gets to pass on left but retreating WS Appleton gets in to cause her to push ball over end line as she falls over.
74 min...WS Rogers wins cornerkick on cross deflected off sliding defender.
74 min...WS player's cornerkick from left falls into box but a WS player chests ball for goalie to grab.
75 min...WS Oduro pass to WS Dolan forward and low cross along end line has goalie smother on near post.
76 min...WS sub...Campbell replaces Rogers.
78 min...BD Twidle is body checked by defender and wins freekick on edge of box.
...........WS YELLOW card...Syme earns it for last play.
79 min...BD Lemeza 22 yard freekick from right is caught on post by goalie.
80 min...BD sub...Robinson replaces Lemeza.
81 min...WS player on rush on left pushes ball over left end line.
82 min...BD player clears ball off WS Oduro at 25 yards and ball deflects wide right of BD net.
87 min...BD Kozak eludes defender to get away 22 yard shot from slight left is just over bar.
90 min...BD McKye cornerkick from right wins another cornerkick.
91 min...BD McKye cornerkick from right wins throw-in on left.
92 min...BD Bradau chip to right is over end line.
93 min...game ends 9:02pm.

Final Score:....Woodbridge Strikers......1........Blue Devils FC........0......

Attendance was not announced but looked to be about 450 which was half of those who had watched
the Men's final that ended one hour previously. There was a special offer that ticket holders
could stay for both games. Originally the women's game was to be played at 1:00pm which certainly
have had warmer weather but the time was moved a few days earlier. I had switched from a windbreaker
to a parka at halftime of the men's game and certainly didn't regret my decision.

The Blue Devils men's team were in the previous game and there were a lot of their supporters
who stayed but that would have been five hours of soccer. I could hear chants of “Let's Go Blue Devils”
mostly young female voices right up until the end. They were overwhelmed every time there was
a Woodbridge breakout by different young females just screaming with the shriek-like reaction
of Ed Sullivan saying “Ladies and gentleman—The Beatles”. (YouTube it kids!)

After the first six minutes, I certainly didn't believe there'd be no more goals scored tonight.
That goal looked rather weak as it should have been palmed over the net or batted down but it appeared
the save attempt was mistimed. Two minutes earlier Blue Devils had their best chance when Laura Twidle
received a centering pass and took a 22 yard shot down the middle which hit the top of the bar
and deflected over the net. 31 minutes had a Woodbridge freekick come in from 35 yards
and WS April Syme popped up a header at 12 yards which hit the back of the crossbar and landed
on the top of the net. 63 minutes had WS Ariana Mouratidis break in on the left and round the goalie
at 10 yards and took a low shot that a sliding defender was able to save on the 2 yard line.
An insurance goal would have helped the Strikers relax. Blue Devils almost tied it at 87 minutes
when Patrycia Kozak eluded a defender to get away a 22 yard shot from the slight left that just went
over the bar.

Referee Amanda Kwan gave out only one Yellow card in the game and that was to Erin Cliffe at 31 minutes
for pulling down a player on a run up the right. That was the play that set up the freekick-header
combo that hit the back of the bar.

Vanessa Fiore earned the shutout for Woodbridge but was aided by her defensive line of Lindsay Appleton,
Kira Bertrand, and Medina Doka along with midfielders helping out when needed.

This was my first and only time this season I've been to a L1O Women's league match. That is the case
every year (OK no games in 2020) as I concentrate on mens' leagues. There were a few seasons where
Toronto Lady Lynx were my favourite team in all league's of any gender as they would just win
and win and win. I had a CSA handbook years ago where 50% of the Canadian women's national team could
be traced back to playing for the Lady Lynx.

L1O Women had just a seven team Premier Division this year with the top four making the playoffs.
Woodbridge finished second with a record of 6 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties for 21 points. That was one point
better than third place Vaughan Azzurri who they beat in the semi-final. Blue Devils finished fourth
with a record of 6 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie for 19 points. They upset first place FC London 9 wins,
1 loss, 2 ties for 29 points to make it to the final today. FC London were the defending
(ie 2019) champs.

I congratulated Strikers head coach David Porco after the game saying that I'd watched their men's
team almost make the playoffs with six wins in a row to finish their season. He said the female
Strikers also had to come from behind the last weeks to make the playoffs after a poor start.
I looked at their record with four wins and two ties in their last six to make the post season.

Christobel Oduro of Woodbridge was named the MVP of the game. She didn't score but was sometimes
the only upfield player to let more of her teammates help out in the defence. She was given some
kind of gift card. I thought it would then be a good time to give her one of my web cards with
links to some of her games with the Lady Lynx and Ottawa Fury (when they came to play Toronto)
penned in. I got to thank her for all the good memories.

A disappointing day and a long drive home for Blue Devils fans as their men's team had also lost.
Woodbridge's home of Vaughan Grove is just a playing field and a row of trees away from the fence
that borders their grounds with The Ontario Soccer Centre.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
twitter @RocketRobin01

Woodbrdge starters