RAJOVIC WINNER CLOSES THE GAP FOR SCARBOROUGH

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 6th of the season, at the 65th 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 90th 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

 

 

 

 

HASECIC EARLY GOALS LEAD WAY TO 4-1 WATERLOO VICTORY

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 80th 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

VORKUTA, SERBIAN EAGLES BATTLE TO 2-2 DRAW

PICTURE: Sergii Ursulenko struck twice for FC Vorkuta in the 2-2 draw with Serbian White Eagles at Centennial Stadium. Vorkuta is unbeaten in 13, 10 of which are wins.

FC Vorkuta maintained its unbeaten streak with a 2-2 draw with Serbian White Eagles, the only game played in the Canadian Soccer League First Division Friday.

It was a hard, well=played encounter at Centennial Stadium in Toronto’s west-end with Serbian White Eagles taking the lead on a penalty kick at the 13th minute mark. Referee Josue Jaramillo pointed to the spot following a foul in the box by Vorkuta defender Olexandr Volchkov and Branislav Vukomanovic beat Vorkuta goalkeeper Olexandr Musiienko with ease.

The visitors equalized just three minutes later when Sergii Ursulenko was put through and found the net amid some confusion with a claim for offside, but the goal was awarded at the 16th minute mark, a 1-1 tie at the interval.

Vorkuta took a 2-1 lead when Ursulenko struck a second goal for Vorkuta, collecting a cross from the right wing to deposit the ball in the far corner at 54 minutes and six minutes later Serbian White Eagles equalized, a goal by Dusan Kovacevic who headed in following a counter attack. The 2-2 draw  held to the final whistle.

Vorkuta has a 10-0-3 WLT unbeaten record for 33 points at the top of the First Division, while Serbian White Eagles have a 7-2-2 record for 23 points in third position.

REMAINING WEEKEND GAMES IN THE FIRST DIVISION

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

LITTLE TIME TO CAPTURE REGULAR SEASON HONOURS

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   

MILOVANOVIC WINNER LIFTS WATERLOO

SC Waterloo gained its fifth win of the season and moved into a more contending position for First Division honours with a 2-1 victory over FC Ukraine United in the only match in the Canadian Soccer League First Division played Sunday.

It was a fast-paced even encounter at Centennial Stadium and Waterloo took the lead at 33 minutes from a free kick by forward Petar Dordevic just outside the box. The rising shot beat Ukraine United goalkeeper Oleksand Popravka for a 1-0 score at the interval.

Ukraine United drew level 1-1 at 57 minutes when defender Bohdan Skotskyi put a hard cross from the right wing to the six yard line for Sviatoslav Dziadykevych to find the net past Waterloo goalkeeper Dalibor Ivanovic.

Both sides had opportunities and at 67 minutes Waterloo midfielder Aleksandar Milovanovic drove the ball inside the right post to score the winning goal which held up to the final whistle, a 2-1 result in favour of Waterloo.

Waterloo improve to a 5-6-1 WLT record for 16 points bringing the Southwestern Ontario team to a tie on points with Kingsman A and Ukraine United, the teams occupying spots 4,5, and 6 in the standings.

UPCOMING MIDWEEK GAMES IN THE SECOND DIVISION

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

 

 

 

STOJILJKOVIC HAT-TRICK HOLDS KINGSMAN TO 3-3 DRAW

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 5th 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 93rd 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 44th 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 70th 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 9th 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 10th 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

 

 

 

VORKUTA EXTENDS UNBEATEN STREAK WITH 5-0 VICTORY

PICTURE: Substitute Fadi Salback, one of Vorkuta’s promising young players, completed the scoring with two goals for a 5-0 win over CSC Mississauga Friday.

FC Vorkuta took its unbeaten string to 12 games with a 5-0 away win over CSC Mississauga, one game played in the Canadian Soccer League Friday.

Following an early unsuccessful raid on the Vorkuta goal at the Hershey Centre, the visitors then moved to a counter attack which led to a cross from defender Vadym Gostiev to Olexandr Yaremchuk who put the ball inside the far post and into the net, a 1-0 lead by Vorkuta at the 11th minute mark.

Vorkuta went ahead 2-0 at 38 minutes, a free kick outside the box by midfielder Serhii Ursulenko was deflected by the wall and into the net. It was 2-0 at the break.

Bohdan Borovskyi struck the third goal for Vorkuta at 52 minutes, collecting a cross from Serhii Melnyk just inside the box to drive the ball into the net.

