The ECFC Women put together a valiant effort in a second half comeback bid but came up short, falling 3-2 to NDC-Ontario on Saturday in League 1 Ontario Women’s Premier Division action at Fleming College while the ECFC Men came away from their trip to Hamilton with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hamilton United.
NDC-Ontario (8-0-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute when Rosa Maalouef finished off a cross from across the goal area with a sliding kick for her 7th goal of the season. Maalouef extended the lead to 2-0 in the 40th minute when she found the net for her 2nd goal of the game and 8th of the season. NDC-Ontario took a commanding 3-0 lead in first half injury time when Zoe Markesini finished off a loose ball in the goal area following an NDC corner kick and knocked it into the net from close range.
ECFC (7-6-1) responded early in the 2nd half when Aysia King neatly chipped the ball over NDC Goalkeeper Sofia-Cortes-Browne for her third goal of the season, making it a 3-1 game. ECFC continued to mount their comeback in the 62nd minute when Holly O’Neill headed the ball into the net, finishing off a deep cross from Brynn Jurus for her 8th goal of the season. Unfortunately, ECFC’s comeback bid came up short as they could not convert on a glorious chance to tie the game in the closing moments.
After the match Striker Aysia King said that although they could not complete the comeback the ECFC women’s side can walk away feeling better than they did down 3-0 at halftime, “It is a tough loss definitely, but the fact we were able to come back in the second half, I think we have a good reason to walk away with our heads not too low.”
King’s second half goal in Saturdays match, made it back-to-back games with a goal for the ECFC Striker. After the match King admitted she did not know if her chip shot over
the goalkeeper was going to find the back of the net. “I was really happy that went in, I didn’t think it was going to go in, but I just shot for it and hoped for the best.”
Saturdays match provided ECFC with the chance to match up with one of the teams they are chasing in the League1 Women’s Premier division standings and although ECFC was unable to put up points against NDC-Ontario, King is still confident the Women’s team will continue to fight hard in the remaining portion of their schedule.
“We were definitely looking for a win to put us in a solid playoff spot, but we are still in a good place and still have a chance to play for a playoff position, it is just going to be a little bit harder for us.”
ECFC was able to measure themselves against some of the top young soccer talent in the country when facing NDC-Ontario. The National Development Centre team is where Canada’s top talent gathers to play and train together. As they compete in League1 for the first time this season they have acquitted themselves well, playing to an 8-0-4 record so far this season. King was impressed with what she saw from the NDC-Ontario squad and was pleased with how ECFC pushed back against them especially in the second half.
“They were really fast, they were really physical, they made sure you were not able to turn with the ball, they were always on your back. They had really good passing, and a lot of them are national players, so it was good to go up against them and see what that national level is made of, and I think we held our own honestly.”
The NDC-Ontario squad featured some local talent with Peterborough native Ella Mcbride getting to start against her hometown League1 side for the first time. Angelika Mihalopulos was named the Mark’s Work Warehouse Hardest Working Player of the Match.
In a late kickoff in Hamilton, the ECFC Men’s side (4-5-2) lost 2-1 to a strong Hamilton United side (7-4-1) on Saturday night at Ron Joyce Stadium. After a scoreless but feisty first half in which a United player was shown a red card just before half, Hamilton was able to break the game open in the 56th minute when Kyle Cordeiro scored his second goal of the season on a controversial penalty call. With ECFC pushing to find an equalizer, United caught them on the counter and pushed their lead to 2-0 shortly after when league leading scorer Miles Green put the ball past Quillan Roberts in the 64th minute. ECFC was able to make it a match after cutting the deficit in half late in the game when Midfielder Connor Wilson scored in the 88th minute. There was some tense moments at the end of the match with ECFC pushing for the draw, but in the end the team could not find the back of the net.
Wilson came on as a substitution in late in the match, seeing his first action in well over a month as he had been sidelined with an injury following ECFC’s 2-1 loss to Unionville on May 14th. ECFC Head Coach Randy Ribeiro said that Wilson will be an important piece going forward for the Men’s squad. “It is nice to have him back into our team. He is an important piece to our squad and we will work him back in and get his fitness levels up. Connor came into the match and did exactly what I needed him to do, bring energy and score a goal. I thought he looked sharp and I am excited to have him available for our next match.”
ECFC’s road woes continued Saturday as the Men’s sides road record fell to 0-5-2. The Men’s and Women’s sides will now get some well-deserved rest after a compressed schedule for both sides over the last couple of weeks. Coach Ribeiro said that players will take a few days off before resuming training ahead of next weekend’s matches.
“The opportunities we get to give the players a couple of days rest is so important. The players will use the next couple of days to relax and allow their bodies to recover before we get back to training.”
The ECFC Men return home for their next matchup as they try to extend their home record to 5-0-0 when they host the Woodbridge Strikers (5-4-1) next Saturday for a 3pm kickoff at Fleming College. Tickets are available at electriccityfc.com/tickets and at the gate. The ECFC Women’s next match is Sunday, July 3rd when they head on the road to face Unionville Milliken SC (5-6-1) at Bill Crothers Turf West for a 7pm kickoff.
(Game report submitted by Angelika Mihalopulos; photo credit: David Pickering)
