Final Score: Atlético Ottawa 2-2 York United
Goalscorers: Acosta 50′, Shaw 82′; Petrasso 18′, Rivero 60′
Game of the 2021 season: 58
CPL match: 193
Match in a minute or less
A late Malcolm Shaw goal saw his Atlético Ottawa side share the points with York United on Wednesday night at TD Place.
Michael Petrasso opened the scoring for The Nine Stripes in the 18th minute, redirecting a cross from Max Ferrari over Atlético Ottawa goalkeeper Teodor Obadal, earning the visitors a deserved 1-0 lead heading into half time.
Moments after halftime, Ottawa left back Miguel Acosta took advantage of a heavy touch from Dominick Zator in his own box, stealing the ball and firing it past Nathan Ingham to tie it up at 1-1. A brilliant ball over the Ottawa backline from York’s Noah Verhoeven sent Alvaro Rivero in alone 10 minutes later, and the Spaniard chipped the ball over Obadal to restore his side’s lead.
With the clock winding down, and for the second match in a row, Malcolm Shaw was the hero for the home team, turning and firing the ball in a crowded penalty area to tie it up at 2-2, and move his team one point closer to moving off the bottom of the table.
Three Observations
Ottawa remain unbeaten at home in CPL action
Since finally making their long-awaited TD Place debut on August 14th, Atlético Ottawa have not been unbeaten at home in CPL action.
A crucial 2-1 victory over HFX Wanderers in the home opener kicked them into gear, and they have drawn their three league games at home since — 1-1 with York United on August 18th, 2-2 with the Wanderers on the 29th, and Wednesday’s 2-2 stalemate.
They fell 3-2 at home to Valour FC in the Canadian Championship on August 21, but have otherwise shown a willingness to fight for every ball in front of their home supporters.
Playing at home in front of fans has given the squad a morale boost, and they have picked up six big points as a result. They’ll need to start turning those draws into victories, but the fans at TD Place have provided the spark that the team has needed.
“They’re huge for us,” said midfielder Ben McKendry after Wednesday’s match. “It seems like they’re with us for every moment of the game — every time we win the ball, every time we put a cross in, every shot. They certainly provide us with the push that we need.
“Not a lot of fanbases provide that when their team is down a goal and fighting to get an equalizer, so they’re definitely huge for us.”
Ottawa’s next two matches are also at home, against Forge FC on September 8th, and HFX Wanderers on September 11th.
York United continue to build chemistry on and off the pitch
As the season has progressed, York United has developed a chemistry that has improved their play, and sees them on the verge of a playoff spot. The team has grown together as a unit, and with a significant portion of the squad now playing double-digit matches together, the team is starting to find each other the pitch in ways that they maybe didn’t in the earlier stages of the season.
It was clear on their first goal on Wednesday in particular. After a backheel from Nicholas Hamilton found its way to Max Ferrari, Michael Petrasso drifted into a good position in the penalty area, and Ferrari knew exactly where Petrasso would make the run. The cross from the York youngster went right into the space Petrasso ran into, and the attacker lifted the ball over Teodor Obadal for the opening tally.
Eight of their eleven players finished the match with over 80% passing completion, with Dominick Zator and Alvaro Rivero ending with more than 90% as they are proving that they can find each other on the pitch, especially where it counts in the opposition half of the pitch.
“[The team’s chemistry] is getting better and better each game,” said Ferrari after the match. “I think that helps because of how close we are off the pitch, we all work on it together. We all battled together for the full 95 minutes — the team chemistry is getting good, it can always get better but it’s easy finding my teammates recently.”
“The chemistry is really coming along, you can see it in our play,” added head coach Jimmy Brennan after the match. “Guys are starting to understand one another, starting to understand each other’s movements and habits when they play. You can see there’s a bit more rhythym when they play. We like the way we’re building the team, the way we’re building as a group.”
Malcolm Shaw showed up again when his team needed him most
For the second time this week, Malcolm Shaw scored a vital goal under pressure for Atlético Ottawa.
On Sunday, his 75th-minute penalty earned his side a point in a 2-2 draw wit HFX Wanderers, and tonight it was his 82nd-minute strike that came when his side needed it most. After a shot from Chris Mannella found it’s way to Shaw in the box, he turned and fired a shot past Nathan Ingham to tie the game at 2-2 late.
It was Shaw’s sixth goal of the season, moving him into second place in the Golden Boot race, one behind Wanderers forward Joao Morelli, as he continues to be a crucial part of Ottawa’s attack.
On Wednesday, Shaw led his side in shots with four, also making three key passes as he looked to create chances for his teammates. He was deployed on the left wing rather than his usual spot as a striker, filling in for the suspended Ryan Telfer. He hardly looked out of place, still causing problems for the defenders.
He also contributed on the other side of the ball, making three tackles and one clearance.
“He’s very important for us,” said Mista after the match. “Malcolm had great responsibility tonight because he played in a different position than [usual]. He gave everything, he did a great job. We trust Malcolm, we trust Brian [Wright], we trust [Raul] Uche, we trust all the strikers.”
CanPL.ca Player of the Match
Malcolm Shaw, Atlético Ottawa
Shaw was one of his side’s best attackers on Wednesday, and scored the goal that earned them a point.
What’s next?
York United travel east to take on HFX Wanderers on Monday, September 6th (3 pm AT/ 2 pm ET). Atlético Ottawa are back at home on Wednesday, September 8th (7 pm ET) for their next match, against Forge FC. Watch all matches live on OneSoccer.