May 16, 2010 CSL details of Sunday's games (from CSL website)
ASTROS, SHOOTERS WIN OPENERS.....Brantford Galaxy tie Portugal FC 3-3 in bright opener
2010-05-16
North York Astros and York Region Shooters both registered opening wins in the CSL Sunday, while Brantford Galaxy scored a late equalizer to tie Portugal FC 3-3, and the Toronto Croatia home opener with London City was postponed due to poor ground conditions.
The Astros recovered from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Brampton Lions 3-1 at Victoria Park and it was forward Blazej Skoczylas who opened the scoring at 9 minutes for the home side. North York tied the game on a goal by Mohamed Aborig at 37 minutes, the score at half-time and Aborig struck again at 77 minutes, but not before Brampton's Daniel Nascimento was sent off on a second yellow card at the 55th minute mark. Brampton lost a second player at the 83rd minute mark when Michael Marchese was shown the red card for a foul that denied a goalscoring opportunity and just two minutes later the Astros went ahead 3-1 when forward Erik Grigore beat Brampton goalkeeper Roy Blanche to secure the win.
York Region forward Kadian Lecky scored the only goal at 67 minutes for the Shooters to defeat St. Catharines Wolves 1-0 at the Maple opener, a game with few goalscoring opportunities but good midfield play from both sides. St. Catharines played with 10 men most of the game after Scott MacLennan was shown the red card at the 15th minute mark.
Brantford Galaxy was the only new team to play Sunday and it was a well-attended, entertaining opener against Portugal FC that produced a 3-3 tie at Lions Park. The home team, with several players from Europe and with little time to play together leading up to the first professional soccer game in a hockey community that produced Wayne Gretzky, showed enough in the game to suggest prominence as the season moves along.
It was Portugal FC that opened the scoring, however, when forward Andrea Lombardo found the net after 9 minutes and Lombardo made it 2-0 when he beat Brantford goalkeeper Ante Domjanovic at the 35th minute mark.
The Galaxy reduced the lead just before the interval on a goal by forward Ranko Golijanin and 10 minutes into the second half former Hajduk Split of the Croatian first division midfielder Drazen Vukovic leveled the score at 2-2. Portugal forward JarekWhiteman put his team 3-2 up at the 75th minute mark and probably the best goal of the game was scored at 87 minutes when Miodrag Andvelkovic, who played for International FC in Romania, chipped the ball over the oncoming Portugal 'keeper Mike Silva to salvage a 3-3 tie for the home team.
It was the senior Walter Gretzky who expressed success in professional soccer for his community in the pre-game ceremonies and the game lived up to expectations for a standing room only attendance at the well organized event played in ideal conditions.
A fourth game scheduled in the CSL Sunday was postponed when the artificial surface at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke was ruled unplayable due to damage following a recent athletic meet.
CSL games resume Friday May 21 with two games. Portugal FC are at home to Toronto Croatia at Lamport Stadium and St. Catharines Wolves travel to Centennial Stadium for Serbian White Eagles home opener - both games kickoff at 8 pm.
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