SHOOTERS WIN FIRST DIVISION….Burlington, Kingston clinch playoff spot Sunday

Mademba Ba nets four in 5-4 victory for Kingston FC
Mademba Ba nets four in 5-4 victory for Kingston FC

Unbeaten York Region Shooters clinched the CSL First Division title with a 1-1 tie with North York Astros, Kingston striker Mademba Ba scored four in his side’s 5-4 victory over Toronto Croatia, Burlington’s Nicolas Lindsay led his side with a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Niagara United, Brampton City Utd dropped Serbian White Eagles 1-0, and Waterloo helped their playoff chances with a 2-1 defeat of London City, five games in a busy CSL first Division Sunday.

Midfielder Gabriel Gala opened the scoring for North York Astros at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, the goal coming at the 11 minute mark and forward Oswald Adu scored the tying goal for York Region Shooters at 30 minutes, a 1-1 tie at half-time and at the final whistle.

The Shooters now have a 12-0-4 WLT record for 40 points in an unbeaten streak of 16 games to win the First Division. The side from just north of Toronto has two games remaining in the regular season, while North York Astros are at 6-5-5 for 23 points and in fourth position, also with two games remaining.

Forward Mademba Ba, the most prolific goalscorer for Kingston reserves in the Second Division with 31 to his credit this season, struck the first of his four goals for the Kingston FC First Division side at the Queen’s West Field in Kingston, the goal came at the 14 minute.

Toronto Croatia’s Sean Brown tied the score 1-1 at 24 minutes and two quick goals by defender Josip Keran,, one from a free kick at 32 minutes and the second from the penalty spot four minutes later, gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.

Ba responded with his second goal at 40 minutes and Kingston midfielder Nathan Klemencic found the net at 42 minutes to tie the game 3-3, the score at the interval.

Ba put the home side into a 4-3 lead at 51 minutes and Toronto Croatia’s Ante Zivkovic – who scored a hat-trick in last week’s 3-1 win over North York Astros – tied the game 4-4 when he found the net past Kingston goalkeeper Ewann Ofouya at 90 minutes.

Ba scored the winner in added time, for a 5-4 Kingston victory.

Kingston improve to a 7-6-3 WLT season record  for 24 points and move up to third in the standings. The 2013 First Division winner also clinches a playoff spot and has two games remaining in the regular season schedule. Toronto Croatia are in second spot in the standings with a 10-3-3 record for 33 poinw

With both teams chasing a playoff spot, Brampton City Utd scored an important 1-0 victory over Serbian White Eagles at the Terry Fox Stadium in Chinguacousy Park, Brampton.

Following a scoreless first half, the lone goal came at 64 minutes by Brampton’s Juber Quintos who drove the ball into the lower right corner of the net from 20 yards and the 1-0 score held up to the final whistle.

Serbian White Eagles played with 10 men for the final 15 minutes following the ejection of midfielder Oscar Cordon at the 78 minute mark.

Brampton City Utd now have a 6-8-3 record for 21 points with one game remaining in the regular season, while Serbian White Eagles are at 4-7-5 for 17 points with two games still to be played.

Two second half goals by Waterloo’s Drazen Vukovic proved to be enough to give the southwestern Ontario side three points in their 2-1 victory over London City at the Warrior Field in Waterloo.

Vukovic scored at 63 and 70 minutes, his 14 and 15 goals of the season, and the 2-0 lead was followed by a goal from London’s league-leading goalscorer Marin Vucemilovic Grgic who found the net past Waterloo goalkeeper Imad Hakura at the 82 minute mark. It was goal number 20 for Grgic.

The win lifts Waterloo to a 6-7-4 record for 22 points for sixth position with one game remaining in the regular season, while London City have a 6-9-2 record for 20 points, also one game remaining and in eighth position in the standings.

Forward Nicolas Lindsay led Burlington SC with three goals, the hat-trick coming in the first half to give the home side a distinct edge in a well-played game with Niagara United at Nelson Stadium in Burlington.

Lindsay struck at 10 minutes, and this was followed by a goal from Burlington’s Marijan Vuka at 25 minutes for a 2-0 lead. Lindsay scored his second at 33 minutes to make it 3-0 for the home side, to be followed by a goal from Niagara’s Jordi Amores who found the net past Burlington goalkeeper Vladimir Vujasinovic at the 35 minute mark.

Lindsay completed his hat-trick at 42 minutes for a 4-1 Burlington lead at the interval and the 4-1 score carried through until Harrison Fyke scored a second goal for Niagara United at 90 minutes for a 4-2 final score in favour of Burlington.

Burlngton move up to be tied in fourth place in the standings with North York Astros, each have 23 points. Burlington has a 7-8-2 record for 23 points and have clinched a playoff spot with York Region Shooters, Toronto Croatia and Kingston FC

Niagara United have a 2-12-2 record for eight points at the foot of the table.

