KINGSTON VICTORY FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP ENCOUNTER WITH SC WATERLOO……Semifinal win over London City
Kingston FC will meet SC Waterloo, another recent team in the Canadian Soccer League, in the CSL Championship Final at Kalar Park Stadium at Niagara Falls on November 3.
Kingston defeated London City by a 4-2 score in the second semifinal at the Queen’s West Field, Kingston, the only game in the CSL Sunday.
The Kingston win eliminated a team which entered the league back in 1973, to follow Saturday’s first semifinal defeat by SC Waterloo of Toronto Croatia, which entered professional soccer in 1956.
The two finalists entered the CSL First Division in 2011 and while Kingston FC was recognized as a likely contender for league honours from the beginning of the 2013 campaign, Waterloo made strong progress throughout and ended the regular season impressively to have its First Division side bid for the league championship, while its reserve team booked its place in the Second Division final.
London City went ahead 1-0 after 12 minutes in Sunday’s semifinal at Queen’s West field, a goal by Marin Vucemilovic Grigic from the penalty spot when Kingston goalkeeper Jaroslav Tesar brought down London’s Aldin Kukic on a breakaway.
. Catalin Lichioiu equalized for Kingston from a free kick at 23 minutes and top scorer Guillaume Surot struck from 18 yards for a 2-1 Kingston lead at the break.
Younan Samra equalized for London for a 2-2 tie at 54 minutes and at the 80th minute mark Surot put the home side in front 3-2 from the penalty spot after midfielder Edgar Soglo was fouled in the box.
It was Soglo who scored the fourth goal for Kingston, a drive into the top right corner well out of reach of London goalkeeper Vladimir Markotic for a 4-2 score at 90 minutes and the score at the final whistle.
Kingston FC will meet SC Waterloo in the final at Kalar Park Stadium, Niagara Falls on Sunday, November 3, a 2.30 pm kickoff, to be preceded by the Second Division championship decider between Toronto Croatia B and SC Waterloo B at 12 noon.
See CSL Playoffs Summary
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS – SUMMARY
THE CSL CHAMPIONSHIP (First Division)
Semifinals
SC Waterloo 1, Toronto Croatia 1 (Extra time)
(Waterloo wins 5-4 on penalty kicks)
Kingston FC 4, London City 2
Quarterfinals
Kingston FC 2, Serbian White Eagles 1(Extra time)
Toronto Croatia 2, Windsor Stars 0 (Extra time)
York Region Shooters 1, London City 1 (Extra time)
(London City wins 4-2 on penalty kicks)
SC Waterloo 4, Brampton City Utd 0
SECOND DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Semifinals
SC Waterloo B 5, Brampton City Utd B 1
Toronto Croatia B 2, York Region Shooters B 0
Quarterfinals
Brampton City Utd B 5, St. Catharines Wolves B 3
SC Waterloo B 3, London City B 1
Toronto Croatia B 2, Kingston FC B 1
York Region Shooters B 2, Niagara United B 2 (Extra time)
(York Region Shooters B wins on penalty kicks)
The CSL Championship Finals – Sunday, November 3, Kalar Park, Niagara Falls
12 noon – Second Division Championship – Toronto Croatia B vs SC Waterloo B
2.30 pm – The CSL Championship – Kingston FC vs SC Waterloo
WATERLOO IN CSL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL…..advance on penalty kicks over defending champions Toronto Croatia
SC Waterloo advanced to the CSL Championship Final with a penalty kicks victory over Toronto Croatia following an extra time 1-1 tie at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke Saturday night. Toronto Croatia won the championship in 2012.
It was a well-played encounter throughout the 90 minutes plus 30 minutes of extra time before Drazen Vukovic chipped the winning penalty down the middle and just under the bar to give Waterloo a 5-4 edge in kicks from the spot.
It was Vukovic who scored Waterloo’s opening goal at 54 minutes following a scoreless first half, the veteran forward driving a free kick from just outside the box past Toronto Croatia goalkeeper Antonio Ilic for the 1-0 lead.
Toronto Croatia equalized with a well-taken goal by Hayden Fitzwilliams who connected while closing in with pace to the right of the Waterloo goal to slot the ball just inside the post well out of reach of Waterloo goalkeeper Imad Hakura.
Toronto Croatia missed the first penalty, with all remaining spot kicks finding the net and the last one, taken by Vukovic, winning the game.