Fadi Salback made it 4-0 at 71 minutes, tapping the ball into the net off a quick free kick by Valerii Yormosh, and Salback scored a second goal at 89 minutes after finding his way past two Mississauga defenders to score his third of the season for the club’s First Division team. It was a 5-0 final score for the league leaders.

Salback, a substitute, considered one of the younger, promising players in the Canadian Soccer League, opened the season scoring four goals for the Vorkuta B Second Division opener on June 22.

Vorkuta has a 10-0-2 WLT unbeaten record for 32 points at the top of the First Division to lead Scarborough in second position by 7 points, while CSC Mississauga are at 3-8-1 for 10 points and 7th in the table.

Remaining games in the CSL over the weekend:

Saturday August 10 Esther Shiner Stad. 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs Scarborough SC

Saturday August 10 Huron Park 7 pm  Real Mississauga vs Serbian White Eagles 

Saturday, August 10 Heritage Field 8.30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Hamilton City    

Sunday August 11 Centennial Stadium 7.30 pm FC Ukraine United vs SC Waterloo

 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         

              

CSC MISSISSAUGA WORTH WATCHING – The Weekend Games

PICTURE: While FC Vorkuta has reason to be optimistic about the outcome of Friday’s game, opposition CSC Mississauga’s three recent victories posting 16 goals and conceding one should cause the league leaders to avoid complacency. The teams meet at Huron Park in Mississauga, a 9 pm kickoff.                                                                                                               Photo: Samad Kadirov

CSC Mississauga picked it up with an 8-1 thumping of local rivals Real Mississauga on August 3 and while the benefit of the victory may not be noticeable for a team sitting in seventh position in the table, that’s outweighed by the psychological boost the side will experience. It’s the third win this campaign and it’s difficult to overlook that the other two victories were 4-0 results away from home. To take it a step further, all three wins were away with a total 16 goals scored and only one conceded and that’s a big step forward from the inaugural 2018 season’s one win at the foot of the table and the only team that failed to qualify for the post-season championship playoffs.

CSC Mississauga is at home to league-leading unbeaten FC Vorkuta to kickoff the weekend games on Friday night and while no one is expecting Mississauga’s turnaround to bring victory, their recent performance may well cause Vorkuta to avoid being complacent and not take the match and three points for granted.

Second place Scarborough, trailing Vorkuta by just five points and closing in while bidding for the First Division title, will not have an easy time against Kingsman A at Esther Shiner Stadium. Kingsman has won four of its last five games including against a strong Serbian White Eagles on August 3, which followed victories against SC Waterloo and Ukraine United. Kingsman’s one defeat in the last five encounters was against Vorkuta on July 27.

First Division Weekend Games

 Friday August 9 Hershey Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga vs FC Vorkuta       

Saturday August 10 Esther Shiner Stad. 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs Scarborough SC

Saturday August 10 Huron Park 7 pm  Real Mississauga vs Serbian White Eagles 

Saturday, August 10 Heritage Field 8.30 pm Brantford Galaxy vs Hamilton City    

Sunday August 11 Centennial Stadium 7.30 pm FC Ukraine United vs SC Waterloo

 

UPCOMING GAMES IN THE SECOND DIVISION

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

Tues. Aug. 13 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm  CSC Mississauga B vs FC Vorkut B          

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

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

              

SCARBOROUGH OVERCOMES EARLY DEFICIT TO WIN 3-2 SUNDAY

PICTURE: New club Kingsman have made solid progress in fifth position in the standings, including a 4-2 defeat of Serbian White Eagles on Saturday, a game in which Sayid Belmokhtar (9) scored a hat-trick for Kingsman. Scarborough is in second position, just four points below league-leading Vorkuta following a 3-2 victory at Waterloo Sunday night.

PHOTO  by Oleg Kalyadin

Scarborough SC came back from a 2-0 deficit scoring three goals to defeat SC Waterloo 3-2 in the only game scheduled in the Canadian Soccer League Sunday night.

Forward Ante Kljusuric opened the scoring for Waterloo at the 22nd mark at RIM Park and midfielder Adis Hasecic made it 2-0 for the home side three minutes later.

Scarborough captain Aleksander Stojiljkovic scored his fourth goal of the campaign, finding the net past Waterloo ‘keeper Dalibor Ivanovic at the 34th minute mark for a 2-1 score, and Kavin Bryan equalized for Scarborough at 43 minutes, his fourth goal of the season and a 2-2 score at the interval.

Both sides had opportunities to score and at the 67th minute forward Gonzalo Matias Cabrera Celis struck the winner for the visitors, his seventh goal of the season, and the 3-2 score held to the final whistle.

