Club News

Unbeaten Toronto Croatia Seeks Top Spot

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Toronto Croatia are anxious to move into a more familiar top spot in the CSL First Division and Saturday’s clash with Kingston FC will provide the opportunity  to be closer to that coveted position the current champions have been waiting for.

The key, it would appear, will rest on the extent to which the Toronto side can hold the prolific Kingston high scoring sharpshooters responsible for leading the league in goals so far this season. The most outstanding player to find the net more than anyone else in the league is French-born Guillaume Surot with 14 to his credit and proving to be a handful for an opposing defence throughout the 90 minutes. But he’s not alone, with midfielders Jason Massie and Catalin Lichioiu accounting for 10 goals between them – always at the ready to find the net if not setting up the ever-dangerous Surot.

While Toronto Croatia is the only unbeaten team in the CSL First Division, Kingston has an impressive 6-0-0 record at home, which makes Saturday’s match even more intriguing.

Brampton City Utd  should not be overlooked and a sharing of the points by Kingston and Toronto Croatia on Saturday would be just fine for the GTA team which visits an improving SC Waterloo for an interesting contest on Sunday.

The weekend games with match officials:

FIRST DIVISION
Fri. Jul 5  Windsor Stadium  8 PM Windsor Stars vs Burlington SC
(Ref: Armado Pereira, Assist. Lucian Burlacu,Gabriel Burlacu, 4th Matt McCready)
Fri. Jul 5  Hellenic Com Field 8:30 PM London City  vs Astros Vasas FC
(Ref David Barrie, Assist. Scott Milliquet, Michel Bradley, 4th Scott Decker)
Fri. Jul 5  Centennial Stadium 9 PM Serbian White Eagles vs York Region Shooters
(Ref. Jeff Fearnall, Assist. Peter Pendli, Alex Hearn, 4th Alexis Vaughan )
Sat. Jul 6  Queen’s West Field  5 PM Kingston FC vsToronto Croatia
(Ref. Pierre Acouri, Assist. Dan Popescu, Vlaimir Makarov, 4th. Michael Stenbring)
Sat. Jul 6  Kalar Sports Park  7 PM Niagara United vs St. Catharines Wolves
(Ref. Hassane Rifai, Assist. Matthew Mendonca, Joseph D’Onofrio, 4th Sahab Jamshidi)
Sun. Jul 7  Esther Shiner Stadium 4:30 PM Astros Vasas FC vs Serbian White Eagles
(Ref. Justin Tasev, Assist. Niquita Amirkhanian, Alex Hearn, Jeff Fearnall)
Sun. Jul 7  Warrior Field 7 PM SC Waterloo vs Brampton City Utd
(Ref. Alexis Vaughan, Assist. David Di Pasquale, Scott Milliquet, 4th. Zac Taylor)
Sun. Jul 7  Nelson Stadium 7 PM Burlington SC vs London City
(Ref. Yusri Rudolf, Assist.Gianni Facchini, Matthew Mendonca, 4th. Colman O’Meara)
Sun. Jul 7  St. Joan of Arc  7:30 PM York Region Shooters vs Windsor Stars
(Ref. Manuel Orellana, Assist. Peter Pendli, Manny Alex Orellana, 4th Ramee Arbaji)

SECOND DIVISION
Sat. Jul 6  Kalar Sports Park  4 PM Niagara United B vs St. Catharines Wolves B
Sat. Jul 6  Eglinton Flats 7 PM Serbian White Eagles B vs  SC Waterloo B
Sat. Jul 6  Queen’s West Field  7:15 PM Kingston FC B vs Toronto Croatia B

 

SC WATERLOO HELD TO A SCORELESS TIE BY IMPROVING ASTROS VASAS FC

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Astros Vasas FC showed signs of turning their season around by holding SC Waterloo to a scoreless tie in the only game played in the CSL Friday night.
 
It was a well-played encounter at the Warrior Field in Waterloo with the home side on the fringes of the upper positions in the standings and Astros Vasas FS at the foot of the table with just one win in seven games played in the season so far.
 
Waterloo have a 3-2-2 WLT record for 11 points as a result of the tie, while Astros Vasas FC are now 1-6-1 for four points in the standings
 
There is one postponement in the Second Division this weekend – the SC Waterloo B vs Serbian White Eagles B game set for Saturday, has been called off due to wet ground conditions.
 
