September 17, 2010 CSL--Portugal FC vs St Catharines Wolves (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Friday September 17th, 2010 CSL game between Portugal FC and St Catharines Wolves played at Lamport Stadium in Toronto at 8:00pm.

Portugal FC (all white, black numbers)

................1 Mike Silva (cpt)
16 John Louis Perruzza...15 Andre Stewart...3 John Jonke...21 Francesco Capone
10 Dominic Oppong...11 Luca Forno...23 Marko Bedenikovic...14 Jarek Whiteman
..........9 Andrea Lombardo...13 Massimo Mirabelli

Subs:...12 Quillan Roberts (gk)...6 Jaroslau Radzinski (def)...18 Wesley Cain (fwd)...4 Dominic Antonini (def)...8 Omari Morris (mid)...22 Alex Halis (--) ...5 Joe DelPriore (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Carmine Isacco...assistant coach Patrice Gheisar...manager Jimmy Carvalho

St Catharines Wolves (black socks and shorts, blue shirts, red numbers)

.................1 Claudio Perri (cpt)
12 Danny Gallagher...7 Daniel Mazzuca...6 Joe Conte...4 Matthew Dimaria
8 Dana Heimbecker...14 Matthew Cain...18 Rudy Pikuzinski...13 Scott MacLennan
............15 Derek Paterson...9 Kosta Brajisnik

Subs:...22 Kenji Nicks (def)...11 Stefan Kamendy (mid)...16 Clint Holcomb (mid)...17 Simon Murphy (fwd)...3 Andrew Kulakowsky (def)
team officials:...head coach James McGillivray...manager Armand Difruscio

Game officials:...referee Peter Pendli...referee's assistants Jeff Fearnall and Joe Piacente...fourth official Dave Barrie...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...starts 8:06pm...PFC defends south end.
2 min...PFC Lombardo chips 18 yarder on right over goalie but wide right of net.
7 min...W Brajisnik 35 yard blast from left is high and wide right of net.
12 min...PFC Oppong rolls pass forwaard to PFC Mirabelli and his 18 yard shot has goalie fly and push ball away from top left corner of goal.
13 min...PFC Forno cornerkick from left has defender head ball away and play is whistled down just outside box.
13 min...W Gallagher slides to poke ball from PFC Whiteman and both players are injured.
14 min...PFC Forno cornerkick from left has defenders eventually clear.
16 min...PFC Forno cornerkick from right has goalie step forward to punch ball out of box.
16 min...PFC Mirabelli 20 yard roller through players is stopped by goalie.
18 min...W Pikuzinski(?) pushes ball too far forward to edge of box on pass and PFC goalie picks it up.
19 min...PFC Lombardo rush on right and 25 yard cross is over box.
20 min...PFC Lombardo intercepts W defender's knock down of ball, he runs in and blasts 20 yard shot well over net.
21 min...PFC Forno cornerkick from right has goalie leap to catch on right post.
22 min...PFC Oppong tips 25 yarder up middle wide right for goalie to pick up.
23 min...Portugal FC Andrea Lombardo GOAL...PFC Massimo Mirabelli kicks high chip pass from PFC 30 yards down middle and Wolves defender Daniel Mazzuca is instructed to pass the ball back by goalie Claudio Perri but Lombardo steps in front of Mazzuca now facing the net and takes ball and chips 20 yard shot that has the goalie caught out at 12 yards and the ball bounces to center of net.
26 min...PFC Whiteman rush on left for shot that goalie dives on deflection from W player.
28 min...PFC Capone on left from 30 yards rolls ball too far ahead of PFC Whiteman and over end line.
29 min...PFC Whiteman 25 yard cross down middle to right is over end line.
31 min...W Heimbecker cross from right into PFC box has defenders clear from forwards in box.
34 min...W Cain on rush on left stops and chips 30 yarder that's caught by goalie.
36 min...PFC Lombardo with defender bumping him sends 35 yard roller to goalie.
36 min...W Gallagher cornerkick from left has Gallgher win freekick on left edge of box when ball is given back to him.
37 min...W Gallagher 20 yard freekick from left has goalie catch on left post.
37 min...W goalie slides out to smother loose ball at 12 yards.
42 min...PFC Lombardo eludes charging goalie at 18 yards but from 16 yards hits defender at 13 yards and cleared.
42 min...PFC Lombardo rounds defender but 22 yarder is high of net from left.
45 min...W MacLennan 30 yard roller up middle is smothered by goalie.
47 min...half ends 8:53pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:08pm.
47 min...PFC Oppong passes short to PFC Mirabelli at 15 yards but he misses getting ball in open.
48 min...PFC Mirabelli taps pass back from 18 yards in crowd and 22 yard shot caught by goalie on left post.
49 min...W YELLOW card...Cain earns it for tackle on PFC Stewart at PFC 40 yard line.
55 min...PFC Mirabelli 30 yard freekick from left is low and through crowd and wide right of net on bounce.
56 min...PFC sub...Halis replaces Forno.
58 min...PFC Mirabelli run up middle from 40 yards to reight and short pass to PFC Lombardo who shoots 7 yarder on right at goalie blocking right post and ball deflects to PFC Mirabelli who crosses through box but PFC can't get clear shot.
59 min...PFC Stewart and W Cain are both injured in crash. W Cain in follow up on left blasts 25 yard shot well over net.
64 min...PFC Mirabelli rush up left and rolls cross from left through box unplayed.
65 min...W sub...Murphy replaces Paterson.
66 min...W sub...Holcomb replaces Brajisnik.
69 min...W Heimbecker rushes toward middle from left wing and 20 yard blast is well high and wide right of goal.
70 min...W Gallagher cornerkick from left is short and run out by PFC players and 22 yard roller has W defender block and clear.
72 min...PFC Stewart cross from 40 yards on right has PFC Halis elude defender on edge of box as both go for high ball and defender clears.
73 min...PFC Whiteman rush on right and rolls ball through box that sliding defender concedes cornerkick.
74 min...W Murphy 25 yard shot from right is low and goalie stops ahead of charging forwards.
75 min...W Dimaria cross from 25 yards on left has W Cain one-touch 12 yarder over net (that might have been called offside anyway).
78 min...PFC sub...Morris replaces Mirabelli.
79 min...Wolves Simon Murphy GOAL...Murphy gets crossed pass on right and his 25 yard cross from sharp angle is into top of net just under bar over leaping goalie Mike Silva about three yard off his line.
80 min...PFC sub...Radzinski replaces someone.
81 min...W sub...Nicks replaces Conte.
81 min...PFC Halis 25 yard low blast up middle after receiving pass is smotered by goalie.
82 min...W goalie dives to save PFC Halis 22 yard shot up middle that deflects off defender.
82 min...W Heimbecker rush to middle and 30 yard shot is saved by goalie.
83 min...W sub...Kulakowsky replaces Cain.
84 min...PFC Bedenikovic 30 yard freekick from right has PFC player hook ball from 6 yards but offside but ball is cleared.
86 min...PFC sub...Wesley Cain replaces Whiteman.
88 min...PFC Morris bursts through midddle and 10 yard roller wide right.
89 min...PFC sub...Delpiore replaces Lombardo.
91 min...W YELLOW card...Mirabelli earns for picking up ball after whistle delaying a PFC freekick.
92 min...PFC Bedenikovic 40 yard freekick from right has PFC Delpriore head 7 yarder off underside of crossbar on left but ball cleared by defender.
92 min...W Heimbecker 25 yard blast is well wide right of net.
93 min...PFC YELLOW card...Stewart for complaining about a call.
93:38 min...game ends 9:56pm.

