Stan Adamson

PICTURE: Vorkuta defender Vadym Gostiev sealed the win with a goal at 92 minutes and was prominent with an assist and strong defensive play.

Photo by Samad Kadirov

FC Vorkuta stretched its unbeaten streak to 15 games with a 3-0 away victory over FC Ukraine United, while in one other match played in the Canadian Soccer League First Division Sunday, Scarborough defeated Hamilton City 2-0.

League leading scorer Mykola Temniuk of Vorkuta struck twice, a goal in each half to raise his total on the season to 14, while the Vorkuta third goal was scored by defender Vadym Gostiev.

Vorkuta went on to the attack early with Ukraine United counter attacking at Centennial Stadium in Toronto’s west-end and the opening goal was scored when Temniuk dispossessed a Ukraine United defender to then find the net past goalkeeper Oleksandr Popravka. It was 1-0 at the break.

Ukraine United went on the attack during the second half in an attempt to get back on even terms, but at 86 minutes Temniuk headed in a corner kick by Vadym Gostiev to increase the lead to 2-0 for the visitors.

Gostiev sealed the win for Vorkuta with a goal at 92 minutes, scored when Vorkuta cleared a free kick by Ukraine United  and Ihor Melnyk made a quick pass to Gostiev who closed in to beat Popravka. The 3-0 score held to the final whistle.

Vorkuta leads the First Division with a 12-0-3 WLT record for 39 points followed by Scarborough’s 10-2-2 for 32 points following the Toronto east-end team’s 2-0 victory over Hamilton City.

Kavin Bryan scored both goals in the first half for Scarborough in the match at Birchmount Stadium, the first at 23 minutes off a corner kick by Jamaican national team player Marvin O’Neil Morgan and the second goal at 38 minutes, driving the ball into the net from inside the box.

Ukraine United now has a 6-5-2 record for 20 points in fifth position in the standings following Sunday’s loss, and Hamilton City has a 3-6-3 record for 12 points following the 2-0 defeat by Scarborough.

In Second Division action, a 5-3 victory on Sunday afternoon by FC Vorkuta B over Serbian White Eagles B — the top team’s nearest rivals in the Second Division standings — puts Vorkuta B very much in control with an 8-0-0 WLT 100 per cent record for 24 points in the standings, while Serbian White Eagles B are still in second position in the Second Division table with 16 points.

Kristijan Kezic scored a hat-trick for the Vorkuta reserve team at the St. Roberts ground, while Denys Yanchuk and Illia Piltenko added a goal apiece. Serbian White Eagles B goals came from Marko Stajic (2) and Miroslav Jovanovic.

Vorkuta’s top scorer last season, Kristijan Kezic, returned for his first game in two months following an ankle injury, which means the top club in both divisions will be even stronger now to finish off the season.

All six Second Division teams will qualify for the post season playoffs, with the two top teams gaining a bye to the semifinals in pursuit of the Second Division Championship.

UPCOMING MIDWEEK LEAGUE GAMES IN THE SECOND DIVISION            

Wed. Sep 4 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm Kingsman B vs Brantford Galaxy B             

Wed. Sep 4 Cardinal Nrwman 9 pm Hamilton City B vs FC Vorkuta B           

Wed. Sep 4 Iceland Field 9 pm  Serbian White Eagles B vs CSC Mississauga B           

SC Waterloo took over fourth spot in the First Division standings with a 4-1 victory over Brantford Galaxy, one game scheduled in the Canadian Soccer League Saturday.

Waterloo took an early lead when at 5 minutes forward Ali Sahat scored for the home side and midfielder Miodrag Kovacevic made it 2-0 at the 21^st  minute mark..

Defender Milos Urta struck a third goal  for Waterloo at 36 minutes and it was 3-0 at the interval.

Brantford Galaxy cut the lead to 3-1 when midfielder Camilo Veloza found the net past Waterloo goalkeeper Dalibor Ivanovic at the 61st minute mark, but just a minute later the home side increased the score to 4-1, a second goal by Kovacevic and the score held to the final whistle. It was goal 7 on the season for Kovacevic.

