Kevin Dos Santos was the hero for York United FC as he scored in the 88th minute to seal the win for The Nine Stripes and keep their playoff hopes alive.
York United had an opportunity to get one step closer to a playoff berth as they battle for the final playoff spot after HFX Wanderers clinched yesterday.
The Nine Stripes did a great job dictating the pace of play in the opening 10 minutes of the match as they were finding openings through the link-up play off the left-wing. Osaze De Rosario looked like a threat in the attack, which is a positive sign considering he didn’t score at the same pace as his rookie campaign last season.
Niko Giantsopoulos came up with a big save in the 16th minute as Ottawa had an opportunity on the counterattack. In the 32nd minute, the York goalkeeper once again came up big for his club as he stopped a clear scoring opportunity to keep the match scoreless.
York defender Tass Mourdoukoutas was a strong presence on the backline as he was breaking up plays and remained composed during Ottawa’s counterattacks.
The Nine Stripes had their best scoring opportunity in the 41st minute after Babouli spotted Bayhia with a cross, but his shot was stopped by former Nathan Ingham. It was a close call as both goalkeepers bailed out their defenders with crucial saves.
The second half was similar to the first half in that it was tightly contested and there was very little room for error as both sides exchanged scoring chances, but couldn’t get anything past the goalkeepers, who were in excellent form.
York’s best scoring opportunity came in the 73rd minute, when Austin Ricci received a through ball and had a plenty of space, but his shot was stopped by Ingham and they had to settle for a corner-kick.
The Nine Stripes broke the deadlock in the 88th minute after Kevin Dos Santos received a pass from Gagnon-Lapare and made no mistake as he maneuvered his way around a defender and struck the ball in the back of the net beating Ingham, who up until that moment was flawless.
The fans in attendance at York Lions Stadium erupted as The Nine Stripes closed out the game and secured the full three points and close in on the final playoff spot.
Photo credit: York United FC (@yorkutdfc – Twitter)