Final Score:......Portugal FC..........1.................St Catharines Wolves..............1............

Attendance was about 40 on this cool evening with the game starting in the dark. The crowd peaked at about 100 by the end of the game because of the arrival of permit holders who played soccer after this game ended. Tonight's game was televised live on Rogers Community channel in the Toronto area.

Portugal had one late chance to win it all and that was at 92 minutes when PFC Marko Bedenikovic took a 40 yard freekick from the right that had PFC Joe Delpiore head a 7 yarder off the underside of the crossbar on the left but the ball is cleared by a defender. Delpiore was a long time member of the Wolves until this year. Earlier that that at 82 minutes, PFC Alexis Halis took a 22 yard shot up the middle that deflected off a defender and goalie Claudio Perri dived to make the save.

Referee Dave Barrie had an easy game to call as their wasn't a lot of rough play. I only counted one Yellow card the whole night until injury time which brought two more (from the television broadcast).

PFC missed a chance to improve on their 6th place position against the worst team in the league. They have a game on Sunday against North York Astros to at least solidify their position in the top eight teams that make the playoffs. They had beaten Wolves 2-0 on September 8th in St Catharines just two Wednesday's ago.

Wolves now have a three game unbeaten streak going with tie, win, tie after their loss to PFC. Mathematically they had to win the gamed to avoid being officially eliminated from the playoffs. I asked Wolves manager Armand Difruscio at halftime why the Wolves were doing so poorly this year. By results they seem to be defensively passable but have only scored 16 goals in 19 games this season. Defruscio said they had 15 returnees from last year so they were a veteran team. The players "don't play as a team" and are not there in position after they work towards goal. They have a squad of 22 players. I noticed in the past they used to stock their roster in the summer with students from Brock University and then have them leave once the school season started in September. Defruscio said they haven't done that for three years. They have two American players on their roster (very near the New York State border)--tonight's starter Rudy Pikuzinski (the son of a Wolves player from the past) and sub Clint Holcomb--both midfielders.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Portugal starters