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Match Preview: Aurora FC v Vaughan SC

By League1 Ontario staff, 04/26/18, 5:30PM EDT

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The fifth League1 Ontario season starts with a bang this weekend, featuring 13 matches across the men's and women's divisions.  

In Game 3 of Matchweek 1, one of the top women's sides from the last season hits the pitch.

2017 joint-league runners-up Vaughan Azzurri will travel to Stewart Burnett Park to take on last year's seventh place side, Aurora FC, on Saturday April 28 (4 p.m.).  

Players

Aurora:

"The first one to highlight is going to Markela Bejleri," said Aurora head coach, Siamac Kavianpour. 

"She is a member of the U19 Albanian National Team and was invited to be part of the Euro Qualifications against Poland, Belarus etc. She is one of the top talents that I have seen."

"Taylor Dowdell is another one," he added. "I have been coaching her for a number of years. She is another very smart and versatile player. Very good vision and awareness." 

"The next player will be our keeper Meghan Phillips," Kavianpour continued. 

"She has been involved in the Provincial program and she is the type of keeper that is very good with their feet, which these days is very important as today's football requires a type of sweeper/ keeper." 

"Laura Marreli is a 2000 born player that plays centre-back for us. Very good defender, excellent in one v one and she is an excellent leader." 

"The we have Chloey Uddenberg, who is another talent that has great versatility," he concluded. "She has all the ability to move up to the next level." 


(Courtesy: Martin Bazyl)

Vaughan SC:

"We signed another centre-back, Rachel Melhado," said Vaughan head coach, Carmine Isacco. 

"She was with the Canada Women's National Team for a while, before taking some time off, and we're very happy to have her with us this season." 

"The rest are the usual suspects. We have Claudia Piazza, Nour Ghoneim, Sarah Wong - all the usual suspects are back. We have our same core in place at the back, with the addition of Melhado."

"We have a good core of the young ones still as well, with some exciting 2001 born players coming through," he revealed. 

"Leah Pais is one of those that will spend a lot of time with the League1 team this year. She will be an attacking force. We added Jessie Faber, who is a good number ten and very strong in the attacking third. We also added Thalia Boucher, whose sister Sonia has been playing with us for a while." 

"We will continue to look at moving the best parts of our youth group as well, just as we have in the past," Isacco continued. 

"Many of them have been training with the League1 team throughout the winter." 

"Lastly, we will have Taylor Grant in net," Isacco concluded. "Ans Katrina Harman and Tamara Orlando to help share responsibilities in net as well." 


(Courtesy: Martin Bazyl)

Objectives

Aurora:

"I coached one game last season, the very last one," said Kavianpour. "And I look forward to getting started this season."

"I'm from Iran and I played there, in Austria and in Canada," he added. "I have my A license in U.S., Europe and Canada. My focus in today's football is that everything starts and end with control of the ball."

"My objective with Aurora is to play very position-oriented football, very attractive and interesting football, but winning will be very important. This is what I believe and I will stick with that plan."

"Our objective at Aurora is to bring players through the age ranks of high performance and into League1," Kavianpour added. 

"The players that I mentioned are all Aurora homegrown players and I could name many more from the squad as well. Youth development into the senior level is our plan." 

Vaughan

"Quite simply, the thing as always will be consistency and continuity in level of training, level of play, ensuring we have the same players in place week to week," said Isacco.  

Prediction

Aurora have finished their past two seasons in 7th and 6th spot in the table, getting some good results but only after difficult periods to start the season (the team went winless in five in 2016 and winless in four in 2017). 

However, with a new coach in Kavianpour (including a collection of strong young players that he has coached for some time), and a new home ground at Stewart Burnett Park to kick off the season - Aurora look to have got their feet under them early. With two seasons already under their belts as well, it will be interesting to see if the team can generate a run of results from the early going.

Vaughan SC has been one of the top women's teams since joining the league in 2015. With a deep roster full of experience - and additions like Mehalo, who offer top level international experience with the CWNT - Vaughan have all the ingredients to once again be one of the leaders in the women's division. 

However, in order to be top - Vaughan will need to deal with some bogie teams. Toronto Azzurri Blizzard and eventual champions FC London had Vaughan's number in 2017, with both teams defeating the Azzurri in each of their two meetings over the season. 

Result: If history is any indication, this should go Vaughan's way. Vaughan have not lost a match to Aurora in four League1 regular season meetings over the past two years.

However, history can have two sides. Aurora pinched a 1-1 away draw against Vaughan in their first League1 match ever. Odds dictate a Vaughan win, but expect a new-look Aurora side to spring a few surprises.