April 15, 2023..League1 Ontario Premier Men's Division...Alliance United vs St Catharines Roma Wolves (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the League1 Ontario Men's Premier game of Saturday April 15, 2023 between Alliance United
and St Catharines Roma Wolves played at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough at 6:00pm.

Alliance United (all orange uniforms, black numbers)

Ade ..........................1 Praveen Ahilan
11 Zak Drake...2 Kenny Lioutas...5 Samuel Gardner...7 Nirun Sivananthan
6 Nicholas Osorio...4 Nikola Stakic (cpt)...3 Matthew Monteiro...19 Koosha Nazemi
..................17 Atchu Sivananthan...10 Dusan Kovacevic

Subs:...30 Cristian Lisi (gk)...8 Russell Stewart...9 Christian Kexhishian...12 Kalvin Alphonsus
...13 Farrell Francis...15 Kosta Mpougiotis...15 Kingsley Belele...16 Shon Siegelwachs...18 Jacob Price
team officials:...team head coach Ilya Orlov...assistant coach Cormac Rea and Eric Nelson...manager Eric Silvestri
...equipment manager Goran Stakic...therapist Daniel Ddalla Rosa and Michael Silvestri
Suspended players: None

St Catharines Roma Wolves (all white, maroon numbers)

.........................16 Carson Provenzano
10 Jordale Byers...2 Christian Lacuesta...5 Victor Kariuke (cpt)...3 Marc Iantomasi
7 Eric Woodland...6 Sam Azimzadeh Tabrizi...12 Adam Lila...27 Klisman Toma
.................24 Michael Solomon...8 Matteo Fracassini

Subs:...1 Enrique Orozco (gk)...4 Tyler Montague...11 Jake Kelly...13 Nate Smyth
...14 Engjeli Qamili...19 Antonio Agovski...21 Lucas Vetere...23 Matteo Muza...25 Jonathan Mouck
team officials:...team head coach Federico Turriziani...assistant coach Davide Massafra...manager Carmine Provenzano
Suspended players: None

Game officials:...referee Twayne Anderson...referee's assistants Kurtis Portengen and Najeeb Almasri
...fourth official Michael Konstantopoulos...(teal socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 5:58pm...AU defends north end on this warm evening with a bright sun in the north west.
50 sec...AU Atchu Sivananthan receives long pass at 20 yards on right, he taps pass to AU Osorio who shoots wide right
from 15 yards on right.
2 min...AU Kovacevic intercepts passback, AU player pops up partial W clearance by defender with head and goalie retreats
to catch at 4 yards.
6 min...Alliance Samuel Gardner GOAL...AU Nikola Stakic 25 yard freekick from right has ball hit crowd
of players charging into 6 yard box. AU Gardner hits up ball forward on bounce and goalie Carson Provanzano
bobbless it away on goal line on jump pushing ball at 3 yards onto head of Gardner at 1 yard on right post.
8 min...W Gardner makes key clearance of AU Osorio cross from left into box.
10 min...AU Stakic 40 yard freekick up middle has defender clear on edge of box with header.
14 min...AU Monteiro at 30 yard line on left sends low pass to AU Atchu Sivananthan at 22 yards on right and he shoots wide right.
16 min...AU Stakic 35 yard freekick near left sideline has ball popped up in box and goalie catches behind crowd of players.
17 min...AU Osorio receives pass from 20 yards on left and slides forward to redirect cross rolling it wide left of post.
18 min...W YELLOW card...Iantomasi earns it for trip of AU Osorio by ducking and having Osorio trip over him.
19 min...W goalie picks up ball just behind AU players charging into 6 yard box for pass.
19 min...W Solomon low 25 yarder up middle is just wide left of post.
20 min...AU Kovacevic wins cornerkick as goalie pushes ball wide left for cornerkick.
21 min...AU Nazemi high cornerkick from left has AU player in crowd of players pop header over net from 3 yards.
23 min...AU Kovacevic recovers ball that deflected off defender that put him in alone at 15 yards and goalie makes point blank
save at 6 yards.
27 min...W Lila header from 15 yards ends W pressure as defender heads ball away at 6 yards.
30 min...W goalie is out to right side of box to catch high cross from left ahead of AU Atchu Sivananthan and defender clears.
32 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan low 22 yard shot from right deflects off defender and goalie smothers on right post.
33 min...W goalie is injured coming out to make clearance after AU Osorio was called offside at W 25 yard line.
35 min...AU Kovacevic heads 5 yarder wide right of net on cross sent in from left.
36 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan wins cornerkick after long run to right end line and cross deflects wide right.
36 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from right has AU player in crowd in box head 8 yarder that bounces wide right.
39 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan is injured at AU 50 yard line when knocked over.
40 min...AU Nikola Stakic breaks through to pick up pass and goalie dives right along end line and trips him. Referee
Twayne Anderson awards AU a Penalty kick.
41 min...Alliance Nikola Stakic GOAL...Stakic blasts Penalty kick to slight right as goalie sprawls in center of net.
43 min...AU YELLOW card...Drake earns it for knocking over W Byers at AU 25 yard line near sideline.
44 min...W Toma taps freekick to W Iantomasi who shoots 25 yarder up middle that goalie smothers.
45 min...AU player's cornerkick from left has AU Nirun Sivananthan head ball from left across box and defender clears.
46 min...W goalie from 60 yards has goalie make overhead catch behind crowd of players.
47 min...half ends 6:45pm.