Astros Vasa FC can be seen on Rogers TV on Saturday, a tape delay of the Astros Vasas FC vs. York Region Shooters game played last Sunday, June 23. The tape delay can be seen on Saturday, June 29 at 8pm in Toronto – check your local listings in other regions of Ontario.
 
Remaining games scheduled this weekend:
 
FIRST DIVISION
Sun. Jun 30 Queen’s West Field 1 PM Kingston FC vs St. Catharines Wolves
(Ref.Alexis Vaughan, Assist. Peter Pendli, Matthew Mendonca, 4th. Fabrizio Stasolla)
Sun. Jun 30 Windsor Stadium 5 PM Windsor Stars vs Toronto Croatia  
(Ref.Arthur Korbiel, Assist. Mike Busuttil, Joe Barile, 4th Angelo Gertsakis)
 
SECOND DIVISION
Sat. Jun 29 Portuguese/Oriental 11 AM SC Waterloo B vs Serbian White Eagles B  POSTPONED DUE TO WET GROUND CONDITIONS
Sat. Jun 29 Hershey Field 5 PM Toronto Croatia B vs Brampton City Utd B 
Sun. Jun 30 Queen’s West Field 3:15 PM Kingston FC B vs St. Catharines Wolves B 
Sun. Jun 30 Hellenic Com Centre 5:30 PM London City B vs York Region Shooters B

HOLIDAY WEEKEND GAMES IN THE CSL….Tape delay of Astros Vasas FC vs York Region Shooters game shown Saturday

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Rogers TV are showing a tape delay of the Astros Vasas FC vs. York Region Shooters game played last Sunday, June 23 this holiday weekend. The tape delay can be seen on Saturday, June 29 at 8pm in Toronto – check your local listings in other regions of Ontario.

The weekend games:

FIRST DIVISION
Fri. Jun 28 Warrior Field 8:15 PM SC Waterloo vs Astros Vasas FC
(Ref.Scott Decker, Assist. David Di Pasquale, Armando Pereira, 4th David Barrie)
Sun. Jun 30 Queen’s West Field 1 PM Kingston FC vs St. Catharines Wolves
(Ref.Alexis Vaughan, Assist. Peter Pendli, Matthew Mendonca, 4th. Fabrizio Stasolla)
Sun. Jun 30 Windsor Stadium 5 PM Windsor Stars vs Toronto Croatia
(Ref.Arthur Korbiel, Assist. Mike Busuttil, Joe Barile, 4th Angelo Gertsakis)

SECOND DIVISION
Sat. Jun 29 Portuguese/Oriental 11 AM SC Waterloo B vs Serbian White Eagles B
Sat. Jun 29 Hershey Field 5 PM Toronto Croatia B vs Brampton City Utd B
Sun. Jun 30 Queen’s West Field 3:15 PM Kingston FC B vs St. Catharines Wolves B
Sun. Jun 30 Hellenic Com Centre 5:30 PM London City B vs York Region Shooters B

KINGSTON FC BIDDING TO STAY ON TOP

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Only Kingston FC saw it coming.

The team that lost 17 of 22 games in their inaugural 2012 season in professional soccer were expected once again to struggle in 2013 to make an impression in the tough Canadian Soccer League.

The early signs last season were not good. Welcome to the CSL and professional soccer said Windsor Stars in one early season visit to the Invista Centre ground in Kingston. The visitors then promptly thumped Kingston FC 5-0.

We’ll see, said co-owners Lorne Abugov, the club’s chairman, and Joe Scanlon, its president, as they embarked upon a quiet but determined campaign during the winter months to put Kingston on the map for reasons other than being one of the more attractive tourist destinations in Canada.

Abugov, a lawyer and Scanlon, a journalist, both with a penchant for communications, decided if they were going to be involved in professional soccer it was important to raise the profile of their club, both in and around Kingston, and throughout the CSL.

They were go-getters – Abugov, a top legal expert in communications, founder of Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame and former senior legal counsel for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), and Scanlon, a seasoned journalist and Professor Emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa who boasts a chronology of impressive lifetime of work in journalism that has brought him a host of awards.

We’ll get it right, promised Abugov to his club and the community looking to have a team in pro sports. We’re going to do it right, he repeated and today, a year later, with Kingston FC perched in a first place tie with Brampton City Utd, the bottle is starting to look more than half full.

