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Match Recap: Durham United FA 0 - 0 FC London

By League1 Ontario staff, 07/16/17, 7:00PM EDT

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It was yet another clean sheet for FC London keeper Emily Gillet - her sixth cumulative between league and Cup competition and fourth in league play alone - and a clean sheet for Durham United FA's Sara Petrucci as well as the two sides battled to a scoreless draw in Matchweek 12.

Durham managed to shut down London's star striker Jade Kovacevic, who is the defending Women's Golden Boot winner and also leads the goalscoring charts with 13 finishes in 2017. 

"I really want to demonstrate my appreciation for our girls, I'm really blessed - they are a great squad," said Durham head coach, Ramin Mohammadi. 

"They played from their heart and when you work hard like that you will sometimes exceed your technical and tactical ability," he added. "They stuck to the plan to the last minute." 

"Second half we wanted to push our fullbacks forward and pin the other team back," he revealed. "I think it worked, we pushed them back for fifteen or twenty minutes."

"We had our opportunities and it just didn't go our way. We had a plan for Jade [Kovacevic] on London and I think that was successful too. That's the first time I've played against her and she didn't score."

FC London looked threatening throughout the match, causing an ebb and flow with their Durham hosts that created a riveting exhibition of skill and an impossible to predict outcome for the onlookers.

"It was kind of bittersweet," said London head coach, Mike Marcoccia. 

"We're obviously happy to take a point on the road against a team like Durham, but we wanted to win it."

"Durham is one of the top teams in the league, regardless of what the standings say right now. When you play against this team, one you need to have a really good game plan and two, your execution has to be perfect. Not only are they a good team but they have some of the most talented players in the entire league. You cannot allow these girls an inch of space."

Marcoccia focused on the flanks as a key zone for both sides, with London's wingers and Durham's fullbacks battling on both sides of the ball. 

"We did a good job on their fullbacks I thought," he said. 

"Maddie [Iozzi] was at left back and LaMontagne was at right back for Durham - two of the top players in the league - so obviously they were going to try and create chances from wide areas."

"I thought in the first half Claire Larose and Ashley Campbell, our two wide players, did a very good job of containing them and influencing them to play into certain areas. I don't think they really generated their chances from those players getting forward and putting balls in the box but it's a back and forth situation when you have top players like that dueling all match." 

Durham United FA will next play Woodbridge Strikers on July 23 at Vaughan Grove, Woodbridge.

FC London will next play Woodbridge Strikers on July 30 at Vaughan Grove, Woodbridge.