May 12, 2013 CSL--Toronto Croatia vs Kingston FC (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday May 12, 2013 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Kingston FC played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:00pm.

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

.......................12 Antonio Ilic
7 Halburto Harris...4 Sven Arapovic...3 Josip Keran...15 Ainsley Deer
21 Daniel Niksic...19 Petar Mingon...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams...5 Roberto Galle
...........10 Tihomir Maletic (cpt)...11 Boris Tomac

Subs:...1 Ivan Skoko (gk)...16 Josip Strkalj (mid)...17 Vedran Maric (fwd)...18 Blazej Skoczylas (fwd)...20 David Alva (mid)
...23 Neven Arapovic (def)...25 Joe Filipic (mid)
team officials:...head coach Miodrag Akmadzic...assistant coach Velimir Crljan...manager Ivan Kulis...assistant manager Perica Arapovic ...physio Amanda Liddle

Kingston FC (all white, black numbers)

.......................30 Jaroslav Tesar
2 Taylor Benjamin...6 Austin White (cpt)...8 Joseph Zupo...4 Jacob O'Connor
15 Jason Massie...7 Nathan Klemencic...21 George Anthony El-Asmar...12 Edgar Soglo
.............16 Catalin Lichioiu...23 Guillaume Surot

Subs:...1 Andrew Murphy (gk)...5 Ryan McCurdy (def)...9 Mademba Ba (fwd)...13 Jean Michel Paulin (mid)...14 Jordan Brooks (mid)
...17 Hugo Delmaire (def)...28 Kihara Wainganjo (mid)
team officials:...head coach Colm Muldoon...assistant coach Thomas Moran and Mike Akai...direcotr Lorne Abugov

Game officials:...referee Yusri Rudolph...referee's assistants Allison Enright and David DiPasquale...fourth official Alexis Vaughan ...(all black uniforms, neon yellow trim)

1st Half:...game starts 8:05pm...TC defends north end on this cold and very windy night.
5 min...TC Tomac cornerkick from right has goalie catch in crowd of players in box.
6 min...TC Harris cross from right has KFC White head ball from post over net for cornerkick.
7 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right has charging TC Niksic head ball over net from 6 yards on right.
8 min...TC Tomac cornerkick from left has defender head ball behind net on right post.
8 min...TC Maletic from right is over players in box and can't be recrossed.
12 min...TC Maletic flicks 8 yard header from left that diving goalie pushes wide right for cornerkick.
12 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right has goalie in crowd of players windmill swat ball wide right for cornerkick.
13 min...TC Tomac cornerkick from leftis over players in box and bounces out for throw-in.
17 min...TC goalie charges out to beat KFC Soglo to through ball at 22 yards.
19 min...TC player's quick freekick has TC Maletic get to ball and take low 25 yard shot up middle that's smothered by goalie.
20 min...TC Deer on left crosses to charging TC Tomac on left who heads 10 yarder wide left of goal.
21 min...KFC Soglo raises leg to hook ball in midair and knock it down and quick 20 yard shot is high wide right of net.
22 min...KFC Catalin Lichioiu GOAL...KFC Edgar Soglo sends pass from 22 yards in middle to right for Lichioiu to shoot 15 yarder from right into right side of net beyond goalie Antonio Ilic.
24 min...KFC El-Asmar 22 yard shot from left is wide right of net.
28 min...TC Roberto Galle GOAL...TC Boris Tomac from 25 yards on right rolls centering pass to TC Tihomir Maletic who spins when covered by defender and rolls ball to left where charging Galle boots 20 yarder over sprawling goalie Jaroslav Tesar to right side of net.
29 min...KFC Lichioiu gets shot blocked at 12 yards on left.
30 min...KFC Lichioiu cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
33 min...TC YELLOW card...Harris earns it for bashing into KFC Soglo at TC 45 yards.
38 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right has TC player get away low flying header from 7 yards on left that defender blocks at 2 yards.
40 min...TC YELLOW card...Fitzwilliams earns it for tackle on KFC Soglo near center line.
40 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC Petar Mingon sends high ball up middle from 60 yards and Maletic and defender and goalie get to ball at the same time at 30 yards. Defender heads ball down and back towards goal. Maletic races to loose ball at 15 yards on far left and sends in sharp angle shot into open net.
43 min...KFC Lichioiu cross from near right cornerflag has defender clear.
44 min...TC Maletic blasts 12 yard shot from right is into right webbing of net.
45 min...TC Maletic cross from right finds TC Keran boot 3 yarder from left post that goalie deflects wide left.
46 min...TC player's cornerkick from left has goalie punch ball forward from 5 yards.
46 min...half ends 8:51pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:09pm.
45 min...KFC El-Asmar 35 yard blast down middle has goalie stop and race forward to smother big rebound at yards.
47 min...KFC Surot blasts 28 yard shot from right is just over net.
49 min...TC Mingon is injured at KFC 25 yards.
50 min...TC Galle cross from left corner is cleared.
51 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC Robert Galle taps pass around defender at 15 yards and Maletic sends 12 yard shot that sprawling goalie looks like he gets a piece of but ball deflects over him into left side of net.
51 min...TC goalie catches 55 yard chip shot right on restart.
53 min...TC Tomac cornerkick from left has defender clear ball for quick break out.
56 min...TC sub...Alva replaces Niksic.
56 min...KFC Lichioiu 35 yard blast deflects wide right for cornerkick.
57 min...KFC Lichioiu cornerkick from right is short to KFC Soglo and his cross is cleared for a throw-in.
58 min...KFC Nathan Klemencic GOAL...Klemencic in crowd of players curls 15 yarder in middle that drops into top left corner of net.
61 min...TFC Tomac rolls pass straight right at 20 yards and TC Galle blasts shot low and wide left.
63 min...TC Maletic cornerkick from right results in scramble in box and TC player gets shot from 12 yards that hits the bar. TC Maletic runs into the net as he knocks down a crossed ball at 1 yards but the ball hits his arm above the elbow and the goal is called back after initially being awarded.
67 min...KFC Massie 20 yard shot is low and deflects for cornerkick on left.
68 min...TC Fitzwilliams rolls 30 yard shot up middle through players that goalie smothers.
71 min...TC sub...Strkalj replaces Tomac.
75 min...KFC sub...Delmaire replaces Benjamin.
.........KFC sub...McCurdy replaces White.
78 min...TC Maletic steps through two defenders and shoots 18 yarder up middle just wide right.
79 min...KFC sub...Brooks replaces Klemencic.
81 min...TC Maletic steals ball and on 2 on 1 can't get pass into box from right.
83 min...TC goalie barely gets away ball on back pass when KFC Soglo threatens.
83 min...TC Fitzwilliams rush on left and 15 yard shot is wide left.
84 min...TC Deer running along 20 yards from left on give and go cuts 18 yard shot over bar.
87 min...TC Galle on 3 on 3 rush shoots 25 yarder from right is high and wide left.
89 min...TC Fitzwilliams rolls cross from left on rush along edge of 6 yard box unplayed.
91 min...KFC Massie low 18 yard shot is off left post and defender knocks away rebound for cornerkick.
92 min...KFC player's cornerkick from left is short and ball is then crossed over players in the box.
94:02 min...game ends 9:58pm.