“We are not out of the woods yet here in Kingston,” Abugov said recently, “but we have turned the corner this season, and we are making a lot of friends in this community and around the league. Joe and I are pretty proud of what we are building in this city, both on and off the field, and Kingston is showing itself to be a great soccer market full of very knowledgeable soccer folks.

“We’ve worked hard this season to assemble the best soccer team Kingston has ever seen, and our fan base are really getting behind the squad and enjoying an exciting brand of wide-open attack-oriented soccer. We’ll be bidding this weekend to stay on top”
Kingston FC, tied for the top spot in the league table, are at home to a struggling St.Catharines Wolves, tied for a spot at the other end of the league table, but the game at the Queen’s University West Field may still be a test for the home side as St. Catharines show signs of hitting better form.

There are two other First Division games over the weekend, with Astros Vasas FC visiting Waterloo on Friday, while Windsor Stars are at home to the current CSL champions, Toronto Croatia, on Sunday.

TORONTO CROATIA KEEP PACE WITH SUNDAY VICTORY……..Weekend summary

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Toronto Croatia kept pace with Kingston FC and Brampton City Utd at the top of the CSL First Division by defeating St. Catharines Roma Wolves 3-0 at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke Sunday.

Following a scoreless first half during which both sides missed scoring opportunities, forward Kresimir Prgomet struck at 53 minutes for Toronto Croatia and this was followed by a goal at 69 minutes by Daniel Niksic to make it 2-0 for the home side.

Prgomet scored a second goal at 85 minutes for a 3-0 final score which gave Toronto Croatia a 5-0-1 unbeaten record for 16 points. St. Catharines Wolves have a 1-3-0 record for 3 points.

The Weekend Summary

Friday, June 21
FIRST DIVISION
London City 3, Windsor Stars 1

Saturday. June 22
FIRST DIVISION
Burlington SC 2, Niagara United 0

SECOND DIVISION
Waterloo SC B 3, York Region Shooters B 1

Sunday, June 23
FIRST DIVISION
York Region Shooters 4, Astros Vasas FC 0
Brampton City Utd 2, Kingston FC 1
Windsor Stars 4, Burlington SC 1
Waterloo SC 4, London City 2
Toronto Croatia 3, St. Catharines Wolves 0

SECOND DIVISION
Brampton City Utd B 4, Kingston FC B 2
London City B 3 St. Catharines Wolves B 0

Remaining Sunday games report ……………..

BRAMPTON CITY UTD VICTORY ENDS KINGSTON UNBEATEN RUN….Teams level at the top of First Division

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Brampton City Utd scored an important victory against Kingston FC, Toronto Croatia kept pace near the top by defeating St. Catharines Wolves, York Region Shooters won handily over Astros Vasas FC, Windsor scored an emphatic victory over Burlington and SC Waterloo downed London City, five games in the CSL Sunday.

Brampton City Utd were off to a quick start with two goals in the opening 5 minutes of play at Victoria Park in Brampton, the first coming from midfielder Thomas McLean at the 2nd minute mark and Milos Scepanovic made it 2-0 at 5 minutes.

Kingston pressed to get back into the game during the first half and succeeded with a goal at 29 minutes by Jason Massi for a 2-1 score at the interval, and following a well-played scoreless second half the game ended 2-1 in favour of the home side. The win moved Brampton into a tie for top spot in the First Division.

The win increases Brampton’s winning streak to six games going back to May 25. The Toronto area team were defeated 6-2 by Kingston on the league’s opening day May 5 and have won all six games since.

York Region Shooters were full marks for their victory over Astros Vasas FC at Esther Shiner Stadium, taking control in the first half when striker Richard West beat Astros Vasas goalkeeper Laszlo Barna with a low shot at the 35th minute mark, a 1-0 score at the break.

West made it 2-0 at 48 minutes and Ali Hamam increased the lead to 3-0 for the visitors at the 78th minute mark. It was Richard West’s 7th and 8th goals of the season and the second for Ali Hamam.

Midfielder Matthew Rios scored the fourth goal at 87 minutes, driving the ball into the net from a rebound off the crossbar, a 4-0 result for York Region Shooters.

Burlington SC looked strong in the first half to lead 1-0 at 43 minutes against Windsor Stars at Nelson Stadium in Burlington, a goal by Mohammed Mohammed off a rebound from Windsor goalkeeper Dejo Olagbegi, but the visitors took over to score four unanswered goals in their 4-1 win.

