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Result of the CPSL game of Friday June 20, 2003 at 8:00pm between Toronto Croatia and Hamilton Thunder played at Memorial Stadium in Streetsville (Mississauga).

Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)

.....................................12 George Azcurra
7 Nino Andrijevic...4 Domogoz Sain (cpt)...3 Daniel Pilas...2 Adrian Azcurra
21 Paul Grguric...10 Peter Curic...5 Robert Fran...17 Goran Grubisic
......................11 Josip Bucic...14 Jose Aniekwe

Subs:...6 Mario Kulis...16 Richard Dobrovoljac...15 Joseph Lewe...18 Edin Kalic...8 Hugo Astitud...18 Peter Ferreira...so who wore the #18?
team officials:...coach Drago Santic...assistant coach Tomo Boljkovoc...manager Juan Ljubic

Hamilton Thunder (all blue, white numbers and trim)

.....................................1 Roberto Ferrari
3 Denny Velestagi...6 Aaron Steele...21 David Moya...11 Orlin Chalmers
4 Ross Tobolowski...7 Miles O'Connor...9 David Simpson...13 Ryan Thompson
......................12 Stallin Cardenas...15 Murat Sukra

Subs:...00 Adam Guy (gk)...16 Ian Bennett (fwd)...8 Sergio Deluca (mid)...14 Gaston Bizera (def)...19 David Deavall (fwd)...10 Matthew O'Connor (mid)...23 Adam Leggett (mid)
team officials:...head coach Duncan Wilde...co-coaches Billy Steele and Ammar Awad...manager Jim Healey...team doctor Jason Pajaczkowski

Game officials:...referee Isaac Raymond...referee's assistants Denise Robinson and Jeff Simai...fourth official Justin Tasev

