De Rosario scores game winner to extend York United's winning streak

Osaze De Rosario was the hero as he scored what ended up being the game winner to extend York United FC's unbeaten streak to 5 straight matches.

Ottawa did an excellent job dictating the pace of play from the moment the match started. They had York on their heels on a few occassions and got their first scoring opporunity that rang off of the post. 

Despite the missed opportunity, Atletico continued pushing the pace offensively and were rewarded for their efforts as defender Zach Verhoven struck a fantastic shot that found the back of the net. It wasn't the best of starts for York as they conceded an early goal and faced an uphill battle less than 10 minutes into the match. 

Fortunately for York, they would score an equalizer in the 24th minute after Ottawa defender Luke Singh redirected a York cross into his own net. The Nine Stripe caught a break as the visitors were doing a great job troubling them with their crosses into the box. 

York head coach Martin Nash made some adjustments to his starting lineup as he shifted Austin Ricci to the middle behind Osaze De Rosario in a 4-2-3-1 formation. During his press availability prior to tonight's match, Nash mentioned that he wanted his side to dictate the tempo of play, saying:

"I'd like to be able to dictate more of the tempo in the opponent's half. I think in our last game I felt we were playing in our half and were a bit scattered in the attacking half."  

Ottawa had another scoring opportunity in the 41st minute, but this time it was Ollie Bassett's shot that hit the post. The halftime whistle sounded as both teams went into the break with a 1-1 draw. 

Bassett was unlucky as he once again hit the post in the 67th minute, which essentially bailed York out as they were unable to get shots on target and could have had to deal with a heightened sense of urgency should they have had to score another equalizer. 

Michael Petrasso was a positive addition when he was subbed into the match by Nash. He used his tactical awareness off the wing and tracked back to support the defenders. 

De Rosario, who was the club's leading scorer last season, got a touch on a set-piece play to score his first goal of the season to give York United the 2-1 in the 80th minute. It was a familiar goal celebration as he celebrated like his father, Dwayne De Rosario did throughout his legendary career. He had struggled to score goals this season, so this was a massive goal for his confidence going forward. 

Photo Credit: York United FC (@YorkUnitedFC - Twitter)