Waterloo increased its record to 7-7-1 WLT for 22 points and fourth position in the table as a result of the win, while Brantford Galaxy now has a 2-10-1 record at the foot of the standings.

REMAINING MATCHES IN THE CSL FIRST DIVISION OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Sunday Sept. 1 Birchmount Stadium 8 pm Scarborough SC vs Hamilton City        

Sunday Sep 1 Centennial Stadium 9 pm FC Ukraine United vs FC Vorkuta

UPCOMING SECOND DIVISION  

Sunday Sep 1 St. Roberts 3 pm   FC Vorkuta B vs Serbian White Eagles B 

Wed. Sep 4 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm    Kingsman B vs Brantford Galaxy B           

Wed. Sep 4 Cardinal Nrwman 9 pm Hamilton City B vs FC Vorkuta B           

Wed. Sep 4 Iceland Field 9 pm  Serbian White Eagles B vs CSC Mississauga B           

PICTURE: Mykola Temniuk struck the winner for still unbeaten league-leading FC Vorkuta, increasing his personal output to 12 goals while staying on top of the CSL First Division scorers.

FC Vorkuta continued its winning way with a 1-0 away victory at Waterloo, Brantford Galaxy and Hamilton City both scored home victories to improve their playoff chances, and in a hard fought game FC Ukraine United and Serbian White Eagles settled for a 1-1 draw, which did little in their bid for a late-season  opportunity to acheive First Division honours.

Waterloo kicked off in attacking style against league-leading Vorkuta at RIM Park in Waterloo and goalkeeper Olexandr Musiienko’s early saves kept the home side off the scoresheet.

Vorkuta took the lead at 37 minutes when league-leading goalscorer Mykola Temniuk collected a pass from Sehii Ursulenko to send a powerful drive from 25 yards into the far corner of the net out of reach of Waterloo goalkeeper Dalibor Ivanovic. It was Temniuk’s 12^th goal of the season.

Temniuk came close more than once in an effort to increase the 1-0 lead, but Ivanovic’s goalkeeping  was a good reason for the score remaining 1-0 through to the final whistle.

The victory for Vorkuta improves the league leader’s record to 11-0-3 WLT for 36 points to now lead second place team Scarborough by 7 points. Scarborough has a game in hand. Waterloo is at 6-7-1 for 19 points in fifth position.

The 1-1 deadlock by Ukraine United and Serbian White Eagles was well-played and physical at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, with both teams anxious to pick-up points in the First Division race.

Following a goalless first half, midfielder Vladimir Strizovic opened the scoring for Serbian White Eagles at 54 minutes, a drive from inside the box off a corner kick, and Ukraine United midfielder Eugen Ischak equalized at 70 minutes, heading in off a corner kick. Ukraine found the net earlier in the second half, but Ihor Sorotoskyi’s strike was ruled offside.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with two players from each side, Ivan Kucherenko and Bohdan Skotskyi of FC Ukraine United and Mirko Medic and Vladimir Strizovic of Serbian White Eagles were shown red cards for Violent Conduct at 90 minutes following an altercation.

Serbian White Eagles are in third position in the standings with a 7-4-3 record for 24 points, while Ukraine United has a 6-4-2 record for 20 points in fourth position in the table.

Midfielder Andrej Prpa struck twice for Brantford Galaxy in its important 3-1 victory over Kingsman at the Cardinal Newman ground, two goals at 53 and 55 minutes to give the home side the win and a chance to obtain a playoff spot during the late season games. The goals came after Donart Beqiri of the Galaxy opened the scoring to give the home side a 1-0 lead at 31 minutes. Midfielder Denys Diachenko scored the lone Kingsman marker at 85 minutes to cut the score to 3-1 in favour of Brantford Galaxy.

The Galaxy has six games remaining with a record of 2-9-1 for 7 points and tied at the foot of the table with Real Mississauga, while Kingsman are in sixth position with a 5-7-1 for 16 points.