There were three games in the CSL Second Division Sunday, Kingston FC B and Toronto Croatia B played to a 1-1 tie, Niagara Falls B defeated Burlington SC B 4-1 and York Region Shooters tied 3-3 with Milton FC

 

 

 

LONDON CITY NIP SERBIAN WHITE EAGLES….important win in bid for playoff spot

Marin Vucemilovic Grgic struck the winner for London, number 19 this season.
Marin Vucemilovic Grgic struck the winner for London, number 19 this season.

London City took a big step toward a playoff spot with a 1-0 victory over Serbian White Eagles at the Hellenic Centre in London, the only game in the Canadian Soccer League Thursday night.

It was a hard fought encounter throughout with the two teams going into the game tied in lowly eighth position, each with 17 points and needing a win to bid for one of the remaining six playoff spots – the first two clinched by York Region Shooters and Toronto Croatia.

It was the league’s leading scorer, forward Marin Vucemilovic Grgic, who scored the winning goal at 22 minutes, taking a pass from forward Aldin Kukic  to drive the ball into the net. It was Vucemilovic Grgic’s 19th goal of the campaign.

Serbian White Eagles pressed for an equalizer throughout the second half, but the 1-0 London lead held to the final whistle.

London played the last few minutes a man short after referee Marc Jaramillo showed the red card to Brandon Barbosa at 90 minutes for dissent.

London now have a 6-8-2 WLT record for 20 points and tied for fifth position with two regular season games remaining, while Serbian White Eagles are at 4-6-5 for 17 points in ninth position, with three games remaining.

KINGSTON RESERVES WIN SECOND DIVISION – Upcoming Playoffs Update

Kingston chairman Lorne Abugov predicted 2014 honours for reserve team
Kingston chairman Lorne Abugov predicted 2014 honours for reserve team

 

Kingston chairman Lorne Abugov was unabashedly bold and confident mid-May when he announced his reserve team – which barely made the playoffs in 2013 – will finish at, or near the top this season. “Our reserve team will be much stronger,” he added to the prediction.

With three games remaining in the regular season schedule, Kingston FC B have won the Second Division and will be accompanied in the playoffs by Burlington SC B, SC Waterloo B, Milton SC, Toronto Croatia B, York Region Shooters B, Niagara United B and Brampton City Utd B.

Kingston reserves, together with the next three teams in the final standings, will have home advantage in the post season games leading to the Second Division championship.

The First Division playoff picture is not as clear, with just two teams, York Region Shooters and Toronto Croatia, having secured playoff spots.

What is clear is the optimism of most clubs to clinch a playoff spot, to be one of the favoured eight. An unusual flurry of transfer activity to bolster teams’ chances of winning the coveted championship took place just before the September 1 roster freeze.

Included in the league office activity were players having already left their mark on the league during the current season, such as Kingston’s 2013 MVP and rookie of the year Guillaume Surot, a prolific  striker, who was landed by London City. Other players arrived from elsewhere in Canada and a several from other countries

Bojan Stepanovic arrived from Europe to join Burlington, Milos Ljubenovic and Bojan Vranic came from Serbia to sign for Serbian White Eagles, Lukas Bajer is here from FC Milsami Moldova and is now with Kingston FC, Oleh Mykhaliu from the Ukraine to Brampton City Utd, Kenan Kajic, Osman Begovic and Hamdija Delihodic from Bosnia to Milton FC, Dyan Bams from England to York Region Shooters, and Corey Faughnan from the NPSL’s Cape Coral Hurricanes, Florida to Kingston FC.

More locally, Andrei Badescu from Montreal Impact of MLS to Kingston FC, Oscar Cordon from TFC Academy to Serbian White Eagles, Matthew Silva came from the Toronto Lynx to join North York Astros, Haris Fazlagic was transferred from SC Waterloo to London City, Marc Jankovic transferred from Brampton City to North York Astros, Pero Menalo and Igor Krampotic were transferred from Milton FC to Toronto Croatia and Shawn Brown is on loan from SC Waterloo to Toronto Croatia.

CSL administrator Pino Jazbec, responsible for ensuring the often complex transfer deals are properly completed before the roster freeze, said the amount of transfer activity was higher than usual at this time of year. “But it’s a good sign, it confirms the high level of interest in the championship playoffs and that winning a championship continues to be what all clubs aspire to,” he said.

For the time being, Kingston FC will be celebrating winning the Second Division this weekend and Abugov has emphasized that Kingston FC wants to develop players – and building a strong reserve team is the way to do that. “Our reserves play an exciting brand of football which is well worth watching,”  he said this week.

The CSL Championship Finals will be hosted by North York Astros at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York on Sunday, October 26, with the league’s Gala Awards night the previous evening, Saturday, October 25.

