July 15, 2023 League1 Ontario...Scrosoppi FC vs Simcoe County Rovers game report (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday July 15, 2023 League1 Ontario Men's Premier Division game between Scrosoppi FC
and Simcoe County Rovers played at Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan at 6:00pm.

Scrosoppi FC (all black uniforms, white numbers)

..................1 Andreas Vaikla
2 Carlo Difeo...4 Joshua Parades...6 Victor Gallo (cpt)...12 Luka Rankin
..........15 Anthony Stolar...13 Manveer Gill...3 Luka Frankovich
..........21 Alexander Zis...8 Tomasz Skublak...99 Taha Ilyass

Subs:...9 Mauro Lulli...17 Ajmal Tesilimi...19 Sebastian Lopez...23 Santiago Ubate
...24 Justin Hu...36 Danny Medeiros...66 Baryal Khan
team officials:...team head coach John Yacou...assistant coach Luis Domingos...manager Shayne Griffin
...therapist Michael Wong
Suspended player: none

Simcoe County Rovers (white socks and shirts, navy shorts, baby blue numbers)

........................1 Baj Maan
16 Allen Saye-Blegay...19 Justin Earle (cpt)...3 Tajay Reid...24 Cameron DaSilva
............12 Javier George...11 Shawn-Claud Lawson...8 Alejandro Portal
............20 Paul Karagianakos...10 Orlendis Benitez...9 Jevontae Layne

Subs:...4 Orion Wiersma...7 Gabriel Boakye...13 Michael Markac...14 Feargod Ozomba
...21 Chiemaka Azurunwa...22 Shamir Akbar...23 Rahim Thorpe...27 Luc Ihama
team officials:...team head coach Jason Beckford...assistant coaches Paul Smith and Zak Zico Mahrady
...manager Donte Henry...equipment manager Bola Avolonto...therapist Mark De Lange
Suspended player: Ijah Halley

Game officials:...referee John-Morgan Pizzuti...referee's assistants Joey Filipic and Vasyl Dzikh
...fourth official Ghassen Touati...(chartreuse socks and shirts, black shorts)

First Half:...game starts 6:02pm...Scrosoppi defends north end on this hot, humid and overcast evening.
5 min...Rovers Benitez rush into right side of box pushing over Scr Rankin so play is whistled down.
6 min...Scr goalie is out to edge of box to beat Rovers Reid to bouncing through ball.
12 min...Rovers Earle passes back with Scro Skublak almost breaking it up but Rovers goalie is out to 25 yards on right to clear.
13 min...Rovers goalie is out to clear ball from Scr Skublak can get to it.
13 min...Scr goalie is out to 25 yards on right to clear ball.
15 min...Rovers Benitez and Rovers Lawson good pass play and Lawson has 15 yard low shot saved by sprawling goalie.
A defender ensures Rover Benitez does not get a rebound shot.
16 min...Scr YELLOW card...Gill earns it for tackle on Rovers Benitez at Scr 35 yard line.
17 min...Rovers Benitez 38 yard freekick from right has Scr Skublak head ball away on edge of box.
19 min...Rovers Benitez stops chipped pass at Scr 30 yard line and Rovers Layne following behind chips 30 yarder high
and wide right of net.
19 min...Scr Skublak is injured at Rovers 30 yard line chipping ball into own face. An unofficial water break is taken.
21 min...play resumes.
21 min...Scr Skublak dekes same player twice on his run across field but can't get away shot on edge of box.
23 min...Scr goalie outjumps players to catch ball at 15 yards surviving bump by Rovers Layne.
24 min...Rovers Earle cross from right is over players in box and can't be crossed in from left.
25 min...Scr goalie is out to top left of box to beat Rovers Benitez to bouncer.
27 min...Scr Stolar shot is blocked on edge of box.
28 min...Scr Blaskovic 28 yard chip into box is headed away.
29 min...Rovers Saye-Blegay chips 33 yarder from right. Rovers Layne pops 12 yard header over net from left.
30 min...Scrosoppi Tomasz Skublak GOAL...Scr Anthony Stolar (?) on right chips pass near end line 25 yards away
from net over to Skublak who takes low 10 yard shot into left corner of net with goalie Baj Maan guarding near post.
31 min...Rovers Karagianakos recovers partial clearance and blasts 22 yarder just over bar.
33 min...Scr YELLOW card...Rankin earns it for tripping Rovers Layne at 10 yards on far right.
34 min...Rovers Benitez 25 yard freekick from right is easily caught by goalie.
35 min...Scr Ilyass cuts across from left to center along 28 yard line and low shot is caught by goalie.
36 min...Scr Zis sens in pass and Scr Skublak bicycle kick from 10 yards is called offside as goalie catches anyway.
38 min...Scrosoppi Tomasz Skublak GOAL...Skublak takes ball off Rovers Tajay Reid at 30 yards on left and runs in
to 15 yards and his shot nutmegs goalie at 10 yards and rolls into right side of net.
39 min...Rovers Lawson cornerkick from left is over players. Rovers DaSilva heads wide right from 8 yards on right.
41 min...Scr Ilyass rush up left on 1 v 2 but gets low shot from 18 yards on left and sprawling goalie smothers on left side of net.
42 min...Rovers Saye-Blegay chips 45 yarder from right that leaping goalie catches at 8 yards.
43 min...Rovers DaSilva chips 22 yarder between crowd of players in box and goalie makes catch.
44 min...Scrosoppi Anthony Stolar GOAL...Scr Skublak at 25 yards passes between defenders to 15 yards and Stolar
shoots over right shouler of sprawling goalie into right side of net. A Scr player had chipped a ball over his own head
upfield on left at 40 yards to another Scr player who centered the ball to Skublak to set this play up.
47 min...half ends 6:49pm.