The first Windsor goal was scored by midfielder Adam Philp off a corner kick just before the interval, for a 1-1 score at the break, forward Michael Pio put the visitors ahead 2-1 at 55 minutes and Pio scored again at 70 minutes for a 3-1 lead. Midfielder Erik Cirovski rounded the scoring at 4-1 with a goal at the 84th minute and the score held to the final whistle.

Waterloo SC scored a come-from-behind victory after being down 2-0 in the first half against London City at Warrior Field in Waterloo. The visiting London side struck at 30 minutes, a goal by forward Aldin Kukic and this was followed by a goal from midfielder Harris Fazlagic.

Waterloo responded with a goal by Adis Hadesic at 36 minutes and a tying goal from Ranko Golijanin at 54 minutes. Hadesic then scored again at 74 minutes to put Waterloo in front, 3-2, and Predrag Papaz found the net for Waterloo’s 4th goal, a 4-2 final score.

BURLINGTON DEFEAT NIAGARA UNITED SATURDAY…. Full slate of five games in the CSL First Division Sunday.

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Burlington SC scored their second win of the season with a 2-0 away victory over Niagara United at Kalar Park in Niagara Falls, the only game in the Canadian Soccer League First Division Saturday night.

It was a scoreless first half with few opportunities to find the net for either team, and it was midfielder Nicholas Lindsay who opened the scoring for Burlington at the 57th minute, his fourth of the season. Mohammed Mohammed increased the lead to 2-0 when he headed into the net nine minutes later, his third strike of the current campaign.

Burlington SC improve to a 2-3-0 WLT record following Saturday’s win and the team is at home to Windsor Stars in back-to-back games on Sunday, a 5 pm start at Nelson Park in Burlington, while Niagara United return to Kalar Park at home to St. Catharines Wolves on July 6. Niagara has a 1-4-3 record for six points following Saturday’s game.

There was one game in the CSL Second Division Saturday when Waterloo SC B defeated York Region Shooters B 3-1.

Remaining games in the CSL this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION
Sun, Jun 23 Esther Shiner Stadium 4:30 PM Astros Vasas FC vs York Region Shooters
Sun, Jun 23 Nelson Stadium 5 PM Burlington SC vs Windsor Stars
Sun, Jun 23 Victoria Park 5:30 PM Brampton City Utd vs Kingston FC
Sun, Jun 23 Warrior Field Waterloo 7 PM SC Waterloo vs London City
Sun, Jun 23 Centennial Stadium 8 PM Toronto Croatia vs St. Catharines Wolves

SECOND DIVISION
Sun, Jun 23 Victoria Park 3 PM Brampton City Utd B vs Kingston FC B
*Sun, Jun 23 Club Roma Park 3 PM St. Catharines Wolves B vs London City B
(*Note change of kickoff time from 6 PM to 3 PM)

TWO GOALS BY MIDFIELDER CRISTIAN DRAGOI PROPELS WINDSOR TO FIRST WIN

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Two first half goals by midfielder Cristian Dragoi moved Windsor Stars to their first win of the new season, opening their account with a 4-1 defeat of Astros Vasas FC at Windsor Stadium, the only game in the Canadian Soccer League First Division Saturday.

Dragoi opened the scoring for the home side at 22 minutes with a hard low drive that beat Astros Vasas goalkeeper Erno Bostyan and Windsor hit again with two goals in quick succession. The first by David Kadoic – he headed into the net at 25 minutes – and immediately after the re-start Drogoi struck his second of the night to make it 3-0 at the
interval.

Astros Vasas reduced the lead in the second half when Jose Melo scored on a penalty after referee Hassane Rifai pointed to the spot when a visitors’ forward was brought down inside the 18 yard line, the goal coming at the 58th minute mark and it was 3-1 in favour of Windsor.

Windsor Stars increased the lead to 4-1 on a goal by Adam Philp who drove the ball into the net at the 87th minute mark and the score held to the final whistle.

