Brampton Guardian: Hitmen Thrown to the Wolves
Hitmen thrown to the Wolves
ROBIN INSCOE, Sports Editor -
Wednesday, September 18th, 2002
The hopes of a playoff berth were
dampened for the Brampton Hitmen on Sunday afternoon - by pouring rain and the
St. Catharines Wolves in Canadian Professional Soccer League action.
The
Hitmen, playing before one of its largest crowds of the season, watched its
playoff hopes come crashing down when Tony Carbonara found the back of the
Brampton net with just five minutes remaining to give the visiting Wolves a 2-1
win.
It brought a quick end to the Hitmen's excitement.
Just
five minutes earlier Daniel Cerros had beaten the St. Catharines goalkeeper to
knot the game at one-all to keep Brampton's slim playoff hopes alive.
Cerros' 25-yarder found the back of the net as the youngster netted his
first CPSL goal.
The Wolves netted the lone goal of the first half when
Carlos Arghitta, the league's second-leading scorer, found the net for the 12th
time this season.
It looked as if that goal would stand up until Cerros
provided the Brampton fans with something to cheer about late in the second
half.
"We needed a win," admitted Brampton coach Steve Nijjar. "We
pushed everybody up, including Ciccarelli (his goalkeeper)."
Nijjar knew
a tie wouldn't help them in the fight for the final playoff spot.
"We
could have had the tie," said Nijjar. "But we needed a win."
The Hitmen
wrap up its CPSL season with road games against the North York Astros on Oct. 6
and in Hamilton on Oct. 10 against the Thunder.
The Hitmen remain in the
hunt for the League Cup crown. They have qualified for the semifinals and will
participate in a tournament format event in London on September 28 and
29.
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