Halftime: Both teams' subs stay out and practice. The Scrosoppi starters stay on the bench while the Rovers starters return
to the dressing room.

Second Half:...starts 7:08pm. There is still no rain falling yet.
Halftime sub:...Rovers Thorpe replaces Saye-Blegay.
46 min...Rovers YELLOW card...Layne earns if for pushing over Scr player as both jumped for header at Scr 50 yard line.
46 min...Scr Parades chips 50 yarder up field that bounces to Scr Skublak at 15 yards and he chips goalie but ball bounces wide left.
47 min...Rovers YELLOW card...DaSilva earns it for pushing over Scr Stolar at Rovers 35 yard line. Stolar needs trainer.
50 min...Scr sub...Medeiros replaces injured Stolar.
51 min...Scr YELLOW card...Parades earns it for Rovers 50 yard line for knocking over Rovers Benitez to prevent break-in.
52 min...Scr Skublak passes left to Scr Parades who bends low 22 yard shot wide left from left. Rovers Benitez is injured away
from play near edge of box.
54 min...Rovers Layne has 15 yard shot is blocked by defender.
55 min...Scr YELLOW card...Medeiros earns it for tackle on Rovers Benitez near left end line.
55 min...Rovers George freekick from 2 yards on far left has goalie punch ball out up the middle. Rovers player's 25 yard shot
down middle tips off defender's head wide left for cornerkick.
56 min...Rovers George cocrnerkick from left has Scr Skublak head ball away on near post. George recross has goalie catch
on near post.
57 min...Scr Skublak is injured at Rovers 50 yard line as play carries on.
58 min...Scr Difeo 28 yard cross from far right is caught by goalie.
59 min...Rovers Portal high cross from right at 10 yard line near sideline is caught by goalie.
60 min...Rovers player's shot is batted down by goalie. Rovers Benitez rebound from 12 yards is caught by goalie.
61 min...Scr Medeiros receives cross from left end line and midair shot rom 12 yards is bounced wide right.
65 min...Rovers Georgge chip from 25 yard wins cornerkick as defender flicks header away.
67 min...Scr Skublak centers pass for Scr Medeiros 5 yard tap-in and Rovers Frankovich defender blocks on goalline in middle of net.
69 min...Rovers Benitez 33 yard freekick from right near sideline has Scr Frankovich head ball away on edge of box.
...........Rovers YELLOW card...Benitez earns it for bashing Scr plalyer on Scr edge of box.
71 min...Rovers Portal cross from near right corner flag pops off defender at 20 yards and goalie catches at 10 yards on right.
72 min...Scr player's cornerkick from left has goalie punch away in crowd of players.
73 min...Rovers Layne has 7 yard shot from left that sliding goalie makes point blank shot.
74 min...Rovers DaSilva blasts partial clearance from 28 yards that flying goalie pushes away at top right corner of net.
75 min...Rovers DaSivla splits two players but sliding Scr Parades blocks his shot on left post.
76 min...Rovers George 30 yard chip from right has goalie catch between crowd of players on jump in box.
77 min...Scr Zis high cornerkick from right is cleared on left side of box.
78 min...Scr Ilyass blasts 20 yarder that Rovers Reid stops at 5 yards.
79 min...Scr Frankovich long run up left side who centers ball to Scr Skublak who shoots 15 yarder into left outside webbing of net.
80 min...Scr sub...Foster replaces Skublak.
81 min...A Rovers player crosses into from box from 25 yards on right. Rovers Layne or Benitez flicks 8 yard header down middle
that goalie sprawls to save.
82 min...Scr Zis low 35 yard freekick from left bounces to goalie.
83 min...Scr defender concedes cornerkick stopping Rovers Layne from 8 yard shot.
84 min...Scr Karagianakos rush to left end line and low cross is easily cleared.
85 min...Rovers Earle cross from right has Scr Gallo flick header back to goalie from 10 yards.
86 min...Rovers Benitez is injured at Scr 35 yard line.
86 min...Scr sub...Lopez replaces Zis.
...........Rovers sub...Azurunwa replaces Benitez.
87 min...Scr Lopez dribbles to 25 yards on left and cross of hand ball has defenders clear.
89 min...Scr sub...Blaskovic replaces Gill.
89 min...Rovers Earle 25 yard cross from right is caught by charging goalie.
91 min...Scr Rankin and Rovers Karagianakos are injured in collision at Scr 35 yard line and both need trainers.
92 min...Scr sub...Tesilimi replaces Rankin.
...........Scr sub...Hu replaces Parades.
93 min...Rovers sub...Ihama replaces Karagianakos.
94 min...Rovers Tajay Reid GOAL...Rovers Alejandro Portal takes 30 yard freekick from left that finds Reid on right
who kicks in 7 yarder to top left corner of net past goalie Andreas Vaikla.
96 min...Scr Difeo is injured on check at Scr 28 yard line.
97 min...Rovers Earle 25 yard cross from right has goalie catch at 8 yards in front of crowd of players. Goalie then throws ball
upfield and Scr Ilyass runs to Rovers cornerflag.
97 min...Rovers Cameron DaSilva GOAL...DaSilva gets to ball that was crossed low through 6 yard box by Jevontee Layne
and taps it in.
100 min...Rovers George chips 45 yarder up middle and goalie is out to 15 yards to catch.
100 min...game ends.

