October 31, 2010 CSL--Hamilton Croatia vs Brantford Galaxy (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday October 31st, 2010 CSL game between Hamilton Croatia and Brantford Galaxy played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 2:30pm. This was the one game Final.

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

...............22 Melford James Jr.
3 Alvin Hudson...9 Tom Bilic...18 Ivan Grubisic...17 Peter Tereanszki-Toth
12 Daniel Niksic...20 Jamie Dodds (cpt)...14 Aidan O'Keefe...19 Adam Leggett
...........23 Jason Shannon...6 Preston Corporal

Subs:...1 Ante Culina (gk)...2 Domagoj Beslic (fwd)...5 Martin Mamic (def)...7 Boris Vurdelja (mid)...10 Jerko Grubisic (fwd)...11 Danny Jirta (mid)...2 Domagoj Beslic (fwd)...50 Andrew Leggett
team officials:...head coach Ronnie Davidson...assistant coach Ante Culina...manager Mike Radencic...sports therapist Mary Tam

Brantford Galaxy (red socks, black shorts and numbers, white shorts)

................1 Ante Domjanovic (cpt)
4 Zach Tait...10 Zvonko Bakula...3 Stanko Karacic...6 Dragan Oluic
2 Kyle Grootenboer...25 Patric Gerhardt...9 Miodrag Andjelkovic...15 Nenad Begovic
.............8 Haris Fazlagic...11 Ranko Golijanin

Subs:...0 Jeff Martins (gk)...7 Ben Turnbull (mid)...12 Bob Turnbull (def)...13 Patryk Misik (mid)...14 Austin White (mid)...16 Jake Simmons (fwd) ...27 Stefan Dancetovic (mid)
team officials:...head coach Lazo Dzepina...assistant coaches Trevor Guy and Tomo Dancetovic...physiotherapist Shawn Engell...massage therapist Matt McDonald...chiropractor Sandy Kunej

Game officials:...referee Justin Tasev...assistant referees Steve Senderovich and Richard Oliveira...fourth official David Barrie...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 2:43pm on this cold and sunny day with a strong gusty wind from the north. HC defend south end with the sun in the south west.
(the scoreboard had not been set so the first 11 minutes are converted from my wristwatch).
2 min...HC Corporal 15 yard cross from left is caught by leaping goalie just in front of charging HC forward at 2 yards.
5 min...HC O'Keefe 25 yard freekick from left has defender in box head ball away.
8 min...HC O'Keefe wins cornerkick when BG Grootenboer gets foot in when he cut towards net from near left end line.
9 min...HC O'Keefe cornerkick from left is over players in box. HC Dodds sends cross over from right. HC O'Keefe recrosses over players for throw-in.
10 min...BG Fazlagic 30 yard shot from left is blasted over net.
13 min...HC Hudson poke checks BG Golijanin for cornerkick on his rush into HC box.
13 min...BG Bakula heads 10 yarder upon receiving cornerkick that goalie palms over box.
14 min...BG Begovic low cornerkick from right has ball partially cleared but BG Golijanin blasts 25 yarder down middle well over net.
15 min...HC player's low cornerkick from right is cleared by defender.
17 min...BG Grootenboer cross from right 25 yards has BG Andjelkovic head 12 yarder from left that flying goalie dives forward to smother.
18 min...BG Oluic blasts low 35 yarder from left that's just wide right of post.
19 min...HC Razumovic heads ball over own goalie and BG Andjelkovic at 18 yards back towards net to break up play and retreating HC Tereanszki-Toth. HC Razumovic is injured in collision with own goalie on the play.
21 min...Galaxy Haris Fazlagic GOAL...BG Ranko Golijanin on rush on left rolls cross from 22 yards on left and Fazlagic cuts in on HC Adam Leggett and kicks in 5 yarder up the middle into right corner of net beyond goalie Melford James anchored at center of net. All three players in the box fall over.
24 min...BG Golijanin has 15 yard shot on left blocked by sliding HC Niksic at 7 yards.
26 min...HC Dodds blasts 28 yarder up middle through crowd and over net.
29 min...BG Golijanin rush on left wing, cuts in low cross from 15 yards along end line and goalie flies and smothers ball on near post.
31 min...BG Gerhardt rush up middle surrounded by defenders and 25 yard low shot up middle is caught by goalie.
32 min...BG Fazlagic pushes ball ahead up middle when threatened by defender and goalie dives on ball at 12 yards.
33 min...BG Grootenboer leaps but can't quite turn 30 yard cross from left and at 5 yards on right post.
34 min...HC YELLOW card...Shannon earns it for tackle on BG Grootenboer at center line.
35 min...HC sub...Vurdelja replaces Niksic.
37 min...BG Fazlagic injures knee at BG 45 yards crashing into HC player.
39 min...BG Begovic 65 yard freekick up middle is rolled well wide right for goalkick when play resumes.
40 min...BG defenders prevent HC players' shots on edge of box from getting to goal.
44 min...BG Tait blasts 35 yarder down middle is just high and wide left of net.
46 min...BG Gerhardt wins cornerkick on left when he rushes down left and pass deflects off defender behind end line.
47 min...BG Begovic cornerkick from left is over players in box.
47 min...half ends 3:30pm.