Scarborough improved to an 8-2-1 WLT record for 25 points for second place in the standings following the win, just four points behind unbeaten Vorkuta at the top with 29 points. Waterloo has a 4-6-1 record for 13 points in sixth position, having failed to win in four starts since June 27.

Serbian White Eagles (6-2-1 for 19 points) are third in the table following a 4-2 loss to Kingsman A  on Saturday, a win that lifted the new club to fifth position with a 5-5-0 record. Ukraine United (5-3-1 for 16 points) are now in fourth spot.

There are two matches mid-week in the Second Division:

Wed., Aug 7 Cardinal Newman 7 pm Hamilton City B vs CSC Mississauga B

Wed., Aug 7 Iceland Field 9 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingsman B

 

BELMOKHTAR HAT-TRICK LEADS KINGSMAN TO VICTORY

A hat-trick by Sayid Belmokhtar led Kingsman A to a 4-2 victory over Serbian White Eagles, FC Vorkuta were held to a 2-2 draw by FC Ukraine United and CSC Mississauga dominated local rivals Real Mississauga 8-1, three games in the Canadian Soccer League Saturday.

Forward Sayid Belmokhtar scored the first three goals for Kingsman A in the 4-2 defeat of Serbian White Eagles at Esther Shiner Stadium to put the game out of reach late in the second half. Belmokhtar struck at 16 and 39 minutes for a 2-0 lead at the interval, to complete the hat-trick at the 56th minute mark. The goals were 3,4,5 on the season for Belmokhtar. Bozidar Tadic then found the net for Serbian White Eagles at 74 minutes for a 3-1 score and each side scored at 80 minutes, a goal by Serbian Eagles’ defender Milan Kusic and Oleh Savira scored for Kingsman, a 4-2 result in favour of Kingsman at the final whistle.

Vorkuta went ahead early against Ukraine United at the Ontario Soccer Centre and held a 2-0 lead from goals by forward Mykola Temniuk who took a cross on the chest from Pavlo Chornomaz to drive a low shot into the net past Ukraine United goalkeeper Oleksandr Popravka, and just one minute later Vorkuta was awarded a penalty following a hand ball and defender Liubomyr Halchuck made no mistake from the spot. It was Temniuk’s eleventh goal of the season to lead the First Division in scoring.

Ukraine United’s Ihor Sorotoskyi scored at 30 minutes to reduce the lead to 2-1. Sorotoskyi struck the crossbar with his header on the first attempt, but the midfielder tapped in the rebound into an empty net. Pavlo Lukianets tied the game for Ukraine United at 51 minutes when he found the net with a free header, a 2-2 draw at the final whistle.

In the late game at Huron Park, CSC Mississauga dominated the match with an 8-1 victory over local rivals Real Mississauga.

There is one game in the First Division on Sunday with SC Waterloo hosting Scarborough SC at RIM Park in Waterloo, a 7 pm kickoff

MID-WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

 Wed., Aug 7 Cardinal Newman 7 pm Hamilton City B vs CSC Mississauga B             

 Wed., Aug 7 Iceland Field 9 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingsman B      

 

 

 

 

 

HOLIDAY WEEKEND TEST FOR UKRAINE UNITED

FC Ukraine United is halfway through its fourth season in the professional CSL following a highly successful 10 years as an amateur team in the Ontario Soccer League, during which the club won league titles, were promoted to Ontario’s Premier Central Division and were recognized for various other achievements before becoming an expansion team in the CSL in 2016.

Success was never ending with the team taking the runner-up position in its inaugural 2016 year in the CSL, and this was followed by the Second Division title in 2017 and finishing on top of the CSL First Division in 2018.

But Ukraine United has not fared well away from home this season with three recent defeats to Hamilton City, Kingsman and Scarborough which has left the team in fourth position in the standings to now trail league-leading FC Vorkuta by 13 points.

“There were games we should not have lost,” explained GM Vladimir (Vlad) Koval this week, who with coach Andrei Malychenkov, both former professionals in eastern Europe, founded FC Ukraine United in 2006. “It is true we have dropped a notch in strength having lost some important players and injuries have played a part also, but we are energized and determined to pick it up in an effort to win the First Division again and, of course you can be sure we will be very much a part of the playoffs going for the overall championship,” added Koval.

Ukraine United venture into the Ontario Soccer Centre on Saturday to meet home team Vorkuta, a team unbeaten this season while relishing an impressive string of nine wins and a draw. This all spells a big test for a Ukraine United now in a recovery mode and hoping to close a gap as a first step in the team’s quest for 2019 honours.

