Friday night was huge for TFC II and their new adventure at the Ontario Soccer Centre. The team took on second place Charleston Battery in front of 468 people at the OSC.
TFC II were looking hard for their first win at their new home and a point to stop a four game pointless streak from getting any worse.
The game started well for the away club, as it was all Charleston for the first 10 minutes. The overload of pressure almost caused a goal for the home side, as a weak pass from keeper Quillan Roberts caused Battery striker Dane Kelly to pick up the pass with ease, only to be stopped by Roberts.
For the rest of the match, it was the Quillan Roberts show. After that mistake, Roberts robbed a Battery strike in the box off a corner. The Canadian keeper made eight saves in total, many of which kept his side in the game.
It seemed that the stellar play of Roberts, and the strong defensive ability by the backline allowed the offence to feel more comfortable and allow more passes to flow free. However, the Battery's defence wasn't allowing anything easy to go by them. TFC II only managed two shots in the first half, compared to the Battery's 10. The first shot on target for TFC II occurred in the 35th minute. That's a long time to go without having a shot on net.
When the second half began, it became the Dane Kelly and Ricky Garbanzo show. The two Battery players teamed up and had many chances at Roberts. However, the young keeper stood tall and was able to stop Kelly whenever he had a chance.
This exciting match featured Toronto FC 2015 draft pick Sal Bernal, who came on right before the half. However, the arrival of Bernal was overshadowed by the referee. Many disciplinary calls were left missed and it sparked a lot of intensity between the two clubs. Both teams were chirping at each other, and on two occasions a scrap ensued.
After both sides calmed down a little, TFC II seemed to take control of the match and began moving the ball much better. The intensity between the Battery and the young Reds looked to help the home side and give them that push they needed to put the game away. For most of the second half, TFC II seemed to have locked up at least a point.
Then in the 88th minute, Canadian Pan Am participant Mo Babouli stepped up take a free kick on the left side of the box and whipped his chance on goal to defender Skylar Thomas, who headed in the first goal at the Ontario Soccer Centre and TFC II's first goal in four games.
Now, the young Reds felt even more pressure from the Battery and had to defend a lead for the first time at their new home. Strong defensive plays and the exceptional play of Roberts again helped guide TFC II to their first win at home and their first win in four matches.
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