VORKUTA, VORKUTA, VORKUTA SPELLS THREE CSL TITLES
Vorkuta, Vorkuta, Vorkuta ! chanted fans at Centennial Stadium in Toronto’s west end, urging their team on in during a hotly contested, entertaining CSL Championship Final against Scarborough SC Saturday afternoon.
And the encouragement was for good reason. The York Region-based Vorkuta had already secured the CSL Second Division Championship with its reserve team in the first game of a championship double header just an hour earlier – a second 2018 title following the team’s Second Division league win back in mid-September.
A CSL Championship victory would set a unprecedented three titles in the same Canadian Soccer League season and that was the outcome as FC Vorkuta fought off a gallant Scarborough side to win on penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie at 90 minutes and the same score at the end of extra time 30 minutes later.
Vorkuta’s found the net with all six penalty kicks, Scarborough dropped one of its six and the team named after a community in northern Russia, entered the CSL as recent as 2017, took its third title to end the 2018 CSL season.
Both sides set a strong pace and Scarborough came close early when forward Kiril Dimitrov’s drive from the right wing deflected just wide.
Vorkuta took a 1-0 lead at 29 minutes when referee Marcos Jaramillo pointed to the penalty spot after Oleh Kerchu was brought down in the box. Defender Lubomyr Halchuk easily found the nest past Scarborough goalkeeper John Trye.
Five minutes later Scarborough had another setback when referee Jaramillo showed Scarborough defender Alen Kucalovic the red card following a second caution, and it was 1-0 at the break.
Scarborough went on the offensive in the second half and rallied to equalize at 77 minutes when midfielder Odain Omaro Simpson headed in from a left wing cross.
Both teams kept up the tempo in a physical encounter that brought down players from both sides. There were missed opportunities and regulation time came with a 1-1 tie. The overtime 30 minutes each way was similar, but scoreless, leading to the penalty kicks decider. Vorkuta completed scoring all six, while Scarborough struck five and one was saved.
Commenting on Vorkuta’s achievements in winning three titles, head coach Samad Kadirov emphasized team play as being important, “But we also have some quality players, some performing well just at the right time and others were unexpected heroes,” he said.
FC VORKUTA: Volodymyr Bidlovskyi (defender), Denys Diachenko (midfielder), Valerii Doroshenko (midfielder), Vadym Gostiev (defender), Liubomyr Halchuk (defender), Valerii Haidarzhi (midfielder), Sergii Ivliev (forward), Oleh Kerchu (midfielder), Oleksandr Lozinskyy (goalkeeper), Oleksandr Muslienko (goalkeeper), Bohdan Riabets (midfielder), Mykhailo Riabyl (midfielder), Iaroslav Solonynko (midfielder), Oleksandr Tarasenko (defender), Serhii Ursulenko (midfielder), Oleksandr Volchkov (defender), Oleksandr Yaremchuk (defender), Valerii Yarmosh (midfielder). Head coach: Samad Kadirov, Assistant coach: Yanchuk Denys
SCARBOROUGH SC: Angel Angelov (defender), Hammud Ali Atif (forward), Kavin Bryan (forward), Ivan Cendic (defender), Kiril Dimitrov (forward, Adrian Ibanez (goalkeeper), Zoran Knezevic (midfielder), Alen Kucalovic (defender), Neven Radakovic (midfielder), Zoran Rajovic (midfielder), Momcilo Rudan (defender), Odain Omaro Simpson (midfielder), Milorad Stefanovic (midfielder), Stefan Stojiljkovic (midfielder) , Aleksander Stojiljkovic (forward), John Trye(goalkeeper), Ivan Prieto (midfielder), Cruz Coronel(defender). Head coach: Zoran Rajovic, Assistant coach: Imad Hukara.
TWO GOALS BY KEZIC LEADS VORKUTA B TO CSL SECOND CHAMPIONSHIP
In the earlier CSL Second Division Championship match, Christian Truyen opened the scoring for Halton United B at the 13th minute mark, heading into the net out of reach of FC Vorkuta B goalkeeper Oleksandr Lozinskyy and Vorkuta B tied 1-1 when Kristijan Kezic found the net one minute later.
This was followed shortly after the restart when Ihor Melnyk made it 2-1 for Vorkuta B at 15 minutes and Robert Melo equalized for Halton United B, 2-2 at the 35th minute mark. It was 2-2 at halftime.
Vorkuta B went ahead 3-2, Kezic scoring his second goal and the winner at 71 minutes and the score held to the final whistle.
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
Quarterfinals
SC Waterloo 2, Serbian White Eagles 1
Scarborough SC 4, Hamilton City 1
FC Ukraine United 0, Brantford Galaxy 0 (after extra time) FC Ukraine United won 8-7 on penalty kicks
FC Vorkuta 2, Real Mississauga 1
Semifinals
FC Vorkuta 2, SC Waterloo 2 (after extra time) Vorkuta won 4-3 on penalty kicks
Scarborough SC 2, Ukraine United 1
CSL Championship Final
FC Vorkuta 1, Scarborough SC 1 (after extra time) FC Vorkuta won 6-5 on penalty kicks
CSL SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinals
FC Vorkuta B 3, Brantford Galaxy B 1
Halton United B 3, Scarborough SC B 1
CSL Second Division Championship
FC Vorkuta B 3, Halton United 2