October 14, 2012 CSL Quarterfinal--Toronto Croatia vs Niagara United (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday October 14, 2012 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Niagara United played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:00pm. This was a one game Quarterfinal playoff game.

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

...................12 Antonio Ilic
7 Halburto Harris...4 Sven Arapovic...3 Josip Keran...15 Ainsley Deer
11 Boris Tomac...24 Marin Vucemilovic Grgic...19 Petar Mingon...23 Tonci Pirija (cpt)...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams
.......................10 Tihomir Maletic

Subs:...1 Panagiotis Koumoulas (gk)...6 Josip Bonacin (def)...14 Andelo Srzentic (mid)...18 Bozenko Lesina (fwd)...20 Dino Buljan (mid)
...21 Daniel Niksic (mid)...22 Josip Roso (def)
team officials:...head coach Velimir Creljan...assistant coach Miodrag Akmadzic...assistant manager Perica Arapovic...physio Michael Robinson

Niagara United (white socks, navy shorts and shirts, sky blue numbers)

..................40 John DeLuca
38 Malcolm Mings...2 Matthew Waddington (cpt)...4 Anthony Fruci...9 Lucas Folino
29 Jason Devonish...11 Rudy Pikzinski...19 Christopher Harrington...21 Marco Stencel
...........22 Mohammed Mohammed...17 Derek Paterson

Subs:...20 Bradley Gemmell (gk)...12 Micahel Palomba (def)...14 Matthew Cain (mid)...15 Anthony Mermigas (mid)...26 Nicholas Goddard (def)
...34 Ben N'Goran (fwd)...31 Aaron Van Velzon (--)
team officials:...head coach James McGillivray...assistant coaches Michael Lapoyda and Micahel Folino...manager Tony Visca...assistant manager Steve Flanagan