Hamilton City, a side also bidding to be one of eight to qualify for the post-season playoffs, gained its third win of the season with the 3-2 victory over CSC Mississauga at the Cardinal Newman ground. Hamilton now has a 3-5-3 record for 12 points in seventh position, while CSC Mississauga is in eighth position with a 3-10-1 record for 10 points.

Midweek Games in the CSL

EXHIBITION GAME POSTPONED

Wed., August 28 Ontario Soccer Centre  8 pm  FC Vorkuta vs Sure Sports FC (Maryland) – postponed. A new venue early September is being considered.

 CSL SECOND DIVISION

Tues. August 27 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga B vs Kingsman B

 Wed. August 28, Cardinal Newman 7 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Hamilton City B

PICTURE: FC Vorkuta (red) in recent action, will be one of several teams bidding this weekend to win the First Division, while others will be playing with the objective of being included in the eight teams to qualify for the post season playoffs.  PHOTO: Samad Kadirov

Four games scheduled for the weekend in the First Division of the Canadian Soccer League will all be played on Saturday night and there is high interest as clubs continue a late bid for league title honours or the opportunity to be included in the post season playoffs.

Three teams playing this weekend which are not yet assured of a playoff position, are Hamilton City and CSC Mississauga – they meet at the Cardinal Newman ground at 6 pm – while  playoff-seeking Brantford Galaxy will be on the same ground at 8 to play visiting Kingsman A.

Clubs playing on Saturday and still bidding to win the First Division are Vorkuta FC at the top of the standings and Waterloo – they come together at 7, also FC Ukraine United and Serbian White Eagles – and they meet at 5. Kingsman A cannot win the First Division, but can finish the regular season closer to the top than the present sixth position.

Teams not playing this weekend are Scarborough SC (second in the standings and in a position to be still bidding for the First Division title) and Real Mississauga – ninth in the standings and bidding to be one of eight teams to gain a playoff spot.)

Weekend Games in the First Division

Sat. August 24, Centennial Stadium 5 pm FC Ukraine United vs Serbian White Eagles       

Sat. August 24  Cardinal Newman 6 pm  Hamilton City vs CSC Mississauga            

Sat. August 24 RIM Park 7 pm SC Waterloo vs FC Vorkuta            

Sat. August 24 Cardinal Newman 8 pm   Brantford Galaxy vs Kingsman A              

Midweek Games in the Second Division

Tues. August 27 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga B vs Kingsman B

Wed. August 28, Cardinal Newman 7 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Hamilton City B

PICTURE: Zoran Rajovic scored the late winner for an important victory for Scarborough, closing the gap to just four points with league-leading FC Vorkuta. Rajovic, 39, one of the most experienced professionals in the Canadian Soccer League, is today serving as player coach for Scarborough, has played for several clubs in Europe, has played in China, Thailand and Israel before coming to Canada.

Scarborough SC scored an important 2-1 victory over Kingsman in the Canadian Soccer League Sunday, while one other scheduled game, the FC Ukraine vs Hamilton City encounter at Centennial Stadium, was postponed.

Following a well-played scoreless first half, Scarborough forward Kavin Bryan found the net with a strong volley from 20 yards, his fifth of the season, to give the home side a 1-0 lead and Kingsman drew level with a goal by Sayid Belmokhtar, his 6^th of the season, at the 65^th minute mark.

Both teams fought to break the 1-1 deadlock and Scarborough broke through at 90 minutes when Kiril Dimitrov moved the ball to Zoran Rajovic who found the net at the 90^th minute for a 2-1 lead, which held to the final whistle. It was the fourth goal of the season for player-coach Rajovic.

It was Scarborough’s ninth win of the campaign, improving the east Toronto team’s record to 9-2-2 WLT to keep pace with league-leading FC Vorkuta with 33 points. Both teams have played 13 games.