 

 

ANTE ZIVKOVIC HAT-TRICK SPELLS TORONTO CROATIA VICTORY……Shooters, Brampton also win

 

Toronto-CroatiaToronto Croatia midfielder Ante  Zivkovic scored a hat-trick to lead his team to a 3-1 victory over North York Astros, York Region Shooters won their twelfth of the season, a 4-1 win over Burlington SC to extend the unbeaten streak to 15 games, and Brampton City Utd improved their playoff chances with a 3-0 victory over Niagara United, three games in the SCL First Division Sunday.

Zivkovic struck his first goal after just three minutes into the game at Esther Shiner Stadium, heading home a free kick taken by Halburto Harris at the three minute mark,  and the midfielder made it 2-0 at 35 minutes for a Toronto Croatia lead at the interval.

North York struck back immediately following the break when Jose De Sousa beat Toronto Croatia goalkeeper Antonio Ilic at 46 minutes, reducing the lead to 2-1 for Toronto Croatia.

Toronto Croatia was reduced to 10 men at 68 minutes when defender Ainsley Deer was shown the red card by referee Marco Jaramillo after issuing the player a second caution.

Zivkovic completed his hat-trick at 84 minutes, finding the net past Astros’ goalkeeper Jason Lopes for a 3-1 lead, the score at the final whistle.

It was Toronto Croatia’s tenth win of the season for a 10-3-2 WLT record for 32 points to take the 2012 CSL champions within seven points of league-leading York Region Shooters with three games remaining in the regular season.

North York Astros now have a 6-5-4 record for 22 points and still in third position with three games remaining, also.

Midfielder Mario Orestano opened the scoring just three minutes into the game for York Region Shooters at Nelson Stadium in Burlington and Ryan Dummett made it 2-0 five minutes later.

Richard Edwards increased the lead to 3-0 at 43 minutes for the visitors, the score at half-time and it was Edwards’ fifth of the season.

Richard West struck his sixth goal of the season when he put the ball past Burlington goalkeeper Vladimir Vujasinovic at 52 minutes for a 4-0 Shooters lead

Marco Machado found the net past York Region goalkeeper Camilo Benzi at 72 minutes for the lone Burlington goal and it was 4-1 at the final whistle.

York Region Shooters now have a 12-0-3 record for 39 points with three games remaining, while Burlington SC has a 6-8-2 record for 20 points and two games remaining.

 

Brampton City Utd led 2-0 at half-time against visiting Niagara United at the Terry Fox Stadium  in Chingacousy Park, Brampton, on goals by forward Peter Niles at 21 minutes and Juber Quinteros two minutes later.

Niles drove the ball past Niagara goalkeeper Matthew Greco after taking a cross from the right wing, and Quinteros found the net from close in.

Jean Tshimpaka completed the scoring for the home side at 68 minutes for a 3-0 score at the final whistle.

Brampton improve to a 5-8-3 record for 18 points for seventh position in the standings, while Niagara United are at 2-11-2 for eight points at the foot of the table.

There were two games in the CSL Second division with Niagara United B defeating Brampton city Utd B, 4-0, and Burlington SC B tied 3-3 with visiting York Region Shooters B.

 

 

LICHIOIU LEADS KINGSTON WITH TWO GOALS SATURDAY

 

Catalin Lichioiu led Kingston with two goals
Catalin Lichioiu led Kingston with two goals

 

Kingston FC scored a decisive 3-1 away victory over Serbian White Eagles in the only game played in the Canadian Soccer League Saturday.

The home club took a 1-0 lead at Lamport Stadium in Toronto when Serbian Eagles forward Sahjah Reid found the net past Kingston goalkeeper Erwann Ofouya at the 10 minute mark.

Midfielder Catalin Lichioiu then struck twice for Kingston, the first at 31 minutes for a 1-1 tie at half-time, then again at 53 minutes for a 2-1 lead. The goals were numbers nine and 10 for Lichioiu this season. Midfielder Nathan Klemancic beat Serbian White Eagles goalkeeper Stefan Avramovic to score the third Kingston goal at 85 minutes and the 3-1 lead held until the final whistle.

Kingston move to fourth position in the standings with a 6-6-3 WLT record for 21 points and three games remaining in the regular season, while Serbian White Eagles are at 4-5-5 for 17 points and four games to be played to complete their regular season.

