Windsor City FC (6-11-2) vs Electric City FC (10-5-4), August 19, 2023:
For the last time, Windsor City hit the pitch in their season finale this past Sunday against Electric City FC. The Peterborough based club came off of an absolute blowout win 11-0 against the Unionville Milliken S.C and look to clinch a playoff spot with a victory. In comparison Windsor City FC is just trying to end their season on a high note to offset a three game losing streak. One thing to note for Windsor City FC was the fact that six U21 players were in their starting line-up, four of them on Windsor’s backline.
Chance creation and communication were vital keys for this match. The first fifteen minutes of the game was one of back-and-forth pressure and chance creation with speed being the common element of both teams' attack. Four Electric City corners (in the 13th,14th, 16th, and 21st minutes) and a dangerous short range free kick by Elijah Seymour in the 18th minute were all nullified by the Windsor City defence. Much of the first half pressure from the away club came on the left side of the pitch. At the 25th minute Electric City broke through Windsor’s defence with a goal by Nigel Buckley. Windsor had a good chance at the 34th minute after a cross to Mohamed Abubakar but the home club couldn’t find the equaliser. Not even a minute later Electric City had a quality chance off the rush themselves, but goalkeeper Josh Savoni came up with a huge stop. Once again, Electric City had a trio of corner chances late in the half (32nd, 38th, and 42nd). At the 44th minute Electric City doubled their lead after a scramble in front of Windsor’s net made it look like a game of ping pong. Late half dissent also saw a yellow card issued to Windsor City’s bench in the 45th minute.
As the second half started Windsor City showed some life in the 49th minute as Owen Antoniuk and winger Braden Stevanovich generated a good chance that resulted in a cross that just went over the bar. For large portions of the second half Electric City controlled possession and were selective about their chances. A missed cross (51st), and another two corners (52nd and 55th) built up pressure that was inadvertently realized in the 60th minute with a Windsor Own Goal. After two dangerous rushes by the Peterborough based squad. (64th and 72nd) Windsor attempted to answer with good late chances of their own (71st, 79th, and 82nd), but it was too little too late. Discipline was also an issue as both teams received late yellow cards, Windsor in the 77th (Ferri), and Electric City in the 88th (Mutonkole). As extra time ran down for the last time this season Electric added a fourth goal off of a free kick by Benjamin Vyfschaft. As the stadium lights went off, so too did the 2023 season for Windsor City FC.
Post-game, the coaching staff, management, and players expressed their appreciation. Head coach Valter Cosenza stated: “I’m proud of the group, it was a pleasure to coach these players. These past three years I've been here we’ve seen huge progress thanks to the hard work they all put in, and this shows as the point total has slowly increased year after year.” General Manager and Owner, Vancho Cirovski is equally appreciative of all the hard work on and off the field of the organisation, and wants to thank the club’s fans, sponsors, and players. As to why fans should tune in next season.“We’ll come back even better!” Cirovski exclaimed.Team captain, Bastian Aguilera also expressed his pride in the dedication of some of his teammates, while also expressing some of the struggles of the club, “To recap a season like this it’s like a coin with two sides we had some bad results but the dedication of our U21 players and our passionate players really is something to be proud of.” He concluded that ultimately the perseverance of the organisation is commendable. The season had ups and downs, but with that the organisation wants to thank the league, city, and community in general for another season.