Halftime entertainment is The Freestylers who do soccer dribbling tricks. A Hamilton fan throws a lighted flare onto the field. CSL Commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo announces four new teams that will join the league next year...Ottawa, Kitchener, Pickering/Durham, and Erin Mills.

2nd Half:...starts 3:49pm.
48 min...HC Hudson 65 yard kick down middle bounces to goalie in front of HC Shannon.
51 min...BG YELLOW card...Golijanin earns it for pushing over HC Hudson onto outside track at HC 35 yards.
53 min...HC O'Keefe 30 yard freekick from right has defender clear ball. HC Vurdelja blasts 35 yarder wide left of net.
54 min...HC goalie beats BG Andjelkovic to through ball that's pushed too far forward. HC Corporal is injured at beginning of this play.
56 min...BG Golijanin pushes ball around HC Hudson but too far forward and goalie picks up ball.
56 min...HC sub...Beslic replaces HC Shannon.
56 min...HC O'Keefe 30 yard freekick from right is wide left of net just in front of HC Corporal on left end line who is just a step behind.
58 min...HC O'Keefe long throw-in from right has HC players on left just outside box not able to get kicks into box because of defenders.
59 min...Galaxy Ranko Golijanin GOAL...BG Haris Fazlagic rushes on right from center line and goalie Melford James comes out almost to the edge of the box. Fazlagic rolls cross to left where Golijanin rolls in 7 yarder to right side of net past sliding defender HC Alvin Hudson and goalie.
61 min...BG Begovic blasts 25 yard shot through crowd of players up middle over net.
61 min...HC Tereanszki-Toth 50 yard freekick down middle well high of net.
62 min...HC O'Keefe 45 yard freekick from right has defender head away and when rebound cross comes in from HC Bilic on left has HC pop up header at 15 yards and BG Fazlagic head ball over own net.
63 min...HC O'Keefe cornerkick from right has HC player's shot blocked on left just outside box.
64 min...HC sub...Jirta replaces injured Razumovic.
64 min...BG player's cornerkick from right is cleared out of box by HC Bilic at 8 yards.
65 min...Galaxy Haris Fazlagic GOAL...Fazlagic rush up middle from 45 yards and dekes goalie on edge of box on 3 on 0 rush and kicks low 15 yarder into left side of empty net.
66 min...HC Vurdelja 32 yard freekick from right is just over net.
67 min...BG Oluic rush on left has cross knocked behind net at 3 yards by HC Bilic behind charging BG Gerhardt.
68 min...BG Begovic cornerkick from left is headed away and BG Turnbull blasts 25 yarder well over net.
71 min...HC Dodds pass over to HC Corporal who blasts 30 yard shot from right wide right of net.
72 min...HC O'Keefe has defender check him off ball but it deflects behind him for follow up to HC Jirta to blast 22 yarder just over net.
73 min...BG Begovic is injured near center line.
74 min...BG Karacic twists cross from left on defensive header and blocks 22 yard blast from HC Vurdelja while he's at 6 yards.
75 min...BG sub...White replaces Begovic who's still injured.
75 min...HC sub...Grubisic replaces O'Keefe.
76 min...HC player's 55 yard freekick from left has BG defenders block two shots on edge of box.
77 min...HC Burdelja 35 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away.
78 min...HC Jirta 30 yard roller up middle is picked up by goalie.
83 min...BG sub...Dancetovic replaces Golijanin.
83 min...BG goalie has to make point blank save on 6 yard shot on right post from HC Beslic who was given a backheeler at 10 yards.
84 min...HC sub...Andrew Leggett replaces Adam Leggett.
85 min...HC Burdelja 40 yard freekick from right is cleared from edge of box.
86 min...BG sub...Bob Turnbull replaces Tait.
87 min...BG Fazlagic chips ball behind net from endline on left after great dribbling play.
88 min...BG sub...Misik replaces Andjelkovic.
89 min...BG sub...Simmons replaces Fazlagic.
90 min...HC Corporal 30 yard shot from left is just over net after partial clearance.
92 min...BG goalie charges out of net to slide and clear ball on left.
92 min...BG Karacic clears ball behind own net.
93 min...HC player's cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
93 min...BG Dancetovic has shot blocked by defender at 18 yards.
94 min...BG Dancetovic pass for BG Simmons for 22 yard shot down middle is high and wide left.
94 min...game ends 4:38pm.

