Play-off Final
Set - Result of Second Semi-Final
by Bill Spiers
From the CPSL:
Saturday, October 13, 2001
The semi-finals of
the Rogers Cup for the championship of the Canadian Professional Soccer League
(CPSL) were played today:
Toronto Supra 3, Toronto Olympians 2
St.
Catharines Roma Wolves 1, Ottawa Wizards 0
ST.CATHARINES-A defensive
miscue by the Ottawa Wizards at 42 minutes of the first half allowed St.
Catharines Roma Wolves the opportunity to score the only goal to defeat Ottawa
in one of two semi-finals for the CPSL Championship here today. St. Catharines'
midfielder Gary McGuchan intercepted a back pass intended for Ottawa goalkeeper
Richard Goddard
and McGuchan made no mistake in finding the net following a
hard fought but scoreless encounter almost to the half-time whistle. The goal
held up, due mostly to top goalkeeping by Roma Wolves' Dino Perri who turned in
a match winning shutout performance in the St.Catharines nets.
St.
Catharines will meet Toronto Supra following that team's 3-2 defeat of Toronto
Olympians in the second semi-final that ended the regulation 90 minutes in a 2-2
deadlock. The tie was broken just seven minutes into
overtime with a golden
(sudden death) strike by Supra's Samual Afriyie. Olympians appeared well on thir
way to victory in this semi-final when goals by Dennis Courtney, at 63 minutes
and Elvis Thomas five minutes later, gave the defending CPSL champions a
deserved 2-0 lead. But two goals by Supra in the second half, from Michael Di
Luca (73 minutes) and
the first of two by Afriyie at 78 minutes, levelled the
score and set the stage for the overtime.
St. Catharines and Toronto
Supra will play at 2 p.m. here tomorrow for the Rogers Cup and the championship
to bring to a close the five-month long campaign of the 12-team
CPSL.
Sunday, Oct. 14 Club Roma 2 p.m. Rogers Cup Final Toronto Supra
vs.St. Catharines Roma Wolves
(The final will be preceded by a
Consolation Final: Toronto Olympians vs. Ottawa Wizards at 12 Noon).
.
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