SC Waterloo, a side which gained in strength as the regular season games progressed and attracted attention particularly when scoring 18 goals without conceding one in the three games prior to Saturday’s victory, will meet the winner of the Kingston FC vs. London City semifinal being played Sunday.
In Saturday’s Second Division Championship semifinals, Toronto Croatia B defeated York Region Shooters B 2-0 at the Hershey Field in Mississauga on first half goals by forward Josip Stanic and midfielder Peter Vidovic, while at the Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton, SC Waterloo B scored four second half goals to defeat Brampton City Utd 5-1. Scorers were Mohamed Diaby for Brampton, while Ed Syllie struck twice for SC Waterloo, Stefan Brisevac, Mohamed Aborig and Erwin Uzunovic each scored singles.
Remaining game this weekend:
CSL Championship Playoffs – First Division Semifinal
Sunday, October 20 Queen’s West Field, Kingston 6.30 pm Kingston FC vs London City
The CSL Championship Finals – Sunday, November 3, Kalar Park, Niagara Falls
12 noon – Second Division Championship – Toronto Croatia B vs SC Waterloo B
2.30 pm – The CSL Championship – Kingston FC or London City vs SC Waterloo
TORONTO CROATIA’S STORIED PAST HARD TO OVERLOOK …….the weekend games
– SC Waterloo will be mindful of Toronto Croatia’s reputation for success since the team was founded back in 1956 when a small ethnic group eventually became known throughout Canada, North America and overseas.
There were modest successes in the early days of the National Soccer League – a forerunner league of the CSL – but the blockbuster achievement came 20 years later when Toronto Metros-Croatia won the North American championship in 1976.
In 2007, the club won the inaugural Croatian World Club Championship and has won the CSL Championship three times since. In 2012, Toronto Croatia won the First Division and the CSL Championship.
But the semifinal opposition from Waterloo Region has shown maturity and has been bold in an approach to put its stamp on the CSL First Division with a strong showing mid-season followed by late season victories 9-0 over St. Catharines Wolves and 5-0 York Region Shooters. Last weekend it was a 4-0 result that devastated Brampton City Utd in the championship quarterfinals to earn Waterloo a spot in the last four.
Like Toronto Croatia, Kingston FC has a good story to tell, but from entirely contrasting circumstances. The team that represents a city in the heart of the Thousand Islands chain is the proverbial new kid on the block in the CSL. Some kid.
Kingston took charge at the top of the CSL First Division with an opening win on May 6 and except for a slight dip on a couple of occasions has generally owned the lead position throughout. The team’s performance fooled the pundits who saw the eastern Ontario entry as a fresh team with a few university players that will struggle to find its feet in the tough, quick-paced semi-pro loop.
Kingston FC won the 12-team CSL First Division by a clear three points, scored the most goals with 69 –that’s 17 more than the next team – all due in part to fielding a strong side of mostly young local and international prospects destined for higher level professional soccer. Add a head coach raised in a strong culture that is Irish soccer and a club led by two outstanding leaders now in the twilight of their respective life careers and the results became almost inevitable.
But London City, the opposition in the semifinal match with Kingston, will not give much thought to the regular season when they take the field on Sunday evening. The side from southwestern Ontario will be focused on the prospect of carrying back the trophy to London for the first time since 1985. The weekend games:The CSL Championship Playoffs – SemifinalsSaturday, October 19 Centennial Stadium 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs SC Waterloo Sunday, October 20 Queen’s West Field, Kingston 6.30 pm Kingston FC vs London CitySecond Division Championship Playoffs – SemifinalsSaturday, October 19 Terry Fox Stadium 1 pm Brampton City B vs SC Waterloo B Saturday, October 19 Hershey Centre 7 pm Toronto Croatia B vs York Region Shooters B
WATERLOO THROUGH TO SEMIFINALS WITH CONVINCING 4-0 VICTORY….well-attended playoff encounter Thanksgiving Day
KINGSTON ADVANCE……narrow victory puts division winner in semifinals
Kingston FC may be finding each game a greater challenge as the season moves through the CSL playoffs, but it’s a sure bet head coach Colm Muldoom has factored that into his way of negotiating the difficult path that leads to the overall CSL Championship.
For the group that boasts the first professional soccer team to play out of the picturesque eastern Ontario community, it has not been an easy journey and Sunday’s 2-1 victory over a Serbian White Eagles, winner of the trophy in 2008 with experienced players seasoned in European soccer, it was no exception.
