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Result of the Friday September 17, 2004 CPSL game between Toronto Croatia and Hamilton Thunder played at Memorial Park in Streetsville at 8:00pm.
Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)
.............................1 George Azcurra
............3 Halburto Harris...5 Antonijo Zupan...14 Josepth Cosentino
9 Zvjezdan Kresic...2 Ante Pavlovic...11 Velemir Crljen...8 Hugo Alstitud...21 Marko Milicevic
.....................16 Edin Kalic...10 Leo Laurito
Subs:...12 Vinko Kozina (gk)...19 Juan Gamboa...6 Mario Kulis...15 Joseph Lewe...4 Rudy Spajic...7 Emil Vidra...17 Kris Kemenczy (fwd)
team officials:...manager Theo Krajacic...head coach Josip Cvitanovic...assistant coach Ivan Cuvalo...official Mladen Vugrenicek
Hamilton Thunder (black socks, navy shorts and shirts, white numbers)
............................1 Roberto Ferrari
.............4 Igor Cvetovic...7 Bekavac Blazenko...18 Zeljko Dukic
14 Miles O'Connor...9 Michael Diluca...10 Matthew O'Connor...23 Kevin Nelson...11 Stalin Cardenas
....................20 Sasa Milaimovic...22 Charles Gbeke
Subs:...2 Mersad Ahmetovic...19 Alex Arbelo...24 Bosko Borjan...17 Jason Crnic...16 Courtney Dennis...5 Adrian Ramos...9 Michael Diluca
team officials:...coach George Armua...sport director Miro Marjanovic...trainer John Adams...official Enes Mearne
Game officials:...referee Niel Schofield...referee's assistants Justin Tasev and Amato DeLuca...fourth official Afshin Korkorian...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)
1st Half:...game starts 8:03pm...all times are converted from my wristwatch...TC defend south end...
3 min...HT Miles O'Connor hurt on tackle outside center circle.
5 min...HT Cvetovic yard freekick has goalie punch away ball in crowd of players.
6 min...HT Matthew O'Connor cornerkick from right has goalie catch ball in crowd.
7 min...HT sub...Annisi replaces replaces injured Miles O'Connor.
8 min...TC Zupan 30 yard freekick through crowd of players and off TC player wide left.
10 min...HT player blasts 25 yarder well over net.
13 min...HT goalie charges out to clear through ball.
14 min...TC Milicevic leaps up on left to turn cross from right wide left from 10 yards.
16 min...TC Crljen 40 yard kick from left has goalie push bender wide right of goal.
18 min...HT Gbeke header from 25 yards caught by goalie 10 yards out.
19 min...TC goalie catches 50 yard high shot.
20 min...HT Gbeke 20 yard shot wide right when HT player gives him pass after recovering a TC clearance attempt deflected off defender.
22 min...TC Crljen 20 yard midair shot in crowd of players well over net.
22 min...HT Annisi 30 yard shot into box headed away from left post by TC Cosentino.
23 min...HT Diluca gtets ball that was over all players on cross from left and takes 5 yards shot on right that's well wide right.
29 min...TC player's cross from right corner is behind net.
31 min...HT goalie runs to left edge of box to smother ball to TC Laurito.
32 min...TC Crljen 35 yard freekick chip is caught by goalie.
33 min...HT Milaimovic 25 yard roller wide left.
34 min...TC Kresic 60 yard freekick has TC Kalic flick header from 25 yards that bounces to goalie.
34 min...TC YELLOW card...Laurito for tackle near center line.
35 min...HT Diluca break down right and cross to HT Gbeke who heads ball down for HT Milaimovic to blast 20 yard shot over net.
36 min...HT Cvetovic 60 yard freekick bounces to goalie.
39 min...TC Crljen 40 yard freekick from right has goalie punch ball away.
40 min...Thunder Sasa Milaimovic GOAL...Thunder Giovanni Annisi on give and go on right wing and sends short cross from right that has Milaimovic blast ball from 10 yards into top right corner of net.
45 min...TC YELLOW card...Zupan for complaining about no freekick call at HT 35 yard line when he was checked from behind.
46 min...HT Cardenis 35 yard shot up middle that flying goalie pushes wide.
47 min...HT Blazenko cornerkick from right cleared from box.
48 min...HT YELLOW card...Blazenko for pulling arm of TC player in TC end.
48 min...half ends 8:51pm.
2nd Half:...starts 9:09pm.
halftime subs:...HT Dennis replaces Dukis.
................TC Kulis replaces Pavlovic.
46 min...TC Kalic 20 yard shot up middle just misses top left corner of net.
49 min...TC Crljen 22 yard freekick even with right post has goalie dive right to push ball wide.
50 min...TC player's 20 yard shot from left just rolls wide right of net.
51 min...TC Kulis rushes back to kick ball wide on HT 2 on 1 rush.
53 min...HT Nelson cornerkick from left has first defender clear.
54 min...Toronto Croatia goalie George Azcurra charges out to catch ball as he bumps into charging HT Sasa Milaimovic injurying him. Referee Neil Schofield points to the Penalty spot.
55 min...Thunder Bekavac Blazenko GOAL...Blazenko sends penalty kick to right side of net just inside post.
57 min...HT Gbeke not given through ball as HT player chips to goalie.
59 min...HT Milaimovic diving flick header from 10 yards is just wide left on cross from right.
60 min...TC Crljen 45 yard freekick from right has defender blocked ball in box.
62 min...TC Kulis run on right cross from right has TC player head 5 yarder that leaping goalie slaps away.
64 min...HT players on 3 on 2 rush has HT Milaimovic roll cross through box too far ahead for HT Nelson.
68 min...TC Kresic 35 yard freekick from left is well wide right of net.
68 min...HT sub...Crnic replaces Milaimovic.
71 min...TC Crljen cornerkick from right is headed down but cleared and TC defender blasts 30 yard shot over net.
72 min...Toronto Croatia Zvjezdan Kresic GOAL...TC Leo Laurito rushes down left side and crosses into goalmouth over goalie Roberto Ferrari for Kresic to head 5 yarder from right side into open net.
76 min...Toronto Croatia Marko Milicevic GOAL...TC Leo Laurito has 15 yard shot on rush blocked by goalie but ball pops up and Milicevic blasts in 7 yarder to left side of net.
78 min...HT YELLOW card...Gbeke for off-ball clipping of player.
79 min...TC Zupan 10 yard blast is wide right as ball bounced to him through defenders.
82 min...TC Laurito cornerkick from left is over box and cleared.
86 min...TC Laurito injured near center line.
86 min...TC YELLOW card...Crljen for tackle.
88 min...TC sub...Kemenczy replaces Laurito who'd been reinjured.
89 min...HT Matthew O'Connor 55 yard freekick from left has HT Gbeke flick backheader 10 yards but defender clears.
90 min...TC Kemenczy(?) rush through middle avoiding HT player's football tackle and sprawling goalie who blocks 10 yard shot.
92 min...TC Zupan 25 yard freekick from left has goalie puch ball forward, TC Zupan scissor kick is blocked.
94 min...game ends 9:58pm.
Final Score:...........Toronto Croatia..........2.............Hamilton Thunder............2...........
Attendance was about 120 on this cool evening with a strong wind from the northwest.
This was a very exciting game played on a hard choppy field. Toronto Croatia played themselves back into the game in the last half hour of the game and had a few chances to actually win it. A few shots were just missed and Roberto Ferrari had to make a few tough saves to prevent the winning goal.
A Thunder fan pointed out that they were the hottest team in the CPSL with a 12 game unbeaten streak. I hadn't realized that but had talked to Thunder owner Italo Ferrari at halftime. His son Roberto has been the goaltender for most of the year and wants to finish the season before trying out for another team. The team has improved he said since he hired a new coach George Armua in July. The only new Toronto Lynx player he's brought over is forward Charles Gbeke and the return of midfielder Matthew O'Connor who had been lent to the Lynx earlier in the season. Ferrari decided not to bring back Edmilson De Carvalho who'd also been lent to the Lynx. He is a midfielder and the team already has good midfielders and he counts against their import limitation. Also Edmilson is a "go-to-guy" and not good for a whole game. Good point as the Lynx only used him for 45 minutes each game.
Looking at the Thunder roster, they seem to have at least five players of Croatian origin along with their sports director. Toronto Croatia has former Thunder player Leo Laurito who had a great game tonight setting up both goals but was seriously injured with five minutes to go and had to be carried from the field.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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