Serbian White Eagles increased its lead at the top of the standings with a 4-0 victory over Dynamo Toronto, Hamilton City outplayed Weston United 5-2 and Toronto Falcons scored a narrow 1-0 win over Scarborough, three games in the Canadian Soccer League, August 19 triple header at the Mattamy Sports Park Saturday.
Midfielder Vitor de Jesus opened the scoring at 18 minutes for Weston United, beating Hamilton goalkeeper Aleksandar Nikolic from close range for the 1-0 lead and Dragor Zugelj equalized for Hamilton at 37 minutes, a 1-1 score at half-time.
Hamilton City went ahead 2-1 when Vladimir Dojcinovic found the net with a low drive inside the right post at 60 minutes, Luan Cortez tied the score 2-2 for Weston at 69 minutes and Zugelj scored a second goal for a 3-2 Hamilton lead at 70 minutes. Vukasin Kovacevic made it 4-2 two minutes later, just before Hamilton City was reduced to 10 men when midfielder Anton Sigul was shown the red card at the 77th minute mark following a second yellow.
Dojcinovic completed the scoring for Hamilton City with his second goal at 80 minutes, a 5-2 score at the final whistle. It was Hamilton City’s fourth win of the season, an improving 4-5-1 WLT record for 13 points and fifth in the standings, while Weston United remain in sixth position with a 1-7-2 record and five points.
It was a close, attractive encounter between Toronto Falcons and Scarborough that was in doubt through to the final whistle. Falcons’ midfielder Nemo Shelia struck the eventual winning goal close to the interval, a low drive from outside the box that found the net past Scarborough goalkeeper Vladimir Dragicevic.
While the pace picked up in the second half, Scarborough came close to tying the game which included a missed penalty kick following a Scarborough attack challenged by Falcons’ keeper Anatolii Starushchenko, which also brought out the yellow card and served to underscore that the Ukrainian goalkeeper was outstanding by the minute. Toronto Falcons and Starushchenko held on for the win following which Falcons’ official Zhane Gendunov was quick to say the important victory came “from a strong team effort in which Starushchenko was certainly outstanding.” Toronto Falcons now have a 5-3-1 record for 16 points to tie for third place with Dynamo Toronto.
Serbian White Eagles and the CSL’s leading goalscorer Marko Stajic pointed the way in the late game with a goal against Dynamo Toronto to be followed late in the match by two from midfielder Stefan Pejic at 70 and 80 minutes and a single by Vladimir Strizovic at the 85th minute mark. The decisive victory was the eighth of the season, giving last season’s league title winners a five-point margin (8-2-0) for 24 points at the top of the standings. Dynamo Toronto has a 5-3-1 record for 16 points.
Next week’s games move to the Paramount Field in Mississauga on Saturday, August 26 when Scarborough and Dynamo Toronto meet in the opening game at 2 pm, followed by Serbian White Eagles vs Weston United at 4 pm and Toronto Falcons vs Ooty Black Pearl at 6.