Second Half:...starts 6:59pm.
47 min...AU Kovacevic gets around goalie on run at 10 yards but W Lacuesta gets to hit tap-in and rolls ball out for cornerkick.
47 min...AU player's cornerkick from right has AU Monteiro pop header from left out of box from 8 yards.
49 min...W Iantomasi concedes cornerkick rather than allow AU Atchu Sivantanthan able to cocntrol through ball pass.
50 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from right has ball cleared from box.
51 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan rush down right and cross from end line from 15 yards has AU Kovacevic head ball over
net from 6 yards.
52 min...W Fracassini cornerkick from right has defender on left head away. W Tabrizi eventually recovers clearance
and shoots 30 yarder from right over net.
53 min...W goalie is out to edge of box to beat AU Kovacevic to high bouncer.
54 min...W sub...Mouck replaces Iantomasi.
.........AU sub...Belele replaces Osorio.
55 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan low cross from 15 yard line sideline has charging AU Kovacevic get knee to ball and tip
over net from 5 yards.
57 min...W defender concedes cornerkick on left for ball rolled through 6 yard box.
57 min...AU Nazemi cornerkick from left is whistled down in box.
59 min...W Fracassini cornerkick from left is over players in box.
59 min...W sub...Qamili replaces Woodland.
60 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan on give and go from 45 yards runs to edge of box has W Kariuke body him over.
61 min...W Byers spins cross off balance from 10 yards on right is well wide right.
63 min...AU Stakic through ball pass on right is over end line.
64 min...W Tabrizi receives back heeler near AU left end line and fires 25 yard into outside webbing of net.
65 min...AU sub...Siegelwachs replaces Nazemi.
66 min...W sub...Agovski replaces Byers.
67 min...W Lacuesta is injured in collision at W 25 yard line but doesn't need trainer.
69 min...AU Nirun Sivananthan wins cornerkick on run along right end line.
70 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from left has defender on near post head ball over own net.
70 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from left is cleared but play is whistled down as referee notices W Kariuke is down
with a head injury and has to come off.
72 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan goal is called back on three play header ending with 10 yard header into net but it's called
back as offside.
72 min...Alliance Dusan Kovacevic GOAL...AU player takes a quick throw-in from W 45 yard line
and on right down wing for charging AU Kingsley Belele who gets around W Mouck at 20 yard line
to receive bounced ball. At 10 yards he's on a 2 on 1 rusn with AU Kovacevic with W Christian Lacuesta
trying to prevent him cutting in. Belele from 15 yards from net at 5 yard line on right centers ball
to Kovacevic at 12 yards on right and he one-touches roller that's under sprawling goalie on right. The ball
rolls under the untied netting and into the end zone.
74 min...W Agovski cornerkick from left ends up back to him and he recrosses over players in box.
75 min...W Iantomasi blast 22 yarder that'ss partially blocked but deflectgs for cornerkick.
76 min...W Lacuesta corcnerkick from left has defender head ball out right side of box.
77 min...AU Atchu Sivananthan on 2 on 1 from 65 yards has defender poke ball away at 20 yards for cornerkick.
78 min...AU Stakic cornerkick from right has AU Lioutas head 8 yarder in crowd of players in box and goalie flies
to left to catch.
79 min...AU sub...Keshishian replaces Kovacevic.
............AU sub...Francis replaces Monteiro.
............AU sub...Stewart replaces Atchu Sivananthan.
...........W sub...Vetere replaces Solomon.
...........W sub...Smyth replaces Toma.
...........W sub...Kelly replaces Tabrizi.
82 min...AU Belele rush to end line on right andd W defenders clear with two shanked kicks.
86 min...W Fracassini 25 yard freekick from slight left is chipped over net.
87 min...W sub...Motaque replaces Lacuesta.
88 min...W Kariuke cross from 30 yards on right has W Fracassini pop 10 yard header that goalie easily catches.
89 min...A Francis blasts 35 yarder between players that flying goalie pushes wide left of net.
90 min...W YELLOW card...Montaque earns it for pushing over AU Siegelwachs.
93 min...W Agovski can't get away shot as AU defenders clear.
93 min...game ends 7:48pm.