Scarborough and Serbian White Eagles, second and third in the standings, are also poised to catch top-of-the-table Vorkuta, with Serbian Eagles having played two games less than both of these teams. Scarborough visits RIM Park in Waterloo on Sunday, while Serbian White Eagles will be away to Kingsman A at the Esther Shiner Stadium in North York on Saturday.

It’s a repeat of the local Mississauga First Division local derby when Real Mississauga hosts CSC Mississauga at Huron Park on Saturday following a 1-1 draw between these teams on July 5.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN THE FIRST DIVISION

Saturday, Aug 3 Ontario Soccer Centre 6 pm FC Vorkuta vs FC Ukraine United     

Saturday, Aug 3 Esther Shiner Stadium 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs Serbian White Eagles       

Saturday, Aug 3 Huron Park 7 pm Real Mississauga vs CSC Mississauga

Sunday, Aug 4 RIM Park 7 pm SC Waterloo vs Scarborough SC   

 MID-WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Wed., Aug 7 Cardinal Newman 7 pm Hamilton City B vs CSC Mississauga B              

WeD., Aug 7 Iceland Field 9 pm Serbian White Eagles B vs Kingsman B       

VORKUTA, UKRAINE UTD SCORE SATURDAY VICTORIES

PHOTO: Volodymyr Bidlovskyy  prominent for Vorkuta in 3-0 victory over Kingsman A

FC Vorkuta extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games with a 3-0 victory over Kingsman A, FC Ukraine United defeated Real Mississauga 4-0 and visiting Hamilton City held SC Waterloo to a scoreless draw, three games in the Canadian Soccer League First Division Saturday.

Kingsman were reduced to 10 men at 16 minutes of play when midfielder Stanislav Katana was given a second caution and red card at Esther Shiner Stadium. Vorkuta took control of the game with a number of scoring chances, but Kingsman goalkeeper Hryhorii Krasovskyi kept the visitors off the scoresheet until 21 minutes when Vorkuta’s Vadym Gostiev took a cross from Pavlo Chornomaz to send a powerful drive from close in to open the scoring. It was 1-0 for Vorkuta at the interval.

Vorkuta continued to press during the second half and increased its lead to 2-0 at 71 minutes when a prominent throughout Volodymyr Bidlovskyy crossed the ball to Ihor Melnyk for a right foot shot to find the net past Krasovskyi. A good solo effort by forward Fadi Salback of Vorkuta, who made his way into the box to score with a powerful shot, completed the scoring at 80 minutes, a 3-0 result in favour of the current CSL champions at the final whistle. It was Salbacks first goal of the season in the First Division.

Vorkuta lead the standings with a 9-0-1 WLT record for 28 points, while Kingsman has a 4-5-0 record for 12 points and drop to sixth in the table as a result of the loss.

Midfielder Taras Kryvyy struck twice for Ukraine United in the 4-0 defeat of Real Mississauga at Huron Park, giving the current First Division title holders their fifth win of the season. Defender Bohdan Skotskyl scored early and Aaron Reeves also found the net to complete a result that lifted Ukraine United from sixth to fourth position in the standings.

It was a well played encounter between Waterloo and Hamilton City which ended in a scoreless draw at Rim Park, a result that gave Waterloo a 4-5-1 record for 13 points for fifth position in the standings, while Hamilton City are now at 2-3-3 for nine points and seventh in the table.

Midweek in the Second Division

Tuesday, July 30 Ontario Soccer Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga B vs Serbian White Eagles B      

 Wednesday, July 31 Cardinal Newman 9 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Kingsman B

 

STRIZOVIC HITS FOUR IN SERBIAN EAGLES VICTORY

Serbian White Eagles midfielder Vladimir Strizovic led his team with four goals in a 6-3 victory over Brantford Galaxy and in one other match played in the Canadian Soccer League Friday night, Scarborough SC defeated CSC Mississauga 4-0.

Strizovic opened the scoring for Serbian White Eagles at Centennial Stadium in Toronto’s west-end, a tap in from close in at the 10 minute mark and Marko Stajic made it 2-0 for the home side six minutes later, a curving drive from the 18 yard line that entered the far post.

Strizovic scored his second to increase the lead to 3-0 at 25 minutes, scoring off a rebound from Galaxy goalkeeper Georgi Jovicic.  Brantford Galaxy cut the lead with two goals before the interval, a goal by Zoran Cyijetic at 30 minutes and a second when Alex Bercik beat Serbian White Eagles goalkeeper Nikola Postic at 44 minutes for a 3-2 score at the break.

