Soccer In Toronto 10.10.08

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

Final Score
Italia Shooters 1, Brampton Lions 0

Venue
Esther Shiner Stadium,m North York

Kickoff
8:00 pm

Highlights
90 minutes … no scoring

114 min … Shooters Marco Terminesi GOAL
Lions goalie Kevin Doyle is out to left edge of box to challenge Shooters Jason DeThomasis who heads ball by him and Terminesi chips ball from 10 yards on left past retreating defender. Terminesi earns a Yellow card for pulling off his shirt to celebrate the goal.

Notes
Attendance was about 100 on this cool evening with much of the crowd arriving after the 8:00pm kick off. This game was played at the usual home grounds of the North York Astros because the field was available. The game was carried live on Rogers Community channel.

There were plenty of chances to end this game in regulation time. Lions Alex Arbello at 83 minutes had a 30 yard freekick down the middle that hit the top of the bar and goes out of play. Shooters goalie Camilo Benzi was temporary injured on this play when he stretched for the ball. At 86 minutes Shooters Matthew Palleschi crossed from the right into the goal area and Jason DeThomasis hit the bar from 6 yards. At 109 minutes Lions Cameron Medwin passed to Alex Arbello taps back to Medwin and his blast from inside the Shooters box injures the goalie although Benzi waited for the ball to be cleared before collapsing. Goal scorer Marco Terminesi subbed in at 76 minutes and replaced Kadien Lecky.

League leading scorer Daniel Nascimento of the Lions had his best chances on free kicks but mainly struck them right into the player walls set up to block him. He couldn’t draw a Penalty kick at 66 minutes when he ran on the left end line cutting towards the goalmouth and deked a defender and was then ‘tripped’ from behind and another defender cleared the ball.

Referee Manuel Orellano didn’t give out any Yellow cards until the goal celebration in a close marking but clean game. The referee’s assistants couldn’t please anyone as both teams were called many times for offside. Biggest complaint about Orellano was after the goal when Lions earned just a freekick when one of their players was tackled near the edge of the Shooters box. Should this have been a Penalty kick? Well I knew what the Lions had thought but one of the Shooters officials leaned over the barrier dividing the team benches and said “That should have been a Penalty kick or no call at all”. After the game I asked the Ennio the PA announcer who was on the other side of the field and much closer to the infraction “where was the infraction” and he said inside the box.

Tonight’s win will set the Shooters up most likely with a semi-final game against the winner of the Serbian White Eagles (ranked 3rd) vs. North York Astros (6th) played Saturday the 11th also at Esther Shiner Stadium because the field is available. We heard announcements during the game that the Toronto Croatia (4th) vs. Portugal FC (5th) game had ended 2-1 for Portugal FC on a come from behind effort.