Final Score:....Scrosoppi FC..........3................Simcoe County Rovers...........2..............

Attendance started at about 40 when the game began but climbed to about 130 by halftime. It was hot and humid and overcast with rain being threatened for a 24 hour period starting at noon but this game was spared.

This was a rough game with referee John-Morgan Pizzuti giving out seven Yellow cards (four to Scrosoppi) to keep play under control. Both coaches would have liked there to be even more as long as it was to the other team. Rovers player Paul Karagianakos had an ice pack on his knee and Orlendis Benitez on this thigh after the game. Both players had been subbed out late in the game in separate incidents.

There was only five minutes of added time scheduled when the sign board went up from the fourth official but since there were two separate Scrosoppi injuries, one three-player subs moment, and carrying the ball back upfield after the two late Rover goals, it turned into ten. There were no calls from the Scrosoppi bench to constantly remind the referee about how the originally added time was exceeded.

Rovers scored twice to make it close but Scrosoppi limited their chances for most of the game with defenders heading away freekicks into the box and Joshua Parades making a sliding tackle to block Rovers Cameron DaSilva at 7 yards after he'd split the defence near the left post at 75 minutes. Goalie Andreas Vaikla could always jump higher than Rovers players to make a catch of any cross. Even after today's score, Scrosoppi has only allowed 12 goals against in 14 games.

Another outstanding game for Tomasz Skublak. He just couldn't be stopped. He can just dribble though defenders even when he receives passes on 1 v 4 situations. If he holds on long enough he can pass off to a teammate who has charged out of his defensive responsibilites. (Remember only 12 goals against? That is their priority). Between the time of his two goals, Skublak even made the goalie catch a 10 yard bicycle kick that was flagged offside. He suffered at least two injuries on hard checks.

The result moves Scrosoppi into first place with a record of 12 wins, 2 losses, 0 ties for 36 points. There are still four games on Sunday with Blue Devils FC able to pull into a tie in their home game against Hamilton United although they will have played one more game than Scrosoppi.

Rovers record falls to 9 wins, 4 losses, 1 tie for 28 points. A scheduling glitch means their last home game is next weekend and after that they finish the season with five games on the road. They are currently sixth in the standings but could be passed by North Toronto Nitros on Sunday for that last playoff spot. You have to finish third or fourth to have quarter-final home date. The top two finishers get a bye into their semi-final home game.

After this game the benches and field had to be cleared quickly because Unionville-Milliken SC were hosting BVB IA Waterloo at 9:00pm. A battle of the bottom between the twentieth and twenty-first place teams. Not a great technical game—not their skills—but the fact that the promised rain started hard at 17 minutes and then by 65 minutes, the storm hit '11' if there's an imaginary dial in the sky. I was fairly well sheltered on the second floor of the wooden 'treehouse' broadcast facility but my write up will have to wait as I'm driving to Oakville to catch the afternoon Blue Devils vs Hamilton United game. Hamilton is the one team I haven't seen this year.

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

Scrosoppi FC starters