MID WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Tuesday August 20, Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm   CSC Mississauga B vs Brantford Galaxy B

Wednesday August 21 Cardinal Newman Field 9 pm Hamilton City B vs  Serbian White Eagles B

 

 

 

 

PICTURE: Midfielder Adis Hasecic of SC Waterloo and a veteran of several clubs in Europe including the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, scored the first two goals to lead the way for a 4-1 Waterloo victory over CSC Mississauga at RIM Park Saturday.

Waterloo strengthened its position in a bid for regular season honours with a 4-1 home victory over CSC Mississauga, and in one other game in the Canadian Soccer League First Division, Real Mississauga defeated Brantford Galaxy 3-1.

Midfielder Adis Hasecic opened the scoring at 15 minutes for Waterloo at RIM Park and scored a second six minutes later for 2-0 lead at the interval.

Forward Petar Dordevic struck a third goal for the home side for a 3-0 lead at 55 minutes, his fifth goal of the season, and TonKu Bacclic of CSC Mississauga reduced the lead to 3-1 at 65 minutes

Ali Sahat found the net for Waterloo at the 80^th minute mark, a 4-1 score that held to the final whistle.

Waterloo improve to a 6-6-1 WLT record for 19 points in fourth position in the standings, while CSC Mississauga has a 3-9-1 record for 10 points in seventh position.

Real Mississauga helped its cause in an effort to capture a playoff spot following the 3-1 victory, moving up to ninth position in a switch of positions in the standings with Brantford Galaxy which drops to the foot of the table.

Eight teams will qualify for the post season championship competition.

REMAINING WEEKEND GAMES IN THE FIRST DIVISION

Sunday August 18 Centennial Stadium  8 pm FC Ukraine United vs Hamilton City

Sunday August 18 Birchmount Stadium 8.30 pm Scarborough SC vs  Kingsman A

MID WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Tuesday August 20, Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm   CSC Mississauga B vs Brantford Galaxy B

Wednesday August 21 Cardinal Newman  9 pm Hamilton City B vs  Serbian White Eagles B

 

 

 

 

 

 

PICTURE: FC Vorkuta (red) failed to win this home encounter with FC Ukraine United at the Ontario Soccer Centre on August 3, a match ending in a 2-2 draw. But that’s one of only two games not won by the unbeaten current CSL champions. The Vorkuta reserve team is experiencing similar success, having won all seven games in the Second Division. Teams have just a short period in their late regular season run up to the playoffs if they are to share in the regular season honours. PHOTO: Samad Kadirov.

For teams aiming to capture at least one of the two titles open to clubs in the CSL First Division – the league title and the CSL Championship –  the present results and standings appear all important at this stage of the campaign. It’s a short time just prior to the final run-up before the playoffs.

Three clubs – FC Vorkuta, Scarborough SC and Serbian White Eagles – are now in a position during the last month of the regular season to bid for the First Division title. It can be done by others, but would require an unlikely number of major defeats by the top trio coupled with a string of wins by teams at a lower level. An unlikely occurrence.

When the post-season playoffs do arrive, eight clubs, the top eight of 10 in the First Division at the end of the regular season, have an opportunity to win the CSL Championship. And of the eight qualifiers, the top four in the standings will have home game advantage in each round.

In the CSL Second Division, all six teams will qualify for the playoffs for the Second Division Championship and the top two at the end of the regular season will gain a bye into the semifinals, playing the two winners from the opening round.

FC Vorkuta B won its seventh of seven on Tuesday, which means the club’s two teams have yet to experience a loss this season. The Vorkuta reserve team totally dominated CSC Mississauga B 9-0 that night and there were seven scorers for Vorkuta.

Looking at the weekend games, in the First Division FC Vorkuta will not have it so easy with the visit to Centennial Stadium for a clash with Serbian White Eagles, a team attempting to pick up even more ground in an effort to get closer to the top.  Real Mississauga is at home to Brantford Galaxy, two teams striving to make the playoffs. SC Waterloo visits CSC Mississauga, the southwestern Ontario side hoping to add to an important 2-1 victory over Ukraine United in its last game. Ukraine United, attempting to make amends for that loss, is at home to Hamilton City, and to complete the weekend First Division schedule, Scarborough will be attempting to close the margin at the top of the table when it hosts Kingsman A at Birchmount Stadium..

