October 19, 2013 CSL Semifinal--Toronto Croatia vs SC Waterloo (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Saturday October 19, 2013 CSL Semi-Final game between Toronto Croatia and SC Waterloo played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:00pm.

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

......................12 Antonio Ilic
7 Halburto Harris...4 Sven Arapovic (cpt)...3 Josip Keran...15 Ainsley Deer
18 Boze Poljak...20 David Alva...22 Mladen Bajamic...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams
..............9 Kresimir Prgomet...11 Jarek Whiteman

Subs:...17 Mateo Sutic (gk)...5 Roberto Galle (mid)...6 Hrvoje Perkovic (def)...19 Petar Mingon (mid)...21 Daniel Niksic (mid)
...23 Nikola Brtan (def)
team officials:...head coach Velimir Crljan...assistant coach Miodrag Akmadzic...manager Ivan Kulis...assistant manager Perica Arapovic
...physio Amanda Liddle

SC Waterloo (white socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

......................1 Imad Hakura
20 David Muir...5 Dado Hadrovic...3 Nemanja Simeunovic...7 John Inglis
14 Adis Hasecic...8 Mirza Colic...4 Harris Fazlagic...6 Vladimir Zelenbaba
.............10 Drazen Vukovic (cpt)...11 Ranko Golijanin

Subs:...12 Zoran Pusica (gk)...13 Dale Cudmore (def)...15 Edward Syllie (mid)...16 Erwin Uzunevic (mid)...17 Darragh Roe (mid)
...18 Zoran Kukic (def)...19 Mohammad-Ali Heydarpour (mid)
team officials:...head coach Lazo Dzepina...manager Vojislav Brisevac...massage therapist Bojana Loncovic...director Tony Kocis

1st Half:...game starts 7:02pm...TC defends south end on this cold and rainy night.
2 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from left has TC Whiteman head ball behind left end line.
2 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from left has SCW player head 8 yarder on right weakly wide right of net.
5 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 25 yards on left has TC player's shot tipped off defender and TC Prgomet alone on right blasts 10 yarder well over net.
8 min...WS Simeunovic long throw-in from right has SCW player head ball over to left and SCW Hadrovic shoots over net from 15 yards.
9 min...SCW Muir cross from 28 yards on right is over box and SCW player can't draw Penalty kick when he collides with TC Harris.
11 min...TC Whiteman rush on right and cross near cornerflag drifts behind net.
It's now stopped raining.
15 min...SCW player's 45 yard freekick from left has defenders clear in box.
17 min...SCW Vukovic rush on left but pushes ball over end line.
19 min...TC goalie outjumps SCW Hasecic for long bouncer into box.
20 min...SCW Vukovic rush on left and 30 yard shot is well high and wide left of net.
22 min...SCW Fazlagic 30 yard shot from right deflects off defender at 25 yards for cornerkick on right.
23 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from right has SCW Zelenbaba head 12 yarder in crowd of players well over bar.
24 min...SCW goalie charges to edge of box to clear ball from TC Whiteman charging towards it.
25 min...TC YELLOW card...Poljak earns it for tripping of SCW Hasecic at TC 36 yard line.
26 min...SCW Colic 40 yard freekick from right has SCW Muir head 15 yarder over net.
28 min...SCW YELLOW card...Golijanin earns it for injurying TC Arapovic at TC 30 yard line.
33 min...SCW Vukovic 40 yard freekick from right has defender in crowd head behind right end line.
34 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from right has SCW Zelenbaba heads ball from 10 yards that goalie palms over net.
35 min...SCW Colic cornerkick on right has ball headed out left side of box.
38 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from left has SCW player in crowd pop header well wide left.
39 min...SCW Simeunovic long throw-in from left has nearest defender on left edge of box head away.
41 min...TC Deer low blast from 28 yards on left deflects off defender wide left for cornerkick.
42 min...TC Alva cornerkick from left has charging TC Prgomet can't quite turn header at 6 yards and ball is headed wide right for goalkick.
44 min...SCW Zelenbaba rolls cross from right that SCW player taps back at TC 20 yards and SCW Vukovic low 22 yard shot just wide left of post.
45 min...TC Deer is injured near sideline.
47 min...half ends 7:49pm.

