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Sigma Drops 2-0 Result To Ten Man Blue Devils

By League1 Ontario staff, 08/30/16, 12:15AM EDT

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Oakville Blue Devils continue to demonstrate late season form, dropping west division leader's Sigma FC 2-0 after goals from Filipe Vilela (69') and Judah Hernandez (78'), and all with ten men after keeper Karman Saini was dismissed inside the first half-hour. 

"We had a reasonable cause to win and we are at the point in the season where we are improving our play," said Oakville head coach, Duncan Wilde. "So we are very pleased with that. It was also incredibly difficult in that heat."

"We went down to 10 men early, and the youth and movement Sigma brings is always difficult to play against," he added. 

"But I think we stuck to our task, our tactics were right and the performances from our core players were good, and we never looked back."

At the top of the table and with everything still to play for, Sigma head coach Bobby Smyrniotis was nevertheless unmoved by the disappointing result.  

"I thought it was an interesting match," he said. "Oakville is a good team and we came into it missing a few more of our more senior players so we had to move things around a little bit."

"I think we had a good half overall, and obviously we had a great opportunity with a penalty shot but that didn't go in," he added. "There were two advantages with that penalty and then the red card. That didn't workout in that half."

"And then in the second half they hit us on the counter attack and I think after that our youth really showed," he explained. 

"The decisions we were making and the way we were trying to get back into [showed that]. But we either learn from it or let it bother you. So we need to learn from it and be positive and move forward."

Sigma still holds first position in the west division, but by the slimmest of margins with only point up on FC London - the London side also has three matches in hand on Sigma. 

Sigma will need to hope for London to drop points, and win their remaining fixtures (of which the third and final is an away date in London), in order to hang on to claim west division honours and a place in the championship final versus the top team from the east. 

Perhaps Oakville will yet do Sigma a favour, with the Blue Devils' next match against the second place side. 

"Now we get the chance for one or two more bodies to get back," said Wilde, "then we have nine days off, and our next game is London."