CPSL Week 8 results

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Friday July 9, 2004 CPSL game between Toronto Croatia and North York Astros played at Memorial Park in Streetsville at 8:00pm.

21 min...Toronto Croatia Jason Shannon GOAL...TC Edin Kalic gets ball through three defenders and Shannon's 15 yard shot from right is into left side of net beyond goalie Arthur Zaslavski.

38 min...Astros Alen Majstorovic GOAL...ball is in middle after TC player knocked it down but Astros player pushed Majstorovic ball on left and from 20 yards takes shot from left that's into short left side of net just under bar beyond goalie George Azcurra.

82 min...Toronto Croatia Antonijo Zupan GOAL...TC Leo Laurito cornerkick from left is into Astros box and Zupan in crowd of players pushes 3 yarder into left corner of net.

86 min...Toronto Croatia Edin Kalic GOAL...TC Jason Shannon squeezes pass from 30 yards on left into middle and Kalic's low 20 yard shot is into low right corner of net.

Final Score:...............Toronto Croatia..........3.........North York Astros..........1......

Attendance was about 125 on this warm evening.

The game was pretty even with both struggling teams controlling patches of the game. The checking was fairly rough on the small field but referee Michael Lambert never had a problem with the game.

The game could have gone either way until the last 10 minutes when after the Astros fell behind, they pressed and left them open at the back. The small field enabled both teams to rush upfield on any goalkick or punt leading to possible through balls. Both teams sent quite a few crosses through the box but there was usually no teammate in the area to put the ball away.

Toronto Croatia released midfielder Willie Giummarra who now has joined injury riddled Brampton Hitmen. Giummarra wasn't getting the playing time he wanted but a TC official said they weren't playing him because he wasn't in 100% shape.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Sunday July 11th, 2004 CPSL game between Metro Lions and Toronto Croatia played at Birchmount Stadium in Scarborough at 6:00pm.

8 min...Lions Gabriel Salustias GOAL...ML Hayden Fitzwilliams shot from right, flying goalie George Azcurra stops shot, ML Salustias in crowd of players in box but unchallenged gets 10 yard blast to left corner of net.

9 min...Toronto Croatia Edin Kalic GOAL...TC Leo Laurito who's already in ML box sends cross from right and leaping TC Kalic on 5 yard header on left to flick in ball to right side of net.

11 min...Toronto Croatia Zvjezdan Kresic GOAL...TC Antonijo Zupan cross from right has TC Halburto Harris nod header from 18 yards back to TC Kresic on right and in open, puts 10 yard blast into left side of net.

20 min...Lions Hayden Fitzwilliams GOAL...ML Darryl Gomez 30 yard freekick from right, Fitzwilliams flicks 12 yard header that hits underside of crossbar, has ball hit ground and deflect up and hit underside of crossbar again but this time deflect into net. Now that was a hard header!

30 min...Lions Maxim Dorneval GOAL...ML Hayden Fitzwilliams rushes through middle, stutter steps by defender even with him and short pass to ML Dorneval for him to jab 5 yarder on right to short side of net.

42 min...Toronto Croatia Antonijo Zupan GOAL...TC Leo Laurito cornerkick from left is well over box, TC Mario Kulis blasts ball from right is through players in box and stopped by sprawling goalie Alex Pereski of left post. Zupan slides and pokes 3 yarder into left side of net.

88 min...TC Yellow card...goalie George Azcurra for bumping player on through ball just outside box. Sets up freekick.

89 min...Lions Darryl Gomez GOAL...ML Gomez chips 20 yard freekick over seven or eight man wall with an ML player on each side charging in as decoys ducks just under bar on right side of net.

90 min...Lions RED card...Billy Ninopoulos picks up his second Yellow card from referee Calin Pintea for a clip of TC player near sideline.

95 min...game ends.

Final Score:.......Metro Lions.......4..........Toronto Croatia........3.......

Attendance was about 100 on this warm evening with the sun in the northwest.

Wow! We don't see seven goals in an evenly matched CPSL game very often. Although it may seem like the goaltending was suspect, both goalies had to come up with some spectacular saves or the score would have been even higher. It was just a day when everything went right with through balls hitting their man and freekicks and crosses just finding their way though. Alex Pereski was filling in for the Lions injured Gregory Drakes in goal.

Toronto Croatia only had three substitutes today and with the game never slowing down in action although the goalscoring did in the second half, the players may have been tiring although the winning game was on a set piece. The play that set up the freekick was goalie George Azcurra had to come out to play a through ball that eluded the Toronto Croatia defense.

With so many through balls and passes, most of the goals were disputed as offsides and many of the offside calls that were given were complained about.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca