2nd Half:...starts 8:27pm as the TC players late getting back.
halftime sub...TC Romani replaces Rollins.
46 min...TC Harris races in on rush on right and jostled over and injured.
48 min...VS player's 30 yard shot is wide right.
51 min...TC Draganic rush to ball on left and rolls ball into box but defender clears.
54 min...TC Draganic pass forward and TC Laurito sharp roller from 10 yards on left is just wide right.
57 min...VS Romani midair 18 yard shot wide left.
58 min...VS Gomez 30 yard shot just misses top right corner of net.
59 min...VS player's low 20 yard shot saved.
60 min...VS Myers 25 yard shot is wide left after TC ball intercepted.
61 min...VS Gomez 30 yard shot is well over net.
64 min...TC player's 30 yard freekick has TC player flick header wide right from 7 yards.
64 min...TC sub...Kulis replaces Fran.
66 min...TC sub...Kalic replaces Laurito.
67 min...VS Myers and VS Todaro on 2 on 0 break has VS Myers shoot wide right from 15 yards with goalie sliding out.
68 min...TC Curic misses connecting on scissor kick.
69 min...VS Myers gets through ball and one touches 15 yard shot wide left.
69 min...VS player's 25 yard roller from left is wide left of net.
71 min...VS Todaro 25 yard freekick from left is blasted into TC player wall, ball put back into box and charging goalie catches ball between two VS players.
73 min...TC Marasovic injured at VS 35 yard line.
74 min...TC sub...Granic replaces Curic.
76 min...VS goalie kicks ball on edge of box ahead of forward, TC Kalic gets partial clearance gets away 25 yard shot but goalie back on line to catcch it.
77 min...VS Todaro 20 yard shot deflected wide for cornerkick.
81 min...TC YELLOW card...Marasovic for delaying VS freekick.
82 min...VS player leaps and 12 yard header is wide left.
84 min...VS sub...Khaghani replaces Romani.
85 min...TC player's cornerkick from right worked around edge of box but no shot taken.
86 min...TC player's 25 yard shot is low and deflected wide right.
86 min...TC Draganic cornerkick from right is cleared in crowd of players.
87 min...VS player's run down middle and TC goalie retreats to catch 20 yard shot just under bar.
89 min...TC Zupan 30 yard freekick from left is floated up into box over heads of leaping players on right side of net.
90 min...TC Marasovic intercepts ball from goalie and blasts 20 yarder well over net.
92 min...TC defender gets back to clear ball on VS 1 on 1 rush.
92 min...game ends 9:15pm.
Final Score:.......Vaughan Shooters.............0................Toronto Croatia...............0
Attendance was about 225 on this mild sunny evening. The Shooters had made an entire day's event out of it and I saw the end of a charity game between Vaughan Under 14 Boys against a mixed team named Princess Margaret (Hospital) All Stars which had Vaughan mayor Michael DeBiase play net for awhile then make way for one of three women on the team. Paul James (former Canadian Youth Coach) and a man introduced as a cancer survivor were also on the All Star team. The Boys team won 2-1.
The CPSL game was the first game of the season for both these teams. The Soccer Centre has been improved in just the last week with the installation of an electronic scoreboard and three flagpoles.
Play was pretty even with both teams missing chances with the worst offences being at 67 minutes Shooters Sean Myers leading a 2 on 0 breakaway with Joey Todaro and Myers shooting wide right from 15 yards with goalie Roman Harapyn sliding out to cut off the angle. Just two minutes later Myers received another through ball and one touched a 15 yard shot wide left. Toronto Croatia's best chance came when Leo Marasovic intercepted Shooters goalie Gregory Drakes clearance and blasting a 20 yarder well over net. Joey Todaro had some good chances himself.
Shutouts were earned by Toronto Croatia's Roman Harapyn who is filling in for the 2004 CPSL goaltender-of-the-year George Azcurra currently serving a three game suspension carried over from the CPSL final playoff game between these same two teams last year. Gregory Drakes earned the shutout for Vaughan Shooters. Last year he played for the Metro Lions along with new teammates Darryl Gomez and Ainsley Romani. Toronto Croatia had 2004 Metro Lions player Hayden Fitzwilliam playing in their midfield.
Tonight's referee was Joe Fletcher and he kept control of the game giving out only one card the whole evening.
Danny Sanna was back in the Shooters lineup. As his father reminded me after the game, we were here last June and saw him break his leg. He was in a cast for six months having broken his tibia and fibula. Also after the game I said hello to Bobby Randhawa who is now playing with Vaughan Sun Devils of the T&D League after suffering from a broken leg that was re-injured by a drunk driver last year. He was on the Toronto Lynx roster a few years ago and still remembers the warm reception of the Lynx fans.
Next home game for the Shooters is next Sunday at 7:00pm against Oakville Blue Devils (the relocated Metro Lions). At 4:00pm right here the York Region Lady Shooters will play against Durham Region Allstars in the CPSL Women's Canada Cup competition. The players for the Lady Shooters were introduced wearing street clothes. Two names sounded familiar. Yep. Shooters owner Tony Dethomasis said that two of the players are his daughters. His son Jason Dethomasis is currently at the University of Western but he will be back with the Shooters later this year.
If the sun is out next week, I'll sit on the west side of the field to watch the game. Although standing on the east sideline with the fourth official let me not miss any substitutes, I could see only cameos of players if I looked North West even with sunglasses. I couldn't make out their numbers.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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