Final Score:......Hamilton Croatia......0.........Brantford Galaxy..........3..........

Attendance was about 1800 on this extremely cold day. There were about 2 to 1 support for Hamilton Croatia. Some Croatian fans lit flares and fireworks but weren't spectacular as it was the middle of the afternoon. One thrown flare reached the field and one I saw burned harmlessly on the track.

Galaxy played well on the counterattack because when Hamilton committed players forward, the Galaxy would pass forward and set up forward rushes 2 on 2s or one man wide. This game was reminiscent of their semi-final win against Portugal FC when they finished with five goals in that win last week.

Ante Domjanovic earned the shutout for the Galaxy. He didn't have too much to do because of the great blocking done by his defenders Zach Tait, Zvonko Bakula, Stanko Karacic, and Dragan Oluic. There were times when Croatia had two or three rapid-fire shots in a row from 25 yards and the defenders blocked each one on the edge of the box.

Both teams were guilty of blasting plenty of shots off target either high or wide of the net.

Justin Tasev was the referee for this game. He held back giving out any Yellow cards until 35 minutes and then I counted only one more the rest of the game.

At halftime, CSL Commissioner Domenic Di Gironimo announced four new teams were given conditional approval for joining the league for the 2011 season. They are Ottawa, Kitchener, Pickering, and Erin Mills. After the game while filming a segment for This Week in the CSL he said there was a fifth team although he was not at liberty to say who they were at this time. I asked him if he would be splitting the league back into divisions like previous years. That will be decided at upcoming league meetings. I'm thinking 10 more league games for each team on their current 24 if they don't waiver from every team playing each other home and away may be a bit much.

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Before the CSL Annual Awards were given out to players and officials from both first and reserve teams.  
 
First Division:
Most Valuable Player--Tihomir Maletic (Toronto Croatia) 
Top goalscorer (with 17)--Tihomir Maletic (Toronto Croatia)
Goalkeeper of the year--Milos Kocic (Serbian White Eagles) not here.
Defender of the year--Rick Titus (York Region Shooters)
Rookie of the year--Thomas Beattie (London City) not here
Coach of the year--Ron Davidson (FC Hamilton Croatia)  first award presented so he could go back to leading his team through warm ups.
Referee of the year--Geoff Gamble not here
Harry Paul Gauss Award (team official award)--Tony De Thomasis (York Region Shooters)
The Fair Play and Respect Award--TFC Academy
CSL Championship--Winner Brantford Galaxy (obviously waited until today's game was over)
CSL Championship--Runners-up--FC Hamilton Croatia 
CSL League Winner:--York Region Shooters 
 
Reserve Division:
CSL Reserves Division Champions--Serbian White Eagles Reserves
CSL Reserves Division Runners-up--York Region Shooters Reserves
CSL Reserves Division League Winner--Brampton Lions Reserves
Most Valuable Player--Sergio Camargo (TFC Academy II)
Goalkeeper of the Year--Jesse Castillo (Brantford Galaxy Reserves)
Defender of the Year--David Ferreira (Brampton Lions Reserves)
Rookie of the Year--Sergio Camargo (TFC Academy II)
Top Goalscorer (each with 7)--Wesley Cain (Portugal FC Reserves) and Jonathan Singh (Brampton Lions Reserves)
Coach of the Year--Alex Di Matteo (Brampton Lions Reserves)

Lots of celebrities presenting these awards including Walter Gretzky, Dick Howard, Bobby Ierullo, Hector Marinero Sr, Lyndon Hooper, Peter Pinozzotto and Ryan Gauss (who handed out the award named after his father). This star power made up for the rumour that the City of Toronto's new mayor-elect Rob Ford would take the opening kickoff--he wasn't there.
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This completes my attendance at 57 CSL games this year. A new record and certainly more than any other year when combined with TFC games and Toronto Lynx and Toronto Lady Lynx games as well as the few Canadian National Men's and Women's team game held in Toronto.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

CSL Award winners with pictures

Hamilton Croatia starters