Final Score:....Alliance United.......3.......St Catharines Roma Wolves........0........

Attendance increased as the game went on until it was at least 80 persons were here. Birchmount Stadium! I haven't been here since the league was starting out and it was the home of Toronto Skillz FC. The game was moved here on a week's notice with the reason being that the City of Markham wouldn't open the school building (Bill Crothers Secondary School) so players would have dressing rooms. That's caused the league to pull all games from the school...Alliance and Unionville-Milliken were to groundshare there this season. Alliance has in previous seasons played most games at Centennial College in Scarborough except this season the grounds are being renovated. Alliance has been able to move most of their games to Varsity Stadium, the playing field of University of Toronto in downtown Toronto. Centennial is a satellite of the U of T system with most campuses on the east side of the city. Unionville-Milliken has had to locate most of their games to the Ontario Soccer Centre. I'll have a lot of updating to do on my website!

Alliance dominated this game from start to finish although Wolves improved somewhat in the second half but not having (m)any shots in the first meant they had no time to settle down and shanked more than one on their few chances. Both teams were victims of rolling the ball forward for a through ball pass and have it carry right over the end line.

Alliance finished third last season out of the 22 teams and made it to the semi-finals. Early indications are that they will carry on where they left off not only ensuring a top 12 finish (combined years) to survive the Premier vs First Division split at the end of this season but another playoff appearance (top six this year on its own). Last season Alliance travelled to St Catharines in the reverse fixture and earned a 1-0 win. They finished the 2022 regular season with 13 wins, 2 losses, 6 ties for 45 points.

Roma Wolves finished the 2022 season with 5 wins, 11 losses, 5 ties for 20 points and finished sixteenth. A glitch in the schedule has them with two extra home games over many of the other L1O teams but a fast start is required to pull them into that Top 12. One team they won't have to worry about is Pickering FC who dropped out of L1O Premier for 2023.

Referee Twayne Anderson gave out only three Yellow cards tonight (two to Wolves) with play very open but Alliance always with enough defenders in position or retreating to break up plays. Alliance only gave up 15 goals (lowest in the league) in their 21 game 2022 regular season. Praveen Ahilan earned the shutout with just a few routine catches and sure handed smothers with his body behind him for added insurance. The backline of Zak Drake, Kenny Lioutas, Samuel Gardner, and Nirun Sivananthan (who had many ventures upfield) kept the Wolves away from getting away quality shots. Younger brother Atchu Sivananthan played forward and was on the opposite wing of his brother both trying to set up Dusan Kovacevic down the middle.

Roma Wolves players look like they got here on their own (no team bus). They looked like they all got here in time but some fans were late and griping about downtown Toronto traffic.

The domination by Alliance...yet not putting their opponent completely away, reminded me a lot of last night's MLS NEXT Pro game where New York City FC II controlled the game over Toronto FC II but TFC hung around only losing 2-0 so one missed play and they could have been back in it. 72 minutes and the third goal for Alliance put it away....last night it was 72 minutes for a TFC II earning a straight Red card to end any doubt.

Rocket Robin
robin.glover.1958@gmail.com
Twitter @RocketRobin01

Alliance United starters

St Catharines Roma Wolves starters

Wolves Michael Solomon (24) takes opening kickoff.

Wolves break out of own end.

Alliance Zak Drake (11) takes throw-in back to defender.

Alliance players rush downfield.

Alliance Atchu Sivananthan (17) with ball on sidelines.

Alliance Nikola Stakic (4) scores on this Penalty kick.

Alliance Dusan Kovacevic (10) takes second half kickoff.

Action in Wolves box.

Wolves Matteo Fracassini (8) chips freekick over net.

Post game interviews

Each year I conduct a post game audio interview with the head coach of each team the first game I see them play in the season. I'm doing it again this year.

St Catharines Roma Wolves head coach Federico Turriziani St Catharines Roma Wolves head coach Federico Turriziani: (5 minutes, 25 seconds) Your thoughts on tonight's game? What did you learn from last season (your first in Premier league play)? What details do you have (this week's news) of what you will receive from Forge FC in their .......collaberation? Do you have university players this year like last year with Brock U?

Alliance United head coach Ilya Orlov (actually this is a picture from last year)

Alliance United head coach Ilya Orlov: (4 minutes, 50 seconds)

Your thoughts on tonight's game?
What's your arrangement with the University of Toronto? 
Your ambitions this season? 
What did you do with York United FC in pre-season and what knowledge did you bring back for Alliance?

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