1st Half:...game starts 8:09pm...TC defends north end on this warm evening on a shadowed field at the start of the game. All times are converted from my wristwatch.
2 min...TC Grguric receives low cross and 10 yard blast is blocked by goalie.
7 min...TC Fran 20 yard low blast in crowd of players is wide left.
10 min...HT Miles O'Connor on right 40 yard freekick is headed by defender left out of box.
11 min...TC Grubisic cornerkick from right is headed away by leaping HT Simpson.
12 min...TC Fran 40 yard freekick, HT defender heads left for corner.
13 min...TC Grguric rolls cornerkick from left, defender boots out ball out for another. TC Grguric cornerkick again this time starts HT fast break.
14 min...TC goalie cahrges out of box to kick through ball to HT Simpson running for it.
15 min...TC Curic cornerkick from right is sent into box and cleared.
19 min...HT player's freekick from 35 yards on right, HT Simpson leaping header is wide left from 7 yards.
22 min...HT Thompson rushes through middle, HT Sukra gets shot blocked from 5 yards by defender on line and rebound cleared out of box. That was the best chance of the night so far.
24 min...HT Simpson is hurt when he twice leaps tackle attempts on rush on right wing.
25 min...HT Chalmers 50 yard shot blast wide left.
26 min...TC Grubisic freekick from 45 yard on left, leaping TC Curic heads wide left across box.
29 min...TC Aniekwe rolls 15 yard shot across goalmouth that goalie slides to kick away as pressured.
33 min...TC Grubisic intercepts cross field pass, boots forward to TC 34 min...TC Grubisic cornerkick from left, leaping TC header popped up wide right of net.
36 min...HT goalie flubs ball and TC Aniekwe almost gets away shot on edge of box but defender hangs on to him.
37 min...TC Bucic 35 yard freekick is just high wide right of top corner.
38 min...TC YELLOW card...Pilas for tackle on HT Cardenas on rush on right injuring him.
39 min...HT Miles O'Connor freekick from 30 yards on right is dropped off chest of goalie who runs forward to pick it up.
40 min...TC player following up on a TC rush blasts 40 yarder well wide right.
42 min...TC Fran lobs high 40 yard freekick, leaping goalie in crowd punches away ball.
43 min...TC YELLOW card...Grguric for sliding tackle on Sukra near center line.
44 min...HT YELLOW card...Thompson upends TC Adrian Azcurra from behind near center line.
45 min...TC Curic long throw-in from right, TC Grubisic turns header from 10 yards that's caught by goalie.
46 min...half ends 8:55pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:10pm.
47 min...TC Andrijevic 40 yard freekick from right is leaping header by TC Curic that bounces wide left.
49 min...HT goalie dives on loose ball rolling across box.
51 min...TC Fran injured in own end.
52 min...Thunder Denny Velestagi GOAL...Velestagi on rush from 30 yards on left sends blast just inside right post. Wow that was an early candidate for goal of the year!
54 min...HT Simpson runs down left wing and rolls 20 yard shot wide right of post.
55 min...HT Matthew O'Connor freekick from right through players in box over line wide left.
56 min...HT Miles O'Connor freekick from 25 yard lobbed over wall, goalie catches ball running to left post.
57 min...HT Thompson cuts left from 22 yards and shot palmed over goal by leaping goalie.
59 min...TC Grubisic 40 yard freekick from left is headed on right across box and cleared.
61 min...TC YELLOW card...Adrian Azcurra for sliding tackle on sideline.
62 min...HT Thompson cornerkick from right is through box.
63 min...TC sub...Kalic/Ferreira wearing #19 replaces Bucic.
...............TC sub...Astitud replaces Grguric.
63 min...HT Simpson race on left rolls cross across box. TC defender clears.
66 min...TC Aniekwe cross from left, TC Kalic/Ferreira head from right is just wide left of open net.
67 min...TC YELLOW card...Curic for tackle on sideline.
68 min...HT sub...Bizera replaces Tobolowski.
69 min...HT pass play has HT Thompson miss on slide and left wing shot from HT Sukra blast wide right.
70 min...HT Thompson freekick from right has defender clear.
71 min...TC player hits post on 7 yard header.
72 min...TC Curic freekick from 40 yards around 3 man wall and caught by goalie on right post.
73 min...HT sub...Bennett replaces Sukra.
75 min...HT Bizera injureds TC Fran on tackle.
76 min...TC Grubusic 40 yard freekick, leaping defender heads ball wide right.
76 min...TC player's cornerkick from right, ball is headed across box by TC player and fast for HT players.
77 min...TC Grubusic freekick from 30 yards on left, TC Fran can't turn header in box.
81 min...Thunder Ian Bennett GOAL...Thunder player's freekick 35 yard blast hits head in TC wall, Bennett gets rebound on left and takes 30 yard blast from left that's into right side of net.
83 min...TC Kalic/Ferreira can't turn 7 yard header into box.
84 min...YELLOW card...someone gets card for argueing whistle in HT box.
88 min...TC Fran rush on left, centers to TC Aniekwe who tries to set up shot from 20 yards but defender blocks it.
89 min...Thunder David Simpson GOAL...Simpson on breakaway has diving goalie George Azcurra push ball off his foot wide to right. Simpson regains control of ball and cuts back towards center and beats goalie on 10 yard shot to short side of net.
90 min...HT sub...Deavall replaces Cardenas.
91 min...HT goalie picks up bouncer in box.
93 min...game ends 9:58pm.

Final Score:....Toronto Croatia....0.....Hamilton Thunder.....3...

Attendance for this Toronto Croatia home opener was about 200 on this warm evening. About the best turnout I remember in a few years for this team.

Toronto Croatia actually had a lot more chances in the first half but couldn't score missing their chances off target more than getting goalie Roberto Ferrari to make difficult saves. Orlin Chalmers took most of the goalkicks for the Thunder.

The second half was different with Thunder getting more and more break-ins as Toronto Croatia had to open up to try to come back. Simpson was the fastest player out there even in the late going.

Jose Aniekwe (from North York Astros) and Joseph Lewe (a substitute not used this game) join Toronto Croatia to give them some colour this year. That makes three straight losses for Toronto Croatia to start their season with mostly the same players as last year.

Thunder's coach this year is Duncan Wilde who's come over from England. Thunder is undefeated so far this year.

Referee Isaac Raymond gave out Yellow cards frequently for the rough tackles given out by both teams.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

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