VORKUTA 5-0 VICTORY THURSDAY LEAVES FC UKRAINE UNITED NEEDING 4-GOAL MARGIN TO WIN FIRST DIVISION TITLE
FC Vorkuta completed its regular season with a 5-0 win over Brantford Galaxy Thursday, to leave FC Ukraine United needing victory by a four-goal margin in its final regular season match on Sunday to clinch the CSL First Division title.
Ukraine United is expected to win the final match against winless CSC Mississauga, but it will take a four-goal margin to finish on top of the First Division.
Vorkuta ended its regular season 16-game campaign with a 12-2-2 WLT for 38 points, scoring 55 goals and conceding 16 for a goal difference of 39, while Ukraine United face Sunday’s final match with a 11-2-2 record for 35 points, scoring 50 goals and conceding 14, a goal difference of 36.
Vorkuta’s reserve team has already clinched the Second Division league title and FC Vorkuta and FC Vorkuta B both enter the post-season playoffs at the end of September for the CSL Championship and Second Division Championship, respectively.
Despite several early raids on the Brantford Galaxy goal at Esther Shiner Stadium, Vorkuta were scoreless for 30 minutes until midfielder Vadym Gostiev’s powerful drive from outside the box caught the corner of the Galaxy net. It was Gostiev’s first of three goals in the match.
Vorkuta’s Sergii Ivliev struck the crossbar two minutes later and Gostiev scored his second goal from the rebound for a 2-0 Vorkuta lead. It was 2-0 at the interval.
Gostiev completed his hat-trick immediately following the second half kickoff, receiving a long diagonal pass from Oleksandr Tarasenko to move in and chip the ball under the bar, a 3-0 Vorkuta lead.
Ivliev struck the Vorkuta fourth goal at 50 minutes, his eleventh goal of the season, an easy tap in after receiving a cross from Serhii Ursulenko, and substitute forward Kristijan Kezic scored his second goal of the season at 82 minutes from a corner kick by Iaroslav Solonynko to complete the scoring at 5-0 for Vorkuta.
There are six First Division matches scheduled this coming weekend, beginning with two on Friday when Serbian White Eagles are at home in Centennial Stadium to SC Waterloo at 7, and Real Mississauga is host to CSC Mississauga at the Hershey Centre, that’s at 8.30 pm kickoff.
On Sunday, Serbian White Eagles travel to RIM Park for a match with SC Waterloo at 7 pm, Hamilton City is at home at the Heritage Field against Brantford Galaxy also at 7, Ukraine United will play their final regular season match and wanting to win by a margin of four goals in a First Division title decider against CSC Mississauga at Centennial Stadium, that’s at 7 pm and Real Mississauga will host Scarborough SC at the Hershey Centre, kickoff is 8.30 pm
In the Second Division, Serbian White Eagles B are at home to Milton SC B at Centennial Stadium on Friday night, that’s a 9pm kickoff.