It was a squeaker, a scoreless first half with a Kingston goal by midfielder Nathan Klemencic six minutes into the second half cancelled out by a Serbian Eagles goal by midfielder Stefan Racic just two minutes from the final whistle.
The game went into 30 minutes of extra time and while the home side had a decided edge in the second half, there was no guarantee that would continue.
Muldoon understood some time ago it would probably take other players to sustain the earlier success attributable to striker Guillaume Surot, Jason Massie and Catalin Lichioiu, a trio to account for 47 goals during the regular season.
Holding a 1-1 precarious tie, the Irishman brought in Kihara Waiganjo to replace Klemencic – the opening goalscorer – and after 10 minutes of overtime the talented 25 year-old headed in the game winner just three minutes after stepping on the field. The 2-1 lead held until the final whistle.
“Basically, our team delivered a performance, created many chances which we should’ve finished to make the game easier,” Muldoon said. “Our conditioning took over, [we] created more chances but it just wouldn’t go in for us – we hit the wood work numerous times. We made our own fortune and we got what we deserved in the end.”Kingston FC has announced its CSL Championship semifinal game against London City will be played on Sunday, October 20 at the Queen’s West Field, a 6.30 pm kickoff.
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS – SUMMARYQuarterfinals – First DivisionKingston FC 2, Serbian White Eagles 1 (Extra time)Saturday’s game:Toronto Croatia 2, Windsor Stars 0 (Extra time)Friday’s game:York Region Shooters 1, London City 1 (Extra time)London City wins 4-2 on penalty kicksQuarterfinals – Second DivisionBrampton City Utd B 5, St. Catharines Wolves B 3SC Waterloo B 3, London City B 1Saturday’s games:Toronto Croatia B 2, Kingston FC B 1York Region Shooters B 2, Niagara United B 2 (Extra time)(York Region Shooters B wins on penalty kicks)Remaining quarterfinal games this weekend: Quarterfinals – First DivisionMon, Oct 14 Terry Fox Stadium 7 pm Brampton City Utd vs. SC WaterlooThe semifinals will be:First Division – The CSL ChampionshipKingston FC vs London CityToronto Croatia vs Brampton City Utd or SC WaterlooSecond DivisionToronto Croatia B vs York Region Shooters BBrampton City Utd B vs SC Waterloo B
TORONTO CROATIA ADVANCE TO SEMIS……Whiteman strikes two in game marred by extra time ejections
Two goals in extra time by Jarek Whiteman gave Toronto Croatia a 2-0 victory over Windsor Stars in the quarterfinals of the CSL Championship series, the only First Division playoff game played Saturday.
The two teams fought through a scoreless 90 minutes at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke, then 10 minutes of extra time before Whiteman beat Windsor goalkeeper Anthony Santilli with a drive from 22 yards. Whiteman then followed up with a goal six minutes later at 106 minutes after taking a pass from forward Tihomir Maletic he moved the ball to the right side of Santilli into the net.
Immediately following the 2-0 lead, Windsor’s Michael Chiandussi was given a second caution then shown a red card by referee Michael Anthoy Izzo and this was followed by four additional players being ejected, two from the visitors and two from Toronto Croatia, all following some rough play and an altercation involving several players.
Red cards were shown to Stephen Ademolu for Serious Foul Play and Erik Cirovski for Violent Conduct both of Windsor Stars and this was followed by red cards shown to Whiteman and Maletic of Toronto Croatia – both for Violent Conduct. The game ended 2-0 in favour of Toronto Croatia and the current CSL champions now advance to the semifinals set for the weekend October 18 – 20.
There were two Second Division quarterfinals played Saturday:
Quarterfinals – Second Division
Toronto Croatia B 2, Kingston FC B 1
York Region Shooters B 2, Niagara United B 2 (Extra time)
York Region Shooters B wins on penalty kicks
Remaining quarterfinal games this weekend:
Quarterfinals – First Division
Sun, Oct 13 Queen’s West Field 1 pm Kingston FC vs Serbian White Eagles
Mon, Oct 14 Terry Fox Stadium 7 pm Brampton City Utd vs. SC Waterloo
Quarterfinals – Second Division
Sun Oct 13 Hellenic Centre 5 pm London City B vs SC Waterloo B
Sun Oct 13 Club Roma 6 pm St. Catharines Wolves B vs Brampton City Utd B
LONDON CITY ELIMINATE YORK REGION IN PLAYOFF OPENER….penalty kicks victory
October 12/2013
London City scored an upset victory to eliminate York Region Shooters from the CSL Championship playoffs, the first post-season game and the only game played in the Canadian Soccer League Friday.
