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Written By: Rollins, Duane
Vaughan Azzuri utilized a strong and relentless passing game to eventually break down an organized Durham United for a comprehensive 5-2 win in Pickering.
It wasn't always as easy as the score might suggest. Despite holding a significant possession advantage, Vaughan could not find the final touch for the game's first eighteen minutes.
It was a nice bit of skill by midfielder Joey Cicchillo to beat his man and get behind the defensive line to start the scoring effort. After getting down low, he whipped a cross in to the far post for Andrea Lombardo. Rather than shoot, Lombardo found Carlos Nogueira's head at the top of the six-yard-box. He wasn't going to miss from there.
The goal was a perfect illustration of Vaughan's game plan all night. Cicchillo creating from the flanks would be a common sight.
After the game, Vaughan head coach Carmine Isacco praised Cicchillo.
"His physical attributes, and his competitive attributes, are fantastic," he said. "He used all of that today."
After the breakthrough, Vaughan started to dominate. However, after several chances were turned away Durham would take advantage of a counter-attack to score a unlikely goal.
Streaking down the left flank, Jordan Hargrave attempted to cross the ball. The wind caught the cross and caused Vaughan keeper Colm Vance to get twisted up. Suddenly, the cross was a shot and it was in the back of the net.
Although there might have been a touch of luck involved, Durham coach Tony La Ferrara suggested that luck comes from hard work. He praised the effort of the club despite the lopsided score.
"The boys definitely worked hard," he said. "They were organized, they didn't give up. The positive thing is they are working hard."
So was Cicchillo. Once again he would burn the Durham back line, this time in the thirty-second minute. And once again he would find Lombardo with a near perfect cross.
Gathering the ball unmarked, ten yards from goal, Lombardo blasted it home off a single touch.
That would be all the scoring in the first half. After the break Durham would have its best stretch of the game. However, they could not find a goal and in the sixty-seventh minute they would be burned on the counter.
It was Cicchillo again. Receiving the ball at midfield, he would take it himself for a twenty-five yard run and goal. Durham's spirit appeared to break with the goal, and Vaughan would go on to add two more quick goals.
Jonathan Lao would break in alone off another counter in the seventy-fifth minute, and an unfortunate deflection led to an own goal three minutes later.
At 5-1, both teams seemed content to play out the string, although Durham would get some consolation with an eighty-fifth minute tap-in by Le Shaun Young that came off a Joseph Roccasalva cross.
After the game, Cicchillo gave praise to Durham, suggesting that Vaughan had to work for everything.
"We go into every game expecting the best from our opponent," he said. "This league is like that. You expect a battle every week."
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