Remaining games this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION

Sun Sept 14 Terry Fox Stadium 2.30 pm Brampton City Utd vs Niagara United

Sun Sept 14 Esther Shiner Stadium 3.30 pm North York Astros vs Toronto Croatia

Sun Sept 14 Nelson Stadium 8 pm Burlington SC vs York Region Shooters

SECOND DIVISION

Sun Sept 14 Terry Fox Stadium 12 pm Brampton City Utd B vs Niagara United B

Sun Sept 14 Eglinton Flats 4 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingston FC B CANCELLED

Sun Sept 14 Nelson Stadium 5.30 pm Burlington SC B vs York Region Shooters B

 

 

TOP TEAMS CLASH FOR FAVOURED PLAYOFF SPOTS…..Kingston FC in the news

 

Kingston-FCIf York Region Shooters can remain unbeaten in their remaining four games it will be a remarkable achievement to complete an entire regular season without a loss. But as the club from north of Toronto will tell you, there are no easy games in the CSL First Division and anything can happen. That certainly is true of the Shooters visit to Nelson Stadium this weekend’s Sunday evening, a clash with Burlington SC, a team pre-occupied with gaining one of the first four spots in the standings to secure home advantage in the upcoming playoffs.

North York Astros and Toronto Croatia are also close to the top and bidding for one of the favoured positions and this sets up an interesting contest when the teams come together at Esther Shiner Stadium earlier in the day. The Astros will be out to make amends for the August 30 1-0 loss to Toronto Croatia, a defeat that snapped a promising unbeaten streak that vaulted the Astros up the standings.

Kingston FC and Serbian White Eagles are both aiming to improve their mid-table standings when the side from eastern Ontario travels to Lamport Stadium for the game with Serbian Eagles Saturday.

One game in the CSL Second Division, the Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingston FC B scheduled for Sunday afternoon, has been cancelled.

Kingston are in the news following some impressive announcements at a news conference September 11 to launch a strong player development program in conjunction with the local Kingston Soccer Academy, giving young people in the region an opportunity to take advantage of coaching and skills training at the higher level associated with Kingston FC.

The club’s coaching and player personnel are international with overseas experience that won the CSL First Division title and a place in the championship final in 2013.

The club has formed the Kingston FC Pro Soccer Academy, a division of the soccer club, to work closely with the local academy group.

“This, at last, is what we at Kingston FC have been seeking, a tried and true method of developing our own pro soccer players from Kingston and the region, beginning at a young age”, said Kingston FC Club President Joe Scanlon.  “We have worked hard to develop our own Kingston FC style of professional soccer, and now we are ready to begin developing young players in the Kingston FC model, exactly the same way that top European clubs like Barcelona, Everton and Benfica do.”

The weekend games:

FIRST DIVISION

Sat Sept 13, Lamport Stadium 7 pm Serbian White Eagles vs Kingston FC

Sun Sept 14 Terry Fox Stadium 2.30 pm Brampton City Utd vs Niagara United

Sun Sept 14 Esther Shiner Stadium 3.30 pm North York Astros vs Toronto Croatia

Sun Sept 14 Nelson Stadium 8 pm Burlington SC vs York Region Shooters

SECOND DIVISION

Sun Sept 14 Terry Fox Stadium 12 pm Brampton City Utd B vs Niagara United B

Sun Sept 14 Eglinton Flats 4 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingston FC B CANCELLED

Sun Sept 14 Nelson Stadium 5.30 pm Burlington SC B vs York Region Shooters B

VUKOVIC HAT-TRICK LIFTS WATERLOO…Astros resume winning way Sunday

North York Astros returned to their winning way with a

Drazen Vukovic first half hat-trick
Drazen Vukovic first half hat-trick

1-0 victory over Brampton City Utd, SC Waterloo defeated Kingston FC 4-2, and Burlington SC played to a scoreless tie with Serbian White Eagles, three games in the CSL First Division Sunday.

Following a well-played scoreless first half at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, the Astros took a 1-0 lead from the penalty spot at 66 minutes. Referee Marco Jaramillo ordered the kick following a tripping incident by Brampton defender Reisandri Fernandez-Cervantes on Bruno Azevedo Lima of North York.

Midfielder Igor Pisanjuk found the net past Brampton goalkeeper Cristian Montero Velez for the only goal of the game.

Brampton lost three players during added time when referee Jaramillo showed the red card to Francisco Javier Juarez (Violent Conduct) at 92 minutes, Fernandez-Cervantes (second yellow) two minutes later, and goalkeeper Montero Velez (handling the ball outside the box) at 99 minutes just before the final whistle.

The Astros move into third position in the standings with a 6-4-4 WLT record for 22 points, while Brampton are in ninth position with a 4-8-3 record for 15 points.

SC Waterloo dominated the visiting Kingston FC for most of the first half at Warrior Field in Waterloo, scoring four unanswered goals in the first 40 minutes, the first three at 8, 15 and 25 minutes from the high flying Drazen Vukovic, lifting his total to 13 for the season. Vukovic’s hat-trick was followed by a goal at 37 minutes from midfielder Adis Hasecic, his fourth of the season and it was 4-0 at the interval.

