The following report was submitted by Simcoe County Rovers FC.
Last weekend saw the Simcoe County Rovers men's team travel to Whitby Soccer Centre to face Darby FC on their home field.
Darby has played well at home this season and the Rovers came into the game expecting a tough challenge. A win and three points would help the team keep pace with Scrosoppi and Vaughan as the race to finish in the top two and a bye into the semifinals and a home date is still very much possible.
Playing under the dome, the Rovers tried to attack Darby early on. The breakthrough came in the 18th minute, when winger Shawn-Claud Lawson opened the scoring and gave the Rovers a 1-0 lead on a well-executed finish after a nice build-up from the back.
The Rovers didn’t generate many offensive chances after that goal as Darby played a defensive-oriented game and the half ended with the Rovers up 1-0.
In the second half it was more of the same as the Rovers tried to double their lead and put the game away.
Rovers midfielder Paul Karagianakos created breathing room when he scored in the 75th minute to give the Rovers a 2-0 lead.
Darby FC did not quit and fought hard to get on the scoreboard, doing so in short order to make it a 2-1 game.
The last 10 minutes were a bit nervy, but the Rovers managed to see the game out, much to the relief of Rovers fans who made the trip to watch the team.
With the win, the Rovers improved to 13-4-1 with two games left to play in the regular season.
The men then hit the road to face the North Toronto Nitros on Wednesday, Aug. 16, looking for another win and three points.
The Rovers entered the games five points behind Scrosoppi and Vaughan with two games left to play and one game in hand from Vaughan. A second-place finish in the standings includes a bye into the semifinals, so the Rovers had a lot to play for.
The Rovers started well as the Nitros locked in defensively to limit chances and play for the counter. They were rewarded for their patience after a turnover by the Rovers and capitalized on the mistake on a well-executed finish by Tadija Vukas to take a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
The Rovers went into the second half down 1-0 looking for a response. The answer came in the 66th minute as Lawson struck the back of the net from a free kick outside the box. The goal reignited the Rovers, who were not content to settle for the draw and pushed forward to equalize.
The game reached the 90th minute at 1-1 and six minutes were added on. The drama unfolded in the 96th minute, when attacking midfielder Paul Karagianakos found the back of the net with a rocket to the top corner to seal the win for the Rovers.
“Delighted with the win,” said head coach Jason Beckford. “We showed patience and intelligence tonight after going down 1-0 and it paid off. I can’t say enough about this group. Belief is always there with every one of our players, and Paul Karagianakos is just an example of a good player who puts his head down, trains extremely hard, shows character on and off the pitch and is being rewarded for his efforts.
"Couldn’t be happier for him and the club," he added.
The Rovers’ final match of the regular season is also on the road versus Alliance United FC at Birchmount Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 19 beginning at 9 p.m.
Depending on the outcomes of other games, the Rovers will either host a quarterfinals match on Thursday, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m., or semifinals on Sunday, Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at J.C. Massie Field in Barrie.
For more information on the Simcoe County Rovers FC, including schedule details and tickets, visit www.roversfc.ca.