There was one game in the Second Division Saturday:
Niagara United B 4, Toronto Croatia B 1

Remaining games in the Canadian Soccer League this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION
Sun, Jun 16 Queen’s West Field 1 PM Kingston FC vs London City
Sun, Jun 16 Victoria Park 5:30 PM Brampton City Utd vs SC Waterloo
Sun, Jun 16 St. Joan of Arc 6:30 PM York Region Shooters vs St. Catharines Wolves
Sun, Jun 16 Centennial Stadium 8 PM Toronto Croatia vs Niagara United

SECOND DIVISION
Sun, Jun 16 Victoria Park 3 PM Brampton City Utd B vs SC Waterloo B
Sun, Jun 16 Queens West Field 3:15 PM Kingston FC B vs London City B
Sun, Jun 16 St. Joan of Arc 4 PM York Region Shooters B vs St. Catharines Wolves B

NIAGARA UNITED GAIN FIRST VICTORY FRIDAY

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Niagara United gained their first victory of the season with a 1-0 defeat of Serbian White Eagles at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, the only game in the CSL Friday night.

It was a game of missed opportunities, particularly with Serbian Eagles when Kiril Dimitrov came close at 36 minutes and Djorjije Strunjas at 70 minutes when he faced an empty net after Niagara ‘keeper John DeLuca was well beaten.

The visitors did find the net from one of their chances when forward Keith Makubuya scored at the 80th minute mark. Defender Malcolm Mings started the play in midfield, moved the ball to forward Derek Paterson whose shot was saved by Serbian Eagles’ goalkeeper Stefan Avramovic. He directed the ball onto the goalpost but the ball reached Makubuya to score from three yards.

The win gives Niagara United a 1-3-2 WLT record for 5 points, while Serbian White Eagles suffered their fourth loss of the current campaign for a 2-4-1 record for 7 points.

Remaining games in the Canadian Soccer League this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION
Sat, Jun 15 Windsor Stadium 7 PM Windsor Stars vs Astros Vasas FC
Sun, Jun 16 Queen’s West Field 1 PM Kingston FC vs London City
Sun, Jun 16 Victoria Park 5:30 PM Brampton City Utd vs SC Waterloo
Sun, Jun 16 St. Joan of Arc 6:30 PM York Region Shooters vs St. Catharines Wolves
Sun, Jun 16 Centennial Stadium 8 PM Toronto Croatia vs Niagara United

SECOND DIVISION
Sat, Jun 15 Hershey Turf Field 5 PM Toronto Croatia B vs Niagara United B
Sun, Jun 16 Victoria Park 3 PM Brampton City Utd B vs SC Waterloo B
Sun, Jun 16 Queens West Field 3:15 PM Kingston FC B vs London City B
Sun, Jun 16 St. Joan of Arc 4 PM York Region Shooters B vs St. Catharines Wolves B

ST. CATHARINES WOLVES FULL MARKS FOR SEASON OPENER VICTORY..London City salvage late tie with Shooters

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A goalmouth miscue by York Region Shooters at 93 minutes gave London City a 2-2 tie at the Hellenic Community Centre ground in London and in one other game played in the Canadian Soccer League Friday night, St. Catharines Roma Wolves handed the home side Serbian White Eagles a 3-1 defeat at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke.

It was a chippy affair in London where three players – two from the visiting Shooters and one from London City were shown the red card by referee Matt McCready for offences which included violent conduct.

Forward Aldin Kukic put London City into the lead at 37 minutes and Nicolas Martinez of York Region Shooters tied the score 1-1 at the 44th minute mark.

Richard West put the visitors in front at 83 minutes when he found the net past London goalkeeper Vladimir Markotic and York Region appeared to have the game won when in added time Shooters goalkeeper Adrian Ibanez was involved in a goalmouth collision. The mishap allowed London midfielder Gent Miftari to pick-up the loose ball and find the net from close range for a 2-2 tie.

The ejections, which left York Region Shooters with nine men, were Andre Stewart and Rickey Herron, while Marin Vucemilovic Grgic of London City was also ordered off.

St. Catharines Wolves were full marks for their first victory of the season in the Garden City’s season opener and it was Calvin Rosario of St. Catharines who opened the scoring at 42 minutes when he headed in a free kick. It was 1-0 at the break.

Antonio Stranges made it 2-0 three minutes into the second half following a breakaway and at the 70th minute a Serbian White Eagles home victory became more unlikely when Daniel Chamale was ordered off on receiving a second yellow card.

The visitors went further ahead on a goal by Brett Larocque at 83 minutes and two minutes later Serbian White Eagles were awarded a penalty kick and Kiril Dimitrov scored with his second attempt from the spot for a 3-1 final score in favour of St. Catharines Wolves.