Kingston fought back in the second half and found the net twice in the later stages with goals from Akil DeFreitas (number 5 this season) at 74 minutes and midfielder Catalin Lichioiu (number 6 this season) at the 86 minute mark, a 4-2 final score.

Waterloo now have a 5-7-4 record for 19 points, moving up to fifth in the standings, but with just two games remaining in the regular schedule, having played more games than their nine First Division rivals. Kingston move down to sixth position with their 5-8-3 record and 18 points.

Burlington were held to a scoreless tie by Serbian White Eagles at Nelson Stadium in Burlington, with the best chances to score coming late in the game from substitutes forward Darren Chambers and Erwin Uzanovic of Burlington.

Serbian White Eagles were reduced to 10 men in the first half when Vitomar Jelic was ejected at 34 minutes after being shown a second yellow card and the second yellow was also the reason for Thomas Patrick McLean, also of Serbian White Eagles, for his send-off at 77 minutes.

Burlington are in fourth place with a 6-7-2 record for 20 points, while Serbian White Eagles have a 4-4-5 record for 17 points in seventh position.

There were three games in the CSL Second Division Sunday with Kingston FC B still holding first place with a 3-2 defeat of SC Waterloo B, Milton FC  beat Toronto Croatia B, 3-0, and Burlington SC B scored a 2-1 victory over Serbian White Eagles B.

 

YORK REGION KEEP HOT PACE…..Toronto Croatia also win Saturday

Antonio Ilic strong in Toronto Croatia goal
Antonio Ilic strong in Toronto Croatia goal

York Region Shooters kept up their torrid pace with a 4-0 defeat of Niagara United, while Toronto Croatia stayed in touch with the league leaders with a late 2-1 victory over London City, two games in the CSL First Division Saturday night.

Midfielder Mario Orestano opened the scoring at 24 minutes for York Region at the Kalar Sports Park in Niagara Falls. He found the net past Niagara goalkeeper Matthew Greco and it was 1-0 at the interval.

Des Humphrey increased the lead to 2-0 for the visitors at 52 minutes, Ryan Dummett made it 3-0 at 82 minutes and striker Richard West scored the fourth goal at 84 minutes, a 4-0 score at the final whistle.

It was York Region’s 11th victory of the season and the 14th unbeaten game since the season opener against Kingston FC on May 25. The league leaders have a superb 11-0-3 WLT record for 36 points, which includes a remarkable just nine goals conceded in the 14 games played.

Niagara United are at the foot of the table with a 2-10-2 record for eight points.

The Shooters are seven points in front of Toronto Croatia which scored a last minute victory over London City. It was a hard fought encounter which saw Pero Menalo open the scoring for the Toronto side at the Hershey Centre.    The goal –  the sixth of the season for Menalo  came at the 27th minute mark and it was 1-0 at half-time.

Marin Vucemilovic Grgic tied the game for London City, beating the outstanding Toronto Croatia goalkeeper Antonio Ilic at the 50 minute mark. The 1-1 tie held up until added time when Ante Zivkovic struck the winner for Toronto Croatia, a 2-1 final score. The goal by Vucemilovic Grgic was number 18 of the season.

Toronto Croatia have an improved 9-3-2 record for 29 points, while London City are at 5-8-2 for 17 points and sixth position in the standings.

There was one game in the CSL Second Division Saturday when York Region Shooters B defeated Niagara United B, 3-0.

Remaining games this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION

Sun Sept 7 Esther Shiner Stadium 3.30 pm North York Astros vs Brampton City Utd

Sun Sept 7 Warrior Field SC 7 pm Waterloo vs Kingston FC

Sun Sept 7 Nelson Stadium 8 pm Burlington SC vs Serbian White Eagles

SECOND DIVISION

Sun Sept 7 Bishop Reding 12 pm Milton FC vs Toronto Croatia B

Sun Sept 7 Warrior Field 4 pm SC Waterloo B vs Kingston FC B

Sun Sept 7 Nelson Stadium 5.30 pm Burlington SC B vs Serbian White Eagles B

 

 

IMPROVING LONDON MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR TORONTO CROATIA…..Shooters should maintain margin.. The Weekend Games

Kingston visit Waterloo in the return match played at Queen's West Field June 16
Kingston visit Waterloo in the return match played at Queen’s West Field June 16

With just five games remaining in their regular season schedule, unbeaten York  Region Shooters will be attempting to maintain their 7-point margin with a win at the Kalar Sports Park against Niagara United Saturday night, a game that sees the top place Shooters visiting a struggling Niagara team at the foot of the table.

It may be more difficult for Toronto Croatia when they meet an improving London City determined to be one of the first eight in the standings to enter the championship playoffs. The City were impressive in their 5-3 victory at Kingston last weekend, a win that leaped the Southwestern Ontario team into sixth place to leave an impression London may be hitting top form at the right time and capable of much more than the bottom-of the table position occupied earlier in the season.

