York Region Shooters will be aiming this weekend to begin a repeat of their outstanding performance of 2014, a season when the team just north of Toronto won the CSL First Division and went on to capture the CSL Championship.
York Region are at home to lowly Milton in the quarterfinals of the championship this coming Sunday and just three games away in their attempt to achieve the trophy presentation.
With just two defeats and conceding a remarkably low 10 goals in the 21-game regular season schedule, the Shooters enter the playoffs title favourites to again win Canada’s top league.
Much can be said of expansion team FC Ukraine United which finished the runner-up in the First Division table following a tough schedule against some seasoned campaigners. York Region were tops in being the team to concede the least goals, while Ukraine United excelled in goalscoring in this, their inaugural year in the CSL, scoring the most goals in the top division and having two strikers in the top five positions in the First Division goalscoring chart.
Ukraine United are at home to Brantford Galaxy in Saturday’s quarterfinals, and while the visitors struggled most of the season, finishing 7th of 8 in the standings, they are capable of an upset reminiscent of their surprise championship victory of 2010.
The championship semifinals are set for the weekend October 21 – 23 and the CSL Championship will be played at Birchmount Stadium on Sunday, October 30, a 2 pm kickoff.
The weekend playoff schedule:
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP – Quarterfinals
Sat. October 15 Centennial Stadium 7.30 pm, Serbian White Eagles vs Toronto Atomic
Sat. October 15 Esther Shiner Stadium 4 pm, Ukraine United vs Brantford Galaxy
Sun. October 16 St. Joan of Arc 6.30 pm York Region Shooters vs Milton SC
Sun. October 16 Birchmount Stadium 7.30 pm, Scarborough SC vs Hamilton City
CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP – Semifinals
Sun. October 16 Woodside Park 6 pm SC Waterloo B vs York Region Shooters B
Sun. October 16 Centennial Stadium 7 pm Toronto Atomic B vs Brantford Galaxy B