Aurora FC women snag first win of League 1 season

May 16, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

The Aurora FC women’s side is off on the right foot.
After failing to find the back of the net in their League 1 season opener in late April, the women charged back to Stewart Burnett Park on Saturday for a commanding 3 – 0 win over the Toronto Azzurri Blizzard.
Aurora dominated the play through the opening minutes against the winless Toronto squad, scoring the game’s first goal at just the three-minute mark when Markela Bejleri was set up perfectly inside the box.
Returning from the half still up 1 – 0, it was Bejleri again who notched the game’s second goal in the second’s opening minute, finishing off the play from six yards out.
Samantha Murphy found the top right corner late in the match to secure the victory, a one-sided match that saw a shot differential of 10 – 4 in favour of Aurora.
Veteran goalkeeper Meghan Phillips earned her first clean sheet of the season.
“Proud to get our first win of the season,” said Phillips. “Great way to come back after a hard-fought loss in our first game.”
While Toronto freefalls down the women’s ladder with their third-straight loss to open the season, Aurora moves to 1-1-0 to stay competitive in the expanded thirteen-team league with three of a possible six points.
They next face the new Hamilton United Elite on the road on Saturday, one of two teams that remain undefeated through three games.
The men’s side of Aurora FC remains in search of its first win of the season, squandering a late second half lead on Sunday despite a long man advantage against the Vaughan Azzurri.
Aurora keeper Ryan Collins stood on his head throughout the first half, making a number of key saves including a penalty kick in the 43rd-minute to keep the game scoreless at the whistle.
Going the entire first half without a shot on net, Aurora took advantage of a Vaughan red card early in the second to drop their team down to ten men, with Jordale Byers opening the scoring for Aurora.
Down a man for the remainder of the match, Vaughan’s decision to change formation paid off in notching the tying goal only a few minutes later, before putting home the winner past Collins with just over ten minutes to play.
Despite failing to record a win so far this season, Saturday’s match was Aurora’s first loss of the year, previously putting up a pair of ties.
They bring a record of 0-1-2, good for two points, into their next match against the Oakville Blue Devils at Stewart Burnett Park on Sunday.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.