Kingston’s late season target is to occupy one of the top four positions at the end of the regular season to earn home advantage in the playoffs, but the eastern Ontario side has demonstrated an erratic contrast from their solid form and consistency which rewarded the team with the First Division title in 2013.

There were noticeable changes in the line-up with last weekend’s 5-3 loss. “We felt we had to make some changes before the playoffs,” said president Joe Scanlon during the week. Kingston visit Waterloo Sunday, while the Astros, still attracting attention despite the narrow loss to Toronto Croatia last weekend are at home to Brampton City Utd, and Burlington are at home to Serbian White Eagles Sunday.

FIRST DIVISION

Sat Sept 6 Kalar Sports Park, 7 pm Niagara United vs York Region Shooters

Sat Sept 6 Hershey Centre, 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs London City

Sun Sept 7 Esther Shiner Stadium 3.30 pm North York Astros vs Brampton City Utd

Sun Sept 7 Warrior Field SC 7 pm Waterloo vs Kingston FC

kingston vs waterlooSun Sept 7 Nelson Stadium 8 pm Burlington SC vs Serbian White Eagles

SECOND DIVISION

Sat Sept 6 Kalar Sports Park 4 pm Niagara United B vs York Region Shooters B

Sun Sept 7 Bishop Reding 12 pm Milton FC vs Toronto Croatia B

Sun Sept 7 Warrior Field 4 pm SC Waterloo B vs Kingston FC B

Sun Sept 7 Nelson Stadium 5.30 pm Burlington SC B vs Serbian White Eagles B

 

CSL PLAYOFFS UPCOMING…..Toronto venue for Championship Finals

CSL 2013 Awards BanquetEarly October will see the end of the regular season in the Canadian Soccer League and the beginning of the CSL Championship and Second Division playoffs.

The top eight teams in each of the First Division and Second Division will qualify for the playoffs leading to CSL Championship Day at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York on Sunday, October 26, where the finals will be hosted by North York Astros.

York Region Shooters and Toronto Croatia have already secured playoffs berths for the First Division playoffs, while Kingston FC B, SC Waterloo B, Burlington SC B, Toronto Croatia B and Milton FC have also clinched a spot to bid for the Second Division title.

The top four teams in each division will have home advantage to kickoff the quarterfinals and those top four teams which advance from the first eight, will again have home advantage in the semifinals.

SC Waterloo are the current CSL champions and their reserve team, SC Waterloo B, won the Second Division title in 2013 to establish a CSL record of both championships being won by the same club. SC Waterloo defeated Kingston FC 3-1 in the CSL Championship Final and SC Waterloo Reserves scored a 2-0 victory over Toronto Croatia Reserves to capture the Second Division. Both games were hosted by Niagara United at Kalar Sports Park in Niagara Falls.

Additional information, together with the details of the Annual Awards Night, will be released in the coming days.

 

LONDON CITY SURPRISE KINGSTON…..Burlington nip Brampton 2-0 Sunday

 

Marin Vucemilovic Grgic struck twice for London
Marin Vucemilovic Grgic struck twice for London

London City were full marks for their 5-3 away victory at Kingston FC, while Burlington SC defeated Brampton City Utd 2-0, two games in the CSL Sunday.

It was an end-to-end affair at the Queen’s West Field in Kingston where striker Marin Vucemilovic Grgic opened the scoring for London City at the 5 minute mark.

Defender Josef  Zupo tied the score 1-1 for Kingston at 18 minutes and Grgic responded with his second goal and  17 of the season just one minute later, beating Kingston goalkeeper Erwann Ofouya to put the visitors ahead 2-1.

Midfielder Akil DeFreitas scored his 5th  goal of the season to tie the game 2-2 for Kingston, finding the net past London goalkeeper Vladimir Markotic at 30 minutes – it was 2-2 at the interval.

Harris Fazlagic put London ahead 3-2 at 62 minutes and forward Aldin Kukic increased the lead to 4-2 at 71 minutes.

London defender Justin Marques made it 5-2 at  the 80 minute mark and Kingston reduced the lead to 5-3 with a goal at 87 minutes by midfielder Catalin Lichioiu, his sixth of the season.

London City have an improved 5-7-2 WLT record for 17 points as a result of the victory and move into sixth position in the standings, while Kingston are at 5-5-3 with 18 points in fifth position.

Forward Marijan Vuka opened the scoring for Burlington at Victoria Park in Brampton, the goal coming at the 24 minute for a 1-0 lead at half-time.

Erwin Uzunovic made it 2-0 for the visitors at 73 minutes, heading in past Brampton goalkeeper Cristian Montero Velez and the 2-0 score held to the final whistle.

Burlington now have a 6-7-1 record for 19 points to be fourth in the league table, while Brampton are at 4-7-3 for 15 points and are in ninth position.

