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Result of the Friday September 5th, 2003 CPSL game between Toronto Croatia and Mississauga Olympians played at Memorial Field in Streetsville at 8:00pm.
Toronto Croatia (blue socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)
..........................................12 Sem Virdo
..............4 Domagoj Sain...2 Tom Granic...16 Joe Draganic
6 Goran Brubisic...7 Deny Draganic...21 Orun Chalmers...14 Velimir Crejen...20 Ivica Raguz
..........................11 Mario Zupetic...10 Leo Laurito
Subs:...9 Edin Kalic...8 Hugo Alstitud...18 Vedran Bacek...19 Halburto Harris...15 Ante Paulovic...5 Jure Pavic...17 Jose Aniekwe
team officials:...coach Velimir Crljen...club manager Mile Brlic...team manager Ivan Ljubic...trainer Greg Kapulor
Mississauga Olympians (white socks and numbers, blue shorts and shirts, black sleeves, yellow Coffee Time logo on chest)
..........................................1 Ritchie Gare
16 Geoff Attard...4 Danny Gallagher...18 Nathan Greene...3 Sam Borgh...6 Shayne Campbell
11 Paul Moore...13 Fernando Tarantaw...19 Jimmy Kuzmanovski...9 Mario Bedenikovic
..................................10 Darren Tilley
Subs:***...1 Brian Bowes (def)...8 John Matas...11 David Gee (def)...5 Craig Taylor...21 Dwayne Wright (def)
team officials:...manager David Gee...equipment manager John Gee
***Dwayne Wright was actually the only sub on the bench.
Game officials:...referee Domenic Rosatto...referee's assistants Michael Lambert and Justin Tasov...fourth official Joe Fletcher
1st Half:...game starts 8:18pm...TC defend south end. All times converted from my wristwatch.
1 min...TC Joe Draganic 25 yard freekick from left bends just wide left of top left corner of net.
3 min...TC Laurito 20 yard low shot rolls to goalie.
7 min...TC Granic 25 yard shot from right is wide right of net.
8 min...MO Tilley eludes defender and cuts quick 30 yard shot caught by goalie.
9 min...MO goalie catches ball by leaping above TC forward.
10 min...MO YELLOW card...Tilley for hip check on TC Granic near sideline injuring him.
11 min...TC Joe Draganic 40 yard freekick on left is knocked around in box.
16 min...MO Bedenikovic 30 yard blast rolls to goalie.
17 min...TC Chalmers hard 20 yard low blast blocked by sprawling goalie.
19 min...TC Chalmers gets forward pass on left and his cross blocked and pushed behind line for cornerkick.
20 min...TC Joe Draganic cornerkick from left is punched out by goalie, ball worked in and TC player behind defenders rolls 10 yard shot wide right.
21 min...MO Gallagher 45 yard freekick is well wide right.
23 min...TC Chalmers cross from right end line is well over net.
24 min...TC Laurito rushes in and short pass to TC Zupetic and he shoots wide from 15 yards.
25 min...MO Attard cronerkick from right and MO Bedenikovic basts 30 yard roller wide left.
27 min...MO Tarantaw finishes in-TC box pressure with 2 yard shot blocked by fallen goalie.
30 min...TC Raguz 45 yard freekick from left, goalie punches down wide right and player takes it off him running away from net, goalie trips up player but no penalty call.
36 min...MO Kuzmanovski 35 yard cross/shot from left is well wide right.
37 min...Toronto Croatia Mario Zupetic GOAL...Zupetic gets ball pushed through middle and his low 10 yard shot is over fallen goalie Ritchie Gare.
40 min...TC Raguz bounces cross through box from left but receiving player is offside.
43 min...TC Joe Draganic cornerkick from left is well over players in box, eventually TC Joe Draganic gets ball back and cross from left has sliding TC Brubisic knock ball wide left from 3 yards.
