HIGHLIGHTS: York United FC vs. FC Edmonton (September 9, 2022)
It was a night full of celebration at York Lions Stadium on Friday night, as Mo Babouli scored a brace for York United and Osaze De Rosario became the club’s all-time record goalscorer in a 3-1 victory over FC Edmonton.
Osaze De Rosario and Dominick Zator were unable to score for York United from early shots, but The Nine Stripes would find their first breakthrough in the 13th minute.
After Noah Verhoeven found him on the right flank, Chrisnovic N’sa fired a cross into the Edmonton box. The ball was met at the back post by Mo Babouli, who headed it past Darlington Murasiranwa to give the home team the lead. Playing just his fifth game for the club, it was Babouli’s third goal already since joining the club last month.
Murasiranwa got some redemption later in the half, denying Ronan Kratt from point-blank range as the York United attacker volleyed a shot toward the Edmonton net from a set piece. The Eddies goalkeeper was certainly the busier of the two in the opening half, making four saves, while his York United counterpart Eleias Himaras didn’t even face a shot on target in the first 45.
Despite taking nine shots, five of them on target, in the opening half, York was only able to tally the one goal — Babouli’s opener. Like their second half against Pacific FC last week, they were dominant and should have probably had at least one or two more tallies.
De Rosario doubled York’s lead moments after halftime, firing the ball past Murasiranwa from the edge of the penalty area with a powerful shot. The goal makes history, as De Rosario is now York’s all-time record goalscorer with twelve, all scored this season — beating Rodrigo Gattas’ previous record, after the Chilean scored all eleven of his goals in 2019.
It’s his eleventh in CPL action, leaving him two back of former Pacific FC attacker Alejandro Diaz for the league lead.
FC Edmonton halved the lead a few minutes after York’s second goal, as CJ Smith scored his first of the season. Nyal Higgins picked the ball up in midfield and took a few steps forward, before threading a perfectly-weighted pass through the middle of the pitch. Smith ran onto it and shot low, with the shot hitting Himaras but trickling through and bouncing into the back of the net.
De Rosario had a similar chance to get a shot on target in the 65th minute, getting a wide-open shot from near the penalty spot, but shot it right at Murasiranwa.
Smith would concede a penalty later in the half, fouling Mo Babouli in the box, and would pay the price. Babouli stepped up to take it himself, and buried it, for his second goal of the match and fourth in five appearances, making it 3-1 in the process.
The Eddies kept pushing to the final whistle, and perhaps should have had a late penalty as a goal line clearance seemed to strike the arm of Chrisnovic N’sa, but the referee thought otherwise.
The match would end 3-1, a result that snaps Edmonton’s three-game unbeaten streak, and creates a winning streak for York United, who now have two 3-1 victories in a row.
BOX SCORE
Goals
13′ — Mo Babouli (York United)
48′ — Osaze De Rosario (York United)
54′ — CJ Smith (FC Edmonton)
71′ — Mo Babouli (York United)
Discipline
30′ — Yellow: Nyal Higgins (FC Edmonton)
49′ — Yellow: Osaze De Rosario (York United)
62′ — Yellow: Kevin dos Santos (York United)
76′ — Yellow: Bicou Bissainthe (FC Edmonton)