2nd Half:...starts 8:04pm.
46 min...SCW Colic low cornerkick from right has ball cleared by defender.
49 min...SCW Golijanin midair kick from 25 yards on left has goalie block then smother at 2 yards on left post.
50 min...SCW Vukovic rolls pass to SCW Zelenbaba whose 22 yard shot deflects off defender for cornerkick.
51 min...SCW Colic cornerkick from left is through box.
52 min...TC sub...Mingon replaces Bajamic.
52 min...SCW Colic is injured when he and TC player kick ball at same time at SCW 30 yards.
53 min...SCW Hasecic is injured in collision with TC Deer.
54 min...SCW Drazen Vukovic GOAL...Vukovic takes 26 yard freekick down middle and bends it into left side of net just inside post past goalie Antonio Ilic.
56 min...TC Poljak blasts 30 yard freekick from right just over bar.
56 min...TC sub...Niksic replaces Prgomet.
58 min...TC Whiteman cross near right end line wins cornerkick on deflection off defender.
59 min...TC Bajamic cornerkick from right is headed back across box by TC player on left and and defenders clear that and alos a rebound chip into box.
62 min...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams GOAL...TC Jarek Whiteman and Mladen Bajamic get ball away from defender on right at 35 yard line and Whiteman charges up wing and sends low cross from near right end line from 15 yards and goalie Imad Hakura dives towards but Fitzwilliams shoots 7 yarder down middle just under bar.
64 min...SCW YELLOW card...Colic earns it for levelling TC Whiteman at SCW 40 yard line and he's also the last man back.
65 min...TC Keran blasts 40 yarder well over net.
67 min...SCW Simeunovic long throw-in from left has SCW Fazlagic flick header from 6 yards on left wide left of net.
68 min...TC Niksic rush on right but can't get around SCW Inglis and ball rolls over end line.
71 min...TC sub...Galle replaces Bajamic.
73 min...SCW Vukovic rolls cross into box from left and defender makes key clearance at 8 yards. SCW Golijanin is injured away from play.
74 min...SCW Vukovic holds off TC Arapovic and sends low 20 yard cross from left that goalie catches low on left post.
78 min...SCW sub...Roe replaces Golijanin.
80 min...SCW Hasecic rush on left and hard 20 yard shot has goalie bat down and smothers.
82 min...SCW Fazlagic is injured on check from TC Poljak at TC 40 yard line.
83 min...SCW Colic 45 yard freekick from left floats over crowd and goalie catches at 8 yards.
84 min...TC Harris eludes two defenders but is checked off ball on edge of SCW box.
87 min...TC Mingon 35 yard freekick from left sideline has defender clear ball before TC Arapovic can kick it.
90 min...SCW Fazlagic rush up left and low 20 yard cross has sliding SCW Vukovic not quite able to get to to redirect.
92 min...SCW Zelenbaba blasts 25 yarder down middle over crowd of players and well over net.
93 min...TC Fitzwilliams is injured on sliding tackle by SCW Roe at SCW 33 yards.
94 min...TC Poljak blasts 35 yard freekick that's blocked in player wall.
94 min...half ends 8:53pm.

End of Regulation time..Toronto Croatia...1....SC Waterloo....1..

1st Overtime (15 minute half)...starts 8:57pm...TC defender south end.
90 min...SCW Muir leaps for header but whistle blown inside TC box.
91 min...TC Whiteman rush up right and low cross deflects over sliding goalie and defender clears at 8 yards.
95 min...TC Whiteman cross from left at 25 yards has TC Niksic touch ball too far forward but rescues ball on end line on slide on right and defender clears before TC Fitzwilliams can connect on 8 yarder.
97 min...SCW Hasecic gets centering pass on left and pivots and 20 yards shot is wide left of net.
98 min...SCW Hasecic on right has 30 yard shot deflect off defender at 22 yards and bounces to goalie.
103 min...SCW Simeunovic long throw-in from left has defender head away.
104 min...SCW goalie beats TC Mingon to ball ouside of box on left and defender clears from edge of box.
105 min...half ends 10:12pm.