Game officials:...referee Alexis Vaughan...referee's assistants Richard Oliveira and David Ashfield...fourth official Yusri Rudolph
...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:08pm...TC defends north end on this mild but wet night.
50 sec...TC Vucemilovic Grgic low cross from 15 yards has defender clear.
1 min...NU goalie catches pop up off header after cross into box from left.
5 min...NU Pikzinski cornerkick from right has defender head ball away on left.
6 min...TC YELLOW card...Harris earns it for sliding tackle on NU Stencel at TC 44 yards.
7 min...NU player's 47 yard freekick from left is headed away by TC Keran and NU player's 22 yard shot up middle has TC Keran shank midair kick at 8 yards out of play wide left of net for cornerkick.
8 min...NU Devonish cornerkick from left has nearest defender on left clear ball away.
9 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 25 yard cross from far right is over box and unplayed.
10 min...NU goalie punts down field and TC goalie catches it on bounce just inside edge of box.
10 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cornerkick from left is over players in box and bends wide right for goalkick.
12 min...TC Keran heads away long throw-in by NU Stencel from right and NU Mings 35 yard shot down middle is high and wide right.
13 min...NU Devonish and TC Fitzwilliams are both injured in collision jumping for header at NU 48 yards.
16 min...TC Maletic low cross pass at 15 yards near end line has defender clear.
16 min...TC YELLOW card...Deer earns it at center line for tackle on NU Devonish breakout.
19 min...TC Fitzwilliams 30 yard cross from left is caught by goalie on right post in front of TC Maletic.
22 min...TC Fitzwilliams is injured when bashed by NU Harrington at NU 45 yards.
23 min...TC Tomac is tapped over pass by TC Fitzwilliams and his 25 yard roller down middle is wide left.
27 min...NU Stencel 55 yard freekick from left is caught by goalie wide right of net.
29 min...TC Deer 28 yard shot from left is high and wide left when TC Pirija is injured on edge of box.
30 min...NU Mohammed heads 12 yarder from left after NU player's freekick from 50 yards on left and NU Paterson can't keep it in play on right end line.
32 min...NU YELLOW card...Harrington earns it for a sliding tackle on TC Vucemilovic Grgic injurying him at NU right cornerflag.
33 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right bounces through box unplayed.
37 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 35 yard chip from left is caught by goalie.
38 min...TC Maletic beats two defenders on right sideline and crosses through box and NU Waddington heads ball through box out left side.
39 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cuts over from right and low 25 yard shot is smothered by goalie.
40 min...NU Folino 65 yard chip from right sideline hits left goalpost.
44 min...TC Mingon pass is threaded too far up the middle missing TC Maletic on edge of box.
46 min...half ends 8:54pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:10pm...It's now not raining.
halftime sub:...NU Mermigas replaces Harrington.
45 min...NU Mohammed shoots roller from 25 yards just wide right of net.
45 min...TC Maletic rush on left and blasts 18 yarder into outside webbing of net.
47 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cornerkick from left is stopped in middle of box at 7 yards by NU defender and cleared.
48 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 20 yard shot from right is wide left of goal.
49 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 22 yards on far left is caught by goalie.
49 min...TC Tomac eludes defender at 40 yards and on 2 on 1 rolls ball too far for TC Maletic and goalie slides out to smother ball at 15 yards.
51 min...NU YELLOW card....Mermigas earns if for handball at NU 40 yards preventing TC break-in.
52 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cross from 20 yards near left end line has goalie deflect away. TC Fitzwilliams turns away from net and 12 yard shot is cut back in just wide left of post.
54 min...TC Maletic checked off ball on edge of NU box after long rush.
57 min...TC Harris cross from 35 yards on right is wide left over box.
58 min...NU Mohammed blasts 28 yarder from right that goalie palms over net.
58 min...NU Pikzinski cornerkick from right has defender head away. NU Waddington 35 yard rebound is well over net.
60 min...TC Maletic checked off ball on 1 on 3 long rush to right side of box.
60 min...NU Paterson cross from 50 yards on right sideline has charging NU Mohammed down middle who can't control through ball pass at 15 yards and goalie chases back and smothers on left end line.
62 min...TC sub...Srzentic replaces Tomac.
63 min...TC Keran 60 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
64 min...NU Waddington 60 yard freekick up middle has NU Paterson knock ball down on bounce over to NU Folino who takes 18 yard shot from right that's high and wide right of net.
66 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right has TC Keran charge to left and heads across box from 8 yards on left that's caught by goalie under bar.
66 min...TC Srzentic low 45 yard shot from right is wide left of net.
68 min...NU Waddington 60 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
68 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic one-touches mid-air shot from 20 yards that goalie catches.
69 min...NU Mermigas gets foot out to keep ball from TC Vucemilovic Grgic at 7 yards on low cross from right but concedes cornerkick.
69 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right has TC Keran pop up header from left back across box that's then partially cleared and TC Mingon shot from 22 yards on left deflects up on pop up and goalie catches.
75 min...TC Harris ends TC pressure with cross from 25 yards far right over players in box and wide left for goalkick.
76 min...TC Deer chips 30 yard shot from left that's caught by goalie.
77 min...TC sub...Lesina replaces Fitzwilliams.
77 min...TC Bozenko Lesina GOAL...TC Halburto Harris takes a short throw-in forward at 23 yards to TC Tihomir Maletic who taps ball back to him and Harris sends in 30 yard cross from near right sideline. Lesina is between defenders NU Matthew Waddington and NU Malcolm Mings and jumps at 8 yards and heads ball over goalie John DeLuca and just under bar to top right corner.
79 min...NU YELLOW card...Waddington earns it for complaining about freekick call for TC Srzentic near left edge of NU box.
80 min...NU sub...N'Goran replaces Paterson.
81 min...TC sub...Bonacin replaces Maletic.
81 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic low 22 yard freekick from left is into outside webbing of net.
84 min...TC Lesina cross from 40 yards on left has TC Srzentic in alone but rushes shot wide right from 20 yards.
85 min...TC Vucemilotic Grgic rush to left cornerflag then runs back and cuts low 22 yard shot that's smothered by goalie.
86 min...NU Devonish 40 yard freekick has defender head ball away just inside box.
87 min...NU Devonish blasts 30 yard shot down middle that's deflected off defender for cornerkick.
87 min...NU Devonish low cornerkick from left is cleared by nearest defender on left.
89 min...NU Stencel long throw-in from right is popped up on right side of box but cleared.
89 min...NU YELLOW card...Pikzinski earns it for swing at TC Srzentic on rush at NU 25 yards.
90 min...TC Lesina 30 yard freekick from right hits outside of left post.
92 min...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic GOAL...NU goalie takes freekick from TC 45 yards on right and an NU player heads ball down but TC Halburto Harris runs to left and clears ball low and long upfield. NU defender Anthony Mermigas looks like he has control but Grgic pressures him from behind and he loses ball and his sweeping leg check almost trips Grgic but he keeps his balance and is in alone at 40 yards near right sideline. He cuts towards goal and rolls 18 yard shot under goalie sliding at 10 yards into left corner of net.
93 min...TC sub...Buljan replaces Mingon.
93 min...game ends 9:59pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Croatia.........2.......Niagara United..........0................