There were two Second Division games Sunday when Burlington SC B nipped Brampton City Utd B 1-0 and York Region Shooters had a field day against Serbian White Eagles B, winning 8-1.

SHOOTERS EXTEND UNBEATEN RUN……late winner for Serbian Eagles, Waterloo dominate 6-2

Ade Hasecic SC Waterloo
Adis Hasecic  SC Waterloo

>York Region Shooters tied Serbian White Eagles 1-1 to extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games, Toronto Croatia defeated North York Astros 1-0 to snap an eight-game unbeaten run, and SC Waterloo dominated Niagara United 6-2, three games in the CSL First Division Saturday.

Forward Sahjah Reid opened the scoring for Serbian White Eagles at Lamport Stadium in Toronto, finding the net past York Region goalkeeper Adrian Ibanez at the 60 minute mark and the Shooters’ unbeaten run was very much on the line until Adrian Pena beat Serbian Eagles’ goalkeeper Stefan Avramovic at 86 minutes to tie the game, and the 1-1 score held until the final whistle.

York Region Shooters are moving close to being declared the First Division winner with a 10-0-3 WLT record for 33 points, while Serbian White Eagles are at 4-4-4 for 16 points.

Toronto Croatia’s  Pero Menalo drove the ball from 20 yards past Astros’ goalkeeper Jason Lopes to find the net for the 1-0 victory over North York Astros, the goal coming at 84 minutes following a hard fought scoreless contest at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

The visiting Astros lost midfielder Jose Goncalves De Sousa near the end of the game when he was shown the red card at the 90th minute mark.

Toronto Croatia improve to a 8-3-2 record for 26 points and are second in the table, seven points behind York Region Shooters, each have played 13 games with five games remaining.

The Astros lose their first game in nine matches and have a 5-4-4 record for 19 points in third position in the standings.

Current CSL champions SC Waterloo gained much needed points with the win over Niagara United at Kalar Sports Park in Niagara Falls and it was midfielder Kiril Dimitrov who opened the scoring for Waterloo at just two minutes into the game. Drazen Vukovic made it 2-0 at 26 minutes, his 10 goal of the season, midfielder Adis Hasecic increased the lead to 3-0 at 34 minutes and scored a second goal 12 minutes later for a 4-0 Waterloo lead.

Defender Matt Waddington scored from the penalty spot for Niagara at 48 minutes to reduce the lead to 4-1, Aleksander Stojilikovic made it 5-1 for the visitors, Mohammed Mohammed scored for Niagara at 83 minutes, his 6 goal of the season for a 5-2 score, and midfielder Nikola Miokovic struck for Waterloo to increase the lead to 6-2, the score at the final whistle.

Waterloo improve to 4-7-4 for 16 points, while Niagara United are at 2-9-2 for eight points.

Niagara United were reduced to nine men in the second half when red cards were shown to midfielder Keith Makubuya and forward Andy Tiedt.

There were two games in the CSL Second Division Saturday, Niagara United B defeated SC Waterloo B 3-0 and it was Milton FC B 2, Toronto Croatia B 1.

 

SHOOTERS SEEK EARLY TITLE – the weekend games and TV channels listing for weekly show

 

Astros, on an unbeaten streak, face a challenge at Toronto Croatia (red) Saturday
Astros, on an unbeaten streak, face a challenge at Toronto Croatia (red) Saturday

Unbeaten York Region Shooters aim to be declared the First Division winner well before the regular season ends early October and unless there is an unforeseen total collapse, the title win is looking like a foregone conclusion.

The Shooters, with 12 regular season games without a loss, have already captured a first playoff berth for the CSL Championship, the first team to do so in a competition involving the top eight teams in the First Division. The top four earn home advantage in the first round quarterfinals and the semifinals.

The team from just north of Toronto will travel into the city this holiday weekend, a game at Lamport Stadium against sixth place Serbian White Eagles and while the Shooters will be all out to keep the streak going, the home side is equally determined to pick up points to be sure of a playoff spot as one of the top eight.

The Astros, also on an unbeaten streak, face a challenge against Toronto Croatia, a team in full stride at the Hershey Centre Saturday evening.

