Maybe there were "bigger picture" tale sto be told for the Sudbury Cyclones Saturday night in the aftermath of a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Vaughan Azzurri, but one senses the gents were in no mood to hear it.

With a win giving the first year League1 Ontario entry a very realistic shot at promotion from the League2 - Northeast Division with but one game remaining on their schedule, the Cyclones looked ready to grab the brass ring early, opening the scoring on a penalty kick from Teobaldo Torres in the 25th minute.

Some fifteen minutes or so later, the match turned on a dime.

After being assessed a yellow card in the 32nd minute prompting a visible "talking to" from the center referee, Torres was handed a second yellow nine minutes later - a penalty which automatically entails a red card, forcing the Cyclones to play half the contest one man down.

With the homeside still somewhat stunned, Nathan Baker equalized the showdown in the 43rd minute as the Burlington native who suited up with the Lindenwood Lions (Ohio Valley Conference) crew in 2023 timing his run to the box to perfection, his header giving Sudbury keeper Josh Bondoc little to no chance of making the save.

After playing the final few minutes of the opening half on their heels, the Cyclones took full advantage of the mid-game break to settle things down, managing to trade chances to some extent with the Azzurri in the second half.

Vaughan goalie Grant Wyles came through with a handful of key saves - as did Bondoc, especially in the second half - with the visitors stymying Torres in tight (prior to his ejection) and then darting his left hand out to make the save on Timi Aliu with the match tied at one.

Thanks to an unbelievable effort from defenders Jaden Timmis and Luke Harrop and their counterparts on the Sudbury back line, the clock hit the 90-minute mark with the score unchanged at 1-1.

Unfortunately for the Cyclones, they would fall victim to the same fate they had inflicted on the Pickering side one week earlier.

A flurry in the Sudbury zone created a handful of opportunities before Joseph Guido drilled a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced in a couple of minutes into extra time, allowing Vaughan to escape with the win.

While the Cyclones are not yet mathematically eliminated from the battle for promotion, the picture is far from rosy. With a record of 10-2-1, Alliance United is showing the way, but with only one game remaining, are definitely in danger of being overtaken by the Azzurri (10-2-0 - two games remaining).

For their part, Sudbury sits third now at 9-2-2 with a road game versus Unionville-Milliken SC (2-10-0) next Saturday - with standings now reading: Alliance - 31 points; Vaughan - 30 points; Sudbury - 29 points.

Though the head to head with Vaughan was every bit as intense as one might expect, it was the Cyclones who were assessed eight of the 12 yellow cards that were doled out - though three of those were given to the Cyclones bench staff which assist head coach Giuseppe Politi on the sidelines (seemingly for not remaining seated during the game - though that is just my guess).