WEEKEND IN THE FIRST DIVISION

 Friday August 16,   Centennial Stadium 7 pm Serbian White Eagles v FC Vorkuta

Saturday August 17 Huron Park 7 pm  Real Mississauga vs Brantford Galaxy        

Saturday August 17 RIM Park 7 pm SC Waterloo vs CSC Mississauga        

Sunday August 18 Centennial Stadium  8 pm FC Ukraine United vs Hamilton City              

Sunday August 18 Birchmount Stadium 8 pm Scarborough SC vs  Kingsman A    

MID WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Tuesday August 20, Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga B vs Brantford Galaxy B             

Wednesday August 21 Cardinal Newman Field 9 pm Hamilton City B vs  Serbian White Eagles B   

PICTURE: Aleksander Stojiljkovic, captain of Scarborough,  added another hat-trick to his prolific scoring record in recent seasons in the Canadian Soccer League.

Scarborough striker Aleksander Stojiljkovic scored three in a 3-3 draw with Kingsman A, Serbian White Eagles scored a narrow 3-2 victory over Real Mississauga and Brantford Galaxy defeated Hamilton City 3-1, three matches in the Canadian Soccer League Saturday.

Nasser Haidery opened the scoring at the 5^th minute mark for Kingsman at Esther Shiner Stadium and attacking midfielder Aleksander Stojiljkovic equalized for Scarborough three minutes later for a 1-1 score at the interval.

Stojiljkovic beat Kingsman goalkeeper Oleksandr Lozinskyl to score his second goal,  giving Scarborough a 2-1 lead at 61 minutes and Kingsman’s Viktor Raskov struck at 85 minutes to tie the match 2-2.

Stojiljkovic completed his hat-trick for a 3-2 lead for the visitors at 89 minutes and Kingsman equalized again with a goal by midfielder Dmytro Polyuhanych at the 93^rd minute mark, a 3-3 result at the final whistle.

Scarborough continues second in the standings with a  8-2-3 record for 27 points, six behind league-leading Vorkuta, while Kingsman has a 5-5-2 record for 17 points in fourth position.

Marko Stajic opened the scoring for Serbian White Eagles at Huron Park, finding the net at 7 minutes and Real Mississauga midfielder William Abel Briseno Aguilar equalized at the 44^th minute mark for a 1-1 score at the break.

Midfielder Nicolas Mejia put Real Mississauga in a 2-1 lead with a goal at 60 minutes, but Serbian White Eagles then struck twice in two minutes, at 69 minutes when midfielder Vladimir Strizovic scored and this was followed  by defender Ali Talha’s  goal at the 70^th minute mark for a 3-2 lead by the visitors. The score held to the final whistle.

Serbian White Eagles have improved to a 7-2-1 record for 22 points in third position in the table, while Real Mississauga is in 9^th position with a 1-8-1 record for 4 points.

Brantford Galaxy scored its first victory of the current campaign, a 3-1 result over Hamilton City at the Heritage Field. The Galaxy now have a 1-8-1 record for four points in 10^th position in the standings, while Hamilton City have a 2-4-3 record for 9 points in eighth position in the table.

There is one game in the CSL First Division on Sunday when FC Ukraine United are at home in Centennial Stadium to SC Waterloo, a 7.30 pm kickoff.

UPCOMING GAMES IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Sunday August 11 St. Roberts Field 2 pm FC Vorkuta B vs Brantford Galaxy B

Tuesday August 13 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm     CSC Mississauga B vs FC Vorkuta B

Wed.  August 14 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm Kingsman B vs Hamilton City B

Wed. Aug. 14 Cardinal Newman 9 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Serbian White Eagles B