Strizovic  completed his hat-trick at the 53rd minute mark for a 4-2 Serbian White Eagles lead and the former Serbia Second Division player beat Jovicic to score his fourth goal at 59 minutes for a 5-2 lead. Strizovic now has 7 goals on the season.

Bozidar Tadic struck for Serbian White Eagles at 69 minutes, a 6-2 lead and Bercik found the net for the visitors at the 74th minute mark, a 6-3 result at the final whistle.

Serbian White Eagles are in third position in the standings with a 6-1-1 WLT record for 19 points following the win, while Brantford Galaxy have a 0-8-1 record for one point at the foot of the table.

In the late game at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Scarborough defeated CSC Mississauga 4-0, goals by Kevin Bryan  at 25 minutes for a 1-0 lead at the interval, with Alexander Stojiljkovic at 66 minutes and Zoran Rajovic with two late goals, 87 and 90 minutes.

Scarborough continues to occupy the runner-up position in the standings as a result of the victory, the east Toronto team now has a 7-2-1 record for 22 points, three points behind league-leading FC Vorkuta, while CSC Mississauga are in eighth position in the table with a 2-7-1 record for 7 points.

There are three remaining matches scheduled in the CSL First Division this weekend:

Saturday, July 27 Esther Shiner Stadium 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs FC Vorkuta

 Saturday, July 27 Huron Park 7 pm Real Mississauga SC vs FC Ukraine United          

 Saturday, Jul 27 RIM Park 7 pm SC Waterloo vs Hamilton City        

 NEXT WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

 Tuesday, July 30 Ontario Soccer 9 pm       CSC Mississauga B vs Serbian White Eagles B       

Wednesday, Jul 31 Cardinal Newman 9 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Kingsman B      

 

SCARBOROUGH, SERBIAN EAGLES WELL POSITIONED

PICTURE: Kingsman A (red) climbing table steadily, while Scarborough and Serbian White Eagles are well position to challenge runaway FC Vorkuta. PHOTO: Oleg Kalyadin

Expansion team Kingsman A is climbing steadily up the table following three consecutive victories against some tough opposition and doing it with an impressive goal performance by finding the net eight times while conceding just two.

It’s not unusual for teams in their inaugural year to surprise, but two of the teams on the losing end, FC Ukraine United and Waterloo are considered to be in contention for league and championship honours this year and as the schedule moves in to the second half of the season, teams closing in at the top are fighting for every point they can get.

Kingsman face a big test on Saturday while at home to league-leading unbeaten FC Vorkuta in what should be an interesting match against a Vorkuta aiming to clinch the First Division early before defending its CSL Championship triumph of 2018.

Waterloo is sitting in mid table having disappointed since winning both opening games 4-0 with the addition of some new talent from Europe and the club now realizes any opportunity for regular season league honours requires solid wins soon to move forward as a serious contender. The team from Southwestern Ontario, which won a memorable championship and league winning double in 2013, hosts Hamilton City at RIM Park on Saturday.

Scarborough and Serbian White Eagles, in second and third in the standings respectively, are well positioned to challenge runaway Vorkuta. Serbian Eagles, with just one defeat at this mid-point juncture of the regular season, are at home Friday night against lowly Brantford Galaxy, while Scarborough visit the Hershey Centre Friday for an encounter with an improving CSC Mississauga.

Ukraine United have experienced a struggling first half of the season with four defeats in seven matches to date, compared to the team’s two defeats during the entire 16-game regular season 2018 league-winning campaign. Ukraine United visit Huron Park for a clash with Real Mississauga Saturday.

THE WEEKEND:

Friday, July 26 Centennial Stadium  7 pm Serbian White Eagles vs Brantford Galaxy

Friday, July 26 Hershey Centre 9 pm CSC Mississauga vs Scarborough SC

Saturday, July 27 Esther Shiner Stadium 6.30 pm Kingsman A vs FC Vorkuta

Saturday, July 27 Huron Park 7 pm Real Mississauga SC vs FC Ukraine United           

Saturday, Jul 27 RIM Park 7 pm SC Waterloo vs Hamilton City         

NEXT WEEK IN THE SECOND DIVISION

Tuesday, July 30 Ontario Soccer 9 pm       CSC Mississauga B vs Serbian White Eagles B        

Wednesday, Jul 31 Cardinal Newman 9 pm Brantford Galaxy B vs Kingsman B