It was a cliff hanger at the St. Joan of Arc ground at Maple, just north of Toronto, a scoreless tie through to the end of 90 minutes to put the game into 30 minutes of overtime. The best chance to win the game during regulation time came at 63 minutes when York Region were awarded a penalty kick by referee Manuel Orellana, but the spot kick by forward Richard West was saved by London ‘keeper Vladimir Markotic.
The first goal came after 110 minutes of play when London City forward Aldin Kukic beat York Region goalkeeper Emanuelle Ameltonis from eight yards to slot the ball to the right and into the net.
York Region Shooters drew level at 119 minutes when midfielder Mario Orestano took a pass from West to drive the ball past Markotic, a 1-1 tie which took the game to the end of overtime and into penalty kicks.
London scored four while York Region Shooters found the net just twice for a 4-2 London City victory on penalty kicks. The southwestern Ontario side advances to the semifinals to be played during the weekend October 18 to 20. The CSL Championship Final is set for Kalar Park, Niagara Falls on Sunday, November 3.
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS
First Division – Quarterfinals
York Region Shooters 1, London City 1 (Extra time)
London City wins 4-2 on penalty kicks
Remaining games this weekend:
First Division – Quarterfinals
Sat, Oct 12 Centennial Stadium, 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs Windsor Stars
Sun, Oct 13 Queen’s West Field 1 pm Kingston FC vs Serbian White Eagles
Mon, Oct 14 Terry Fox Stadium 7 pm Brampton City Utd vs. SC Waterloo
Second Division – Quarterfinals
Sat, Oct.12 Kalar Park 1 pm Niagara United B vs York Region Shooters B
Sat, Oct 12 Hershey Field 7 pm Toronto Croatia B vs Kingston FC B
Sun Oct 13 Hellenic Centre 5 pm London City B vs SC Waterloo B
Sun Oct 13 Club Roma 6 pm St. Catharines Wolves B vs Brampton City Utd B
A FULL SLATE OF PLAYOFF GAMES THIS THANKSGIVING DAY WEEKEND……the weekend games
A full slate of CSL Championship playoff games are scheduled Friday, October 11 to Thanksgiving Day Monday when the quarterfinals are played in each of the two divisions that form the Canadian Soccer League.
The winners will advance to the semifinals set for the weekend October 18 – 20 and the Championship Finals will take place at Kalar Park at Niagara Falls on Sunday, November 3.
Toronto Croatia are the defending CSL champions and have won the title three times in the past six years. They are at home to Windsor Stars at Centennial Stadium on Saturday, while Kingston FC are attracting a lot of attention also following their remarkable First Division success in the regular season just ended. They are at home on Sunday to Serbian White Eagles, the CSL champions in 2008.
York Region Shooters, the CSL champions in 2006 under the banner of Italia Shooters, have been consistently prominent in CSL playoffs, while Brampton City Utd’s strong mid-season performance paid off with a fourth place finish in the standings to qualify for a playoff berth and home game advantage against the very promising SC Waterloo.
Recent Canadian Soccer League champions
2006: Italia Shooters
2007: Toronto Croatia
2008: Serbian White Eagles
2009: Trois-Rivieres Attak
2010: Brantford Galaxy
2011: Toronto Croatia
2012: Toronto Croatia
The weekend games:
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS
First Division – Quarterfinals
Fri, Oct 11 St. Joan of Arc 8 pm York Region Shooters vs London City
Sat, Oct 12 Centennial Stadium, 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs Windsor Stars
Sun, Oct 13 Queen’s West Field 1 pm Kingston FC vs Serbian White Eagles
Mon, Oct 14 Terry Fox Stadium 7 pm Brampton City Utd vs. SC Waterloo
Second Division – Quarterfinals
Sat, Oct.12 Kalar Park 1 pm Niagara United B vs York Region Shooters B
Sat, Oct 12 Hershey Field 7 pm Toronto Croatia B vs Kingston FC B
Sun Oct 13 Hellenic Centre 5 pm London City B vs SC Waterloo B
Sun Oct 13 Club Roma 6 pm St. Catharines Wolves B vs Brampton City Utd B
THE QUARTERFINALS – championship series for both divisions starts October 11
Astros Vasas FC ends its season Sunday with a 7-11-4 WLT record for 25 points, good for ninth place in the First Division standings, while Windsor Stars take part in the CSL Championship playoffs which get underway with the quarterfinals on October 11.