Remaining games in the CSL this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION
Sat, May 25 Kalar Sports Park 7 PM Niagara United vs Brampton City Utd
Sun, May 26 Esther Shiner Stadium 4:30 PM Astros Vasas FC vs Kingston FC
Sun, May 26 St. Joan of Arc 6:30 PM York Region Shooters vs Serbian White Eagles
Sun, May 26 Warrior Field Waterloo 7 PM SC Waterloo vs Burlington SC
Sun, May 26 Centennial Stadium 8 PM Toronto Croatia vs London City

SECOND DIVISION
Sat, May 25 Portuguese/Oriental 11 AM SC Waterloo B vs St. Catharines Wolves B
Sat, May 25 Kalar Sports Park 4 PM Niagara United B vs Brampton City Utd B
Sat, May 25 Hershey Field 5 PM Toronto Croatia B vs Kingston FC B
Sun, May 26 St. Joan of Arc 4 PM York Region Shooters B vs Serbian White Eagles B

TWO GOALS BY ALEX BRALETIC IN BRAMPTON VICTORY SATURDAY

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Two goals by forward Alex Braletic earned Brampton City Utd a 3-1 victory over Niagara United at Kalar Park in Niagara Falls, the only game played in the CSL First Division Saturday.

It was the first victory of the season for the GTA club following a 6-2 loss to Kingston FC in the opener on May 5, while Niagara United are still without a win following early season ties against London City on May 10 and SC Waterloo on May 12.

Niagara midfielder Rudy Pikzinski opened the scoring for the home side at 46 minutes following a scoreless first half. Pikzinski lifted the ball over the head of Brampton goalkeeper Euloge Awitor Kodzo and Braletic tied the game 1-1 with his first goal at the 62nd minute mark.

Brampton’s Marcos Nunes put the visiting side up 2-1 at the 74th minute when he found the net past Niagara goalkeeper Jonathan Buggeling following a breakaway down the right side and Braletic increased the lead to 3-1 at 91 minutes, the score at the final whistle.

There were three games in the CSL Second Division Saturday:

Niagara United B 2, Brampton City Utd 2
SC Waterloo B 3, St. Catharines Wolves B 2
Toronto Croatia B 2, Kingston FC B 1

Remaining games in the CSL this weekend:

FIRST DIVISION
Sun, May 26 Esther Shiner Stadium 4:30 PM Astros Vasas FC vs Kingston FC
Sun, May 26 St. Joan of Arc 6:30 PM York Region Shooters vs Serbian White Eagles
Sun, May 26 Warrior Field Waterloo 7 PM SC Waterloo vs Burlington SC
Sun, May 26 Centennial Stadium 8 PM Toronto Croatia vs London City

SECOND DIVISION
Sun, May 26 St. Joan of Arc 4 PM York Region Shooters B vs Serbian White Eagles B

KINGSTON FC ON TOP WITH 3-1 VICTORY…. Serbian White Eagles, Waterloo and Toronto Croatia also win Sunday

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Sunday, May 26 – Kingston FC extended their lead at the top of the CSL First Division with a 3-1 defeat of Astros Vasas FC at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York, and in three other games played in the CSL Sunday night, Toronto Croatia overcame an early 1-0 deficit to beat London City 4-1, Serbian White Eagles nipped York Region Shooters 1-0 and SC Waterloo took control in the second half of their home encounter to down new club Burlington SC, 4-2, four games in the Canadian Soccer League Sunday night.

Following a scoreless, well-played first half, Kingston opened the scoring at 55 minutes with a goal by forward Guilliaume Surot and the French-born striker struck again seven minutes later when he drove the ball from 20 yards past Astros Vasas goalkeeper Erno Bostyan. It was Surot’s 5th and 6th goals of the season.

Kingston FC went further ahead with a goal at 80 minutes by midfielder Kihara Wainganjo and Astros Vasas reduced the lead with a goal by forward Tristan Watson who found the net past Kingston goalkeeper Jaroslav Tesar at the 91st minute mark, a 3-1 final in favour of the visitors.

It was a tough encounter at the Joan of Arc ground in Maple where the home side went down 1-0 to Serbian White Eagles on a picture goal at 77 minutes by Djorjije Strunjas. Serbian Eagles’ Ramon Bailey moved the ball to Kiril Dimitrov on the left wing and after beating two defenders Dimitrov crossed the ball for Strunjas to head into the net from six yards. It was Strunjas second goal of the season.

