Defensive mishaps cost Guelph in playoff loss

It was never going to be easy. Heading to Vaughan, for the League1 Ontario playoff quarterfinals, Guelph United hoped to be able to replicate the resounding win they had against the Azzurri in the regular season. But a very poor start of the game, the loss of goalie Carter Robart, and some questionable refereeing, ended up ensuring that there was not going to be an upset at the North Maple Regional Park on Wednesday night.

The game barely started when Vaughan already opened the scoring, after a mishap on defense led to Soji Olatoye easily score off the rebound. Only 10 minutes later, the trouble continued. Our starting keeper Carter Robart injured his shoulder, and, after a lengthy stoppage in play and an attempt to get back in goal, had to be subbed off.

The poor start didn’t dampen our team’s spirits, however. The rest of the first half saw Guelph control a majority of possession, and start to create opportunities to tie the game. Which they did, in the 38th minute, when Harvey Marchant coolly buried a shot in the top corner - but the goal was wrongly called off after an alleged offensive foul.

Just before the half, against the run of play, Vaughan increased their lead, after a massive mistake in our central defense which left Ryan Robinson wide open in the box to easily score past Jake Findlay.

After the break, the game continued back and forth, with good stretches of possession from our team, as well as some solid chances from Vaughan. But the score held at 2-0, without any real energy left at the end for Guelph to create clear opportunities. Before the final whistle, Dion Stergiotis was sent off after two yellow cards. In the end, Vaughan Azzurri got the 2-0 win, and is through to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Guelph United will rue the mistakes that led to the conceded goals, but can be happy with a very solid performance throughout most of this game, and with a better overall season than the last one.

The loss means our men’s and women’s 2023 seasons are now over, and we can start looking ahead to an even more exciting 2024. From next year, League1 Ontario is splitting into a tiered structure with 3 divisions. The best teams, 12 for men, 10 for women, will be part of the top-tier Premier Division, and both our teams will be in, playing a full season of tough games against high-end opponents. We hope to see you back at the Centennial Bowl in 2024.