York Region Shooters ended the regular season with a 15-5-2 for 47 points to take the runner-up position in the First Division and move to the playoff series with a quarterfinal game against London City on October 11.
Kingston completed its regular season with an impressive 16-4-2 record for 50 points to win the CSL First Division and of the 69 goals scored in the 22 league games, French-born Guillaume Surot was the league’s top goalscorer with 28 goals.
The playoffs get underway on October 11 with the quarter finals, followed by the semifinals the weekend October 18 and the CSL Championship Final at Niagara Falls November 3.
There were two games in the Second Division Sunday:
York Region Shooters B 2, Kingston FC B 2
Serbian White Eagles B 1, Brampton City Utd B 3
CSL CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS
First Division – Quarterfinals
Fri, Oct 11 St. Joan of Arc 8 pm York Region Shooters vs London City
Sat, Oct 12 Centennial Stadium, 7 pm Toronto Croatia vs Windsor Stars
Sun, Oct 13 Queen’s West Field 1 pm Kingston FC vs Serbian White Eagles
Mon, Oct 14 Terry Fox Stadium 7 pm Brampton City Utd vs. SC Waterloo
Second Division – Quarterfinals
Sat, Oct.12 Kalar Park 1 pm Niagara United B vs York Region Shooters B
Sat, Oct 12 Hershey Field 7 pm Toronto Croatia B vs Kingston FC B
Sun Oct 13 Club Roma 6 pm St. Catharines Wolves B vs Brampton City Utd B
Mon Oct 14 Hellenic Centre 5 pm London City B vs SC Waterloo B
YORK REGION HAS RUNNER-UP SPOT…..Extraordinary Astros Vasas game well worth the price of admission
There were two First Division games to end the CSL regular season Sunday, with York Region Shooters gaining the runner-up position with a 1-0 victory over Kingston FC and Astros Vasas ended on a winning note with a 4-1 win over Windsor Stars.
The Astros Vasas 4-1 defeat of Windsor Stars at Esther Shiner Stadium Sunday afternoon is a once in a while story that befits the last day of the regular season, a game in which a goalkeeper scored a goal and a player who scored two goals also received two yellow cards, but only after he scored one of his goals directly from the centre spot to resume the game following half-time.
Matthew George, the goalkeeper for Astros Vasas opened the scoring for the home side from the penalty spot, a penalty ordered by referee Justin Tasev at the 40th minute mark, but midfielder Adam Philip of Windsor Stars tied the game 1-1 four minutes later, the score at the break.
Astros’ forward Jose Melo gained most of the attention in a game of unusual circumstances, however, when he resumed play for the second half at the centre circle by driving the ball straight at the opposing side’s goal – and scored. Windsor goalkeeper Josh Rogers was unable to stop the shot and it entered the net to give Astros Vasas a 2-1 lead.
Enio Perruzza, the game announcer, recalled after the final whistle that the last time he’s aware of a goal being scored from the centre circle when a game is being re-started, was in 1988. “It was Hector Marinaro who did it, he was playing for the Toronto Blizzard and he noticed the opposing goalkeeper wasn’t paying attention – one kick and it sailed into the net,” he said. Argentine-born Marinaro was one of the great imports of Canadian soccer with a professional background in Europe, South and Central America.
Astros Vasas increased their lead to 3-1 with a goal from forward Evan James at 53 minutes and Melo scored his second and Astros’ fourth at 83 minutes before receiving a second caution – a second yellow card – then shown the red card by referee Tasev.
Astros’ fans who enjoyed the unusual event were heard to ask the date of the next game with the Astros. Next spring, they were told on leaving the ground.
Francisco Javier Perez scored the only goal for York Region Shooters in their 1-0 victory over Kingston FC at Maple, just north of Toronto, the last game of the regular season. The goal came at the 8th minute mark when Perez took a pass from Richard West to drive the ball into the net from 10 yards to the left of Kingston goalkeeper Jaroslav Tesar.
Stan Adamson
Director of CSL Media