2nd Overtime (15 minute half)...starts 10:14pm.
105 min...TC Whiteman rolls 25 yard shot up left wide of net.
107 min...SCW Vukovic and TC Arapovic tangle in TC box then SCW Vukovic boots away ball after whistle.
.........SCW YELLOW card...Vukovic earns it for his part in last play.
108 min...SCW goalie dives to left to prevent TC Fitzwilliams from getting to through ball.
111 min...SCW Simeunovic long throw-in from left has defender head away ball from inside box.
112 min...SCW Simeunovic 70 yard freekick from right is wide right of net.
112 min...SCW Roe is injured in collision in TC box.
114 min...SCW Simeunovic long throw-in from left bounces into box but defenders are able to clear.
115 min...SCW sub...Heydarpour replaces Roe.
117 min...SCW Vukovic rush on left and cross has SCW Zelenbaba miss at TC 12 yards.
119 min...TC Whiteman rolls cross from right end line that defender clears.
120 min...TC sub...Perkovic replaces Fitzwilliams.

Two 15 minutes of Silver Ball Overtime does not change the score.

Penalty Shootout:
1st TC Josip Keran shoots low to right and diving goalie Imad Hakura piushes wide right of post.
1st SCW Adis Hasecic GOAL...low shot to left side of net past diving goalie.
2nd TC Hrvoje Perkovic GOAL...low shot to left side beyond goalie.
2nd SCW John Inglis GOAL...low shot to right corner as goalie slides left.
3rd TC Boze Poljak GOAL...shot to right side of net over diving goalie.
3rd SCW Mirza Colic GOAL...shot low to right as goalie slides to left.
4th TC Jarek Whiteman GOAL...shoots low to left corner beyond diving goalie.
4th SCW Harris Fazlagic GOAL...banks shot off underside of bar on right over goalie who crumples in middle of net.
5th TC Roberto Galle GOAL...shot low to left corner as goalie stays in center of net as he falls.
5th Drazen Vukovic GOAL...chips ball down middle over goalie who crumples in center of net. Wow a chipped shot! That was a gutsy play.

Final Score:.....Toronto Croatia.....1...SC Waterloo....1...
After 30 minutes of Extra Time, SC Waterloo wins 5-4 on Penalty kicks.

Attendance was about 100 people on this cold night with the rain that had fallen all late afternoon finally stopping for good by the 15 minute mark.

Toronto Croatia appealed last week's sending off their captain Tihomir Maletic and fellow forward Jarek Whiteman from what would have been three game suspensions for their part in a fight but had Whiteman able to play tonight and Maletic's suspension reduced to just this game. Maletic being missing certainly reduced their offensive sting for chances on goal. SCW had more chances to score in tonight's game. Croatia's league leading defence limited SCW scoring chances.

I still think that SCW having their #10 Drazen Vukovic (captain/playmaker) and TC missing their #10 Tihomir Maletic (captain/playmaker) made the difference in this game.

Referee Lyes Arfa had been brought in from Quebec to officiate this rough game. He gave out only four Yellow cards that I noticed (three to SCW) but called plenty of freekicks and gave plenty of verbal warnings to keep the game under control. There were quite a few injuries although most were shaken off and the players returned to the game.

Best non-scoring chances were at 5 minutes when TC Hayden Fitzwilliams crossed from 25 yards on the left and a TC player had his shot tipped off a defender and TC Kresimir Prgomet in alone on right blasted a 10 yarder well over net. 42 minutes and TC David Alva's cornerkick from left had Prgomet not quite able to turn header at 6 yards and the ball is sent wide right for a goalkick. 56 minutes had TC Boze Poljak blast a 30 yard freekick from right just over the bar. 67 minutes had SCW Nemanja Simeunovic took a long throw-in (like he did quite often tonight) from the left and SCW Harris Fazlagic at 6 yards sends a flick header on left just wide left of the net. 80 minutes had SCW Adis Hasecic rush on the left and his hard 20 yard shot had the goalie bat down and smother. 90 minutes had Fazlagic rush up the left and his low 20 yard cross had the sliding Vukovic not quite able to connect on the ball to redirect it on net. 95 minutes and TC Jarek Whiteman cross from 25 yards on the left and TC Daniel Niksic touch ball too far forward but rescues ball on the end line on slide on the right and defender clears before TC Fitzwilliams can connect on 8 yard shot.

SC Waterloo plays the winner of the Kingston FC vs London City semi-final match tomorrow. The Championship match will be played in Niagara Falls on Sunday November November 3rd.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Croatia starters