Attendance was about 150 on this mild but damp night. It had rained before game time and for the first few minutes after kickoff but after that it stopped.

Toronto Croatia head coach Velimir Crljan looked like a genius as he'd just subbed out Hayden Fitzwilliams for Lesina seconds before the throw-in that resulted in the goal. Fitzwilliams and starter Boris Tomac who was subbed out at 52 minutes had done a lot of the running in the first half really stretching the defence. Tihomir Maletic was often the lone forward and holding the ball to pass off to a charging winger.

Antonio Ilic earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia with him having to make a few good saves including two long ones that he had to palm over the bar. He also had to leap to catch some high balls into the box at the risk of getting bashed in crowds of players. Niagara's first half strategy was to have their goalie punt the ball downfield as far as possible and hope for a bounce.

Referee Alexis Vaughan kept control of this game and had to put up with heckling by both groups of supporters. (Niagara had about 40 fans). She gave out a total of six Yellow cards that I counted. Two to Croatia within the opening 16 minutes and the last four to Niagara including two soon after they fell behind and became frustrated.

Best non-scoring chances were at 40 minutes when NU Lucas Folino a 65 yard chip from the right sideline that hit the left goalpost. 58 minutes had NU Mohammed Mohammed blast a 28 yarder from the right that the goalie palmed over the net. 66 minutes had TC Tihomir Maletic take a high cornerkick from the right that had TC Josip Keran charge in to the left and head the ball across the box from 8 yards that the goalie caught under the bar.

Toronto Croatia had come into the game with a 15-1-6 record and 1st place.

Niagara had come into the game on a three game win streak to finish with a record of 10-9-3 which they needed to capture the last playoff spot with seven teams within a point three weeks ago chasing 7th and 8th place. This is quite an accomplishment for this first year team which started with a Reserves League team in 2011.

Tonight's game was broadcast live in the Toronto area by the Rogers community channel. The game was delayed until eight minutes after the hour so they could show their promos but the game ended just inside their 10:00pm scheduled ending time. That was better than earlier tonight when a school football game broadcast ran over and caused the show 'The CSL This Week' to be joined in progress and we got the last four minutes of a 30 minute show.

This was the last of the Quarterfinals to take place this weekend. On Saturday night, Serbian White Eagles upset SC Toronto 1-0 in overtime and as the lowest surviving seed will play Toronto Croatia next Sunday night at this stadium. Earlier today Montreal Impact Academy beat TFC Academy 2-0 in Montreal and York Region Shooters upset Windsor Stars 1-0 on the road. The other semi-final will be held in Montreal against Shooters who have to travel to the westernmost and easternmost boundaries of the league.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Croatia starters