It was an even first half contest between the home side SC Waterloo and visiting Burlington SC at Warrior Field with the score tied 1-1 at half-time on goals by forward Mohamed Mohamed of Burlington SC at 26 minutes and Drazen Vukovic of Waterloo at 35 minutes, but three second half goals by SC Waterloo, a second by Vukuvic and two from Adis Hasecic, made the difference. Nicholas Lindsey scored the second goal for the visitors for a final score 4-2 in favour of SC Waterloo.

London City led 1-0 at the break in the game with Toronto Croatia at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, a goal at 43 minutes by midfielder Nenad Begovic, but the home side responded with four second half goals by striker Tihomir Maletic at 64 minutes, Kresimir Prgomet five minutes later, Bujamic Mladen at 75 minutes and Ainsley Deer just before the final whistle for a 4-1 final score.

Both teams ended the game with 10 men following the ejection for violent conduct by referee Ben Jacobs of London City’s Younan Samra and Daniel Niksic of Toronto Croatia.

LONDON CITY, NIAGARA UNITED BATTLE TO SCORELESS TIE

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London City and Niagara United battled to a scoreless tie in wet conditions at the TD Waterhouse Stadium in London, the opening game in the new season for both teams and the only game scheduled in the Canadian Soccer League Friday night.

Both teams had opportunities to score, but goalkeepers Vladimir Markotic for the home side and John De Luca for Niagara United were sound through to the final whistle.

Midfielder Marin Vucemilovic Grgic, the league’s MVP while playing for Toronto Croatia in 2012, was always a threat for London City, while Derek Paterson was prominent for the visitors.

London City are at home to York Region Shooters on May 24, while Niagara United will visit SC Waterloo on Sunday.

Remaining games in the CSL this weekend are all First Division games on Sunday:

Sunday, May 12 Nelson Stadium 5 pm Burlington SC vs. Serbian White Eagles
Sunday, May 12 St. Joan of Arc 6.30 pm York Region Shooters vs.Astos Vasas FC
Sunday, May 12 Warrior Field 7 pm SC Waterloo vs. Niagara United
Sunday, May 12 Centennial Stadium 8 pm Toronto Croatia vs. Kingston FC

TORONTO CROATIA, YORK REGION SHOOTERS REGISTER OPENING WINS…..SC Waterloo and Niagara United tie 1-1

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CSL champions Toronto Croatia continued their winning way with a narrow 3-2 defeat of Kingston FC, while York Region Shooters also opened their new season account with a 1-0 victory over Astros Vasas FC, and SC Waterloo played to a 1-1 tie with Niagara United, three games in the CSL First Division Sunday night. One other game scheduled, Burlington SC vs. Serbian White Eagles, was postponed due to ground conditions at Nelson Stadium in Burlington.

Kingston FC opened the scoring with a goal from Catalin Lichioiu at the 23rd minute mark at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke and Roberto Galle tied the score 1-1 for Toronto Croatia five minutes later.

Striker Tihomir Maletic put the home side in the lead at 31 minutes when he intercepted just outside the penalty box to move in and drive a low shot from 18 yards just inside the post and Maletic increased the Croatia lead to 3-1 at 41 minutes, beating Kingston goalkeeper Jaroslav Tesar from 10 yards. It was 3-1 at the break.

Nathan Klemencic struck for the visitors to reduce the Croatia lead to 3-2 at 59 minutes and Kingston’s Jason Massie came close to equalizing when he caught the goalpost with a last minute attempt on goal in added time with Croatia goalkeeper Anton Ilic well beaten. It was 3-2 at the final whistle.

It was looking like a scoreless tie at the St. Joan of Arc ground in Maple until York Region Shooters scored the only goal of the game at 91 minutes by Dino Gardener from a pass by Richard West. Gardiner hit the ball into the roof of the net, beating Astros Vasas goalkeeper Antal-Andras Toth with the hard drive from just outside the box.

Following a scoreless first half, midfielder Adis Hasecic playing on the left wing for SC Waterloo, struck the opening goal from 20 yards, a drive that entered the net off the crossbar to put the home side one-up against Niagara United at Warrior Field in Waterloo.

Niagara struck back with a goal at 80 minutes from midfielder Jordi Amores who collected the rebound from a free kick to find the net and tie the game 1-1, a score that held until the final whistle.