Final Score:....Toronto Croatia......3.....Kingston FC......2....

Attendance was about 30 on this brutally cold and extremely windy night. Comparisons were made to last year's CSL Final game played at this stadium except that there was no rain during the game. There were three or four showers earlier in the day followed by periods of sunshine. [I'll go with the bad weather over other reasons--Mother's Day, Maple Leafs hockey playoff game, CSL only being able to announce their schedule two weeks ago].

Referee Yusri Rudolph gave out two Yellow cards in the game that counted--both to Croatia players and both for fouls on KFC Edgar Soglo. This drew some hecklers to make loud crying sounds whenever after Soglo got the ball. Biggest controversy in the game though was when at 63 minutes Rudolph initially signalled a third goal for Tihomir Maletic but was waved over by one of the referee's assistants and cancelled the goal on a hand ball. Maletic had run towards the net to deflect a cross at the one yard line and the way he twisted his body the ball hit him just above the elbow.

Other good scoring chances were at 12 minutes when TC Maletic flicked an 8 yard header from the left that the diving goalie pushed wide right for a cornerkick. 38 minutes had Maletic take a cornerkick from the right that had a TC player get away a low flying header from 7 yards on the left that a defender blocked at 2 yards. 45 minutes had Maletic cross from the right that TC Josip Keran booted a 3 yarder from the left post that the goalie deflected wide left. 78 minutes had Maletic step through two defenders up the middle and shoot an 18 yarder just wide right of the post. 84 minutes had TC Ainsley Deer cutting in from the left parallel to the 20 yard line and cut a shot just over the bar. 91 minutes had KFC Jason Massie shoot a low 18 yard shot off the left post and a defender booted the rebound for a cornerkick.

Croatia played well throughout the game--whereas I thought KFC fortunes might change when they changed ends at halftime. Many KFC longball passes in the second half just bounced out of play or to the goalie. The 63 minute no-goal ruling made the game a nailbiter to the 94 minute ending time.

The Croatia lineup is almost unchanged from last year's except that leading scorer (with 16 goals) Marin Vucemilovic-Grgic was sold to London City. Management has signed four new players from Croatia (the country) and they may make their appearance as soon as next week. Only player I noticed that wasn't on the TC roster last year was winger Roberto Galle who played for TFC Academy last year. Tonight his speed and crosses were excellent.

This was the opening game for Toronto Croatia, the two time CSL defending champions. Kingston FC had won the only game played last weekend to be the early leader in ths standings.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Croatia starters