44 min...TC Granic 40 yard shot over crowd of players just over bar.
45 min...half ends 9:03pm.
2nd Half:...starts 9:18pm.
47 min...MO Campbell 25 yard freekick from left is caught by leaping goalie at top left corner.
48 min...MO goalie catches two kicks in a row from 20 yards first from left then from center.
49 min...TC Zupetic 25 yard blast from wide left is wide right.
52 min...TC Chalmers runs around MO Gallagher trying to block him from getting to ball and scoops 12 yard ball over net just over bar.
54 min...MO YELLOW card...Borgh for tripping up TC player at 30 yard line in MO end.
56 min...Toronto Croatia Joe Draganic GOAL...Joe Draganic take low 30 yard freekick from left that's untouched and rolls into the right corner of net beyond diving goalie.
58 min...MO sub...Wright replaces limping Borgh.
60 min...TC Chalmers 20 yard blast from left is knocked down and picked up by goalie.
61 min...TCD Zupetic beats goalie charging out for through ball but kick hits goalie's shoulder.
62 min...TC Chalmers cuts along 20 yard line and cuts shot well over net.
63 min...TC Laurito 30 yard shot is well over net.
66 min...TC Creljen in middle snakes 25 yarder just wide left of post.
68 min...MO goalie makes point blank save from 5 yards.
69 min...TC Chalmers has ball passed back to him and blasts 30 yard shot well over net.
70 min...MO Gallagher 25 yard freekick from left hits TC Creljen's head in player wall (ouch) blocking shot.
72 min...TC Joe Draganic cuts in from right and 25 yard shot caught by goalie.
74 min...MO Moore breaks through on right and low cross smothered by goalie.
75 min...MO player takes quick freekick from 25 yards on right that hits defender in box.
78 min...TC sub...Alstitud replaces Raguz.
79 min...TC sub...Bacek replaces Chalmers.
80 min...Toronto Croatia Leo Laurito GOAL...Laurito taps in 2 yarder to left post with crowd of players in box.
82 min...TC sub...Kalic replaces Laurito.
83 min...TC sub...Paulovic replaces Joe Draganic.
..............TC sub...Aniekwe replaces Zupetic.
85 min...TC sub...Harris replaces Brubisic.
91 min...game ends 10:04pm.
Final Score:.......................Toronto Croatia.................3.........................Mississauga Olympians................0...........
Attendance was about 150 on this cool night. I'm glad I brought my mosquito spray.
Sam Virdo earned the shutout for Toronto Croatia with some key saves throughout the game. Velimir Crljen is the player/coach but tonight with him on the field, the decisions were made by club manager Mile Brlic and team manager Ivan Ljubic.
I had a feeling, all things being equal, that Toronto Croatia would win because Olympians only brought one sub. This is not the first time I've seen their team like this. Thinking as the game wore on the players would tire Toronto Croatia could bring all seven of their allowed substitutes into the game as that number is both the number of subs that can be on the bench and the number of subs allowed in the game. By the end of the game the team had fresh legs on more than half the team.
The momentum could change on just one clearance kick of the ball because the field is so small and counterattacks were common. More offside calls were made then in most games partly because of the quick turnarounds.
I was lucky to receive a phone call that the GlenShields Sun Devils vs Durham Flames game had been cancelled or I'd have been off to the wrong stadium. I didn't notice the cancellation on the CPSL web site as of a few days ago. While I didn't hear the reason, I'd expect because Sun Devils played Wednesday night, they'd have to play Friday then their rescheduled game against Ottawa Wizards on Saturday. That would be three games in four days so I could understand why Sun Devils would want to cancel their game. Toronto Croatia has a busy schedule too. Tonight's game at home to Olympians, then Monday a rescheduled game in London then back home for rescheduled games on Wednesday against North York Astros then Friday against Toronto Supra. This should be very grueling with four games in eight days. This will have to be carried out if the league wants their playoffs on the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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