The weekend games:

FIRST DIVISION
Sat Aug 30 Kalar Sports Park 7 pm Niagara United vs SC Waterloo
Sat Aug 30 Hershey Centre 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs North York Astros
Sat Aug 30 Lamport Stadium 7 pm Serbian White Eagles vs York Region Shooters
Sun Aug 31 Queen’s West Field 1 pm Kingston FC vs London City
Sun Aug 31 Victoria Park 5.30 pm Brampton City Utd vs Burlington SC

SECOND DIVISION
Sat Aug 30 Kalar Sports Park 4 pm Niagara United B vs SC Waterloo B
Sat Aug 30 Hershey Centre 4 pm Toronto Croatia B vs Milton SC
Sun Aug 31 Victoria Park 3 pm Brampton City Utd B vs Burlington SC B
Sun Aug 31 Eglinton Flats 4 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs York Region Shooters B

The following channels show This Week in the CSL – check your local listings for times:

ABU DHABI –873 on Rogers – 846 on Bell Fibe – 2051 Telus
AMEDIA – 876 Bell Fibe
BBC ARABIC -881 on Rogers – 769 on Bell Fibe
CTC – 647 Bell Fibe – 1047 Cogeco
DETSKIY -877 on Bell Fibe
DREAM 1-876 on Rogers – 761 on Bell Fibe
DREAM 2- 880 on Roger -762 on Bell Fibe
FTV – 869 on Rogers – 725 on Bell – 860 on Bell Fibe
HRT – 693 on Bell Fibe
ITN – 754 on Bell Fibe – 535 Telus Optik
MAD – 653 Bell Fibe
MBC Masr – 788 on Rogers – 752 on Bell Fibe
Melody AFLAM 878 on Rogers – 764 on Bell Fibe
Melody ARABIA 879 on Rogers – 765 on Bell Fibe
Melody DRAMA 877 on Rogers -766 on Bell Fibe
Momo Kids – 731 Bell Fibe
MRT 1-743 Bell Fibe
MRT 2 -744 Bell Fibe
NOVA WORLD -692 Bell Fibe
ORBIT Al Yawm – 786 Rogers – 767 Bell Fibe
ORBIT Series -875 Roger – 753 Bell Fibe
PRO7 – 895 on Rogers – 710 on Bell – 852 on Bell Fibe
RBTI – 669 on Rogers – 885 on Bell
RTL PLUS 694 on Bell Fibe
RTS SAT 688 Bell Fibe
SBTN – 818 on Rogers -750 on Bell Fibe
SHLAGER TV-2 -850 Bell Fibe
SKAI TV-652 Bell Fibe
SPORT TV 844 on Rogers
TEN CRICKET – 671 on Rogers – 847 on Bell Fibe.
TVCI – 648 on Rogers
TVI – 668 on Rogers – 887 on Bell Fibe
TVP Info – 740 Bell Fibe

SHOOTERS EXTEND UNDEFEATED STREAK……London and Kingston also win Sunday

logo41York Region Shooters defeated SC Waterloo to extend their undefeated streak to 12 games, London won at Brampton and Kingston took an away victory at Burlington, three games in the CSL First Division Sunday.

Richard Edwards scored twice for runaway York Region Shooters in the game at the St. Joan of Arc ground at Maple, just north of Toronto, the first goal coming at 57 minutes when the midfielder took a pass from Mario Orestano to find the net past Waterloo ‘keeper Imad Hakura. It was 1-0 at the interval.

Edwards scored his second at 85 minutes when he volleyed a cross from the left wing to make it 2-0, the score at the final whistle. The goals were number 3 and 4 on the season for Edwards.

It’s now 12 games undefeated for the York Region side which is the first team to secure a playoff spot leading to the 2014 CSL Championship Finals. The Shooters’ record stands at 10-0-2WLT for 32 points, nine points in front of second place Toronto Croatia.

Marin Vucemilovic Grgic struck the only goal for London City at Victoria Park in Brampton, a well-taken effort when the league’s leading striker took a pass outside of the box to move inside the 18 yard line with a left foot drive into the corner of the net and out of reach of Brampton goalkeeper Cristian Montero Velez.

It was number 15 so far this season for Vucemilovic Grgic. The goal was scored at 65 minutes following a close contest in a game with few scoring opportunities.

London improve to 4-7-2 for 14 points and eighth in the standings while Brampton remain in seventh position with a 4-6-3 record for 15 points.

Kingston FC gradually took control of their game at Nelson Stadium in Burlington where former Rookie of the Year midfielder Akil DeFreitas opened the scoring at 25minutes for a 1-0 score at half-time, and DeFreitas made it 2-0 when he beat Burlington goalkeeper Vladimir Vujasinovic following the re-start, the goal coming at the 48 minute mark.

Midfielder Nathan Klemencic increased the lead to 3-0 at 53 minutes, taking a return pass from Michael Smith to find the net, and Guillaume Surot completed the scoring with his eleventh goal of the season to make the score 4-0. The prolific forward took a pass from Catalin Lichioiu to beat Vujasinovic from 15 yards at the 80 minute mark.

Kingston move up to fourth place in the standings with a 5-4-3 record for 18 points following their victory, while Burlington are just behind in fifth spot with a 5-7-1 for 16 points.

In the CSL Second Division Brampton City Utd B defeated Milton FC 3-1, Kingston FC B beat Burlington SC B, 5-0 and York Region Shooters B scored a 4-1 victory over SC Waterloo B.