May 27, 2012 CSL--Toronto Croatia vs SC Waterloo (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday May 27, 2012 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and SC Waterloo played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:00pm.

Toronto Croatia (black socks, white shorts and numbers, red shirts)

.........................1 Panagiotis Koumoulas
7 Halburto Harris...4 Sven Arapovic...3 Josip Keran...15 Ainsley Deer
22 Daniel Niksic...19 Petar Mingon...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams...11 Boris Tomac
...............24 Marin Vucemilovic...10 Tihomir Maletic (cpt)

Subs:...12 Antonio Ilic (gk)...6 Stipe Sosa (--)...9 Hugo Herrera (fwd)...14 Andelo Srzentic (mid)...18 Matthew Rios (mid) ...21 Dino Buljan (mid)...23 Tonci Pirija (mid)
team officials:...head coach Velimir Crljan...manager Ivan Kulis...assistant manager Perica Arapovic...physio Michael Robinson ...club official Ivan Kulis

SC Waterloo (white socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

.........................1 Imad Hukura
2 Zoran Kukic...5 Dado Hadrovic...6 Vladimir Zelenbaba...3 Nemanja Simeunovic
.........13 Martin Mielnik...7 John Inglis...4 Mirza Colic
..........10 Haris Fazlagic (cpt)...20 Drazen Vukovic...11 Shawn Brown

Subs:...12 Ryan Paumier (gk)...8 Dusan Dukanac (mid)...9 Milan Beader (fwd)...14 Adis Hasecic (fwd)...15 Edis Sokmez (def) ...16 Edward Syllie (mid)...17 Mohammad-Ali Heydarpour (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Lazo Dzepina...manager Vojislav Brisevis

Game officials:...referee Silviu Petrescu...referee's assistants Zac Taylor and Allison Enright...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:06pm...TC defend south end.
50 sec...TC Maletic steals a ball from a defender on the left and he crosses through the 6 yard box and TC Vucemilovic Grgic all alone at 6 yards fires wide right of the net.
7 min...TC Maletic twists around defender to run for through ball down middle but goalie steps out of box and clears as he crashes with TC Maletic. Referee blows whistle for SCW freekick.
7 min...SCW Colic 45 yard cross from left is caught by goalie at 15 yards.
10 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cross from 12 yards left end line between goalie and TC Maletic.
11 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 35 yard low freekick from the left sideline has TC Maletic charge forward to knock a shot in from 7 yards but the play was flagged offside.
13 min...SCW Vukovic cornerkick from right has TC Maletic sky ball behind end line for cornerkick.
14 min...SCW Vukovic cornerkick from right has ball fly over players in box.
17 min...SCW Colic 35 yard shot from left is wide right and cleared.
18 min...TC Hayden Fitzwilliams GOAL...TC Boris Tomac received a pass down the left side and after a long run sent in a low cross that TC Tihomir Maletic in middle missed connecting while tangling with a SCW defender. Fitzwilliams all alone on the right after charging into the box shot a 6 yarder to the right side of the open net.
19 min...SCW Shawn Brown GOAL...SCW John Inglis passed from 40 yards that found Brown upfield and he took a 20 yard shot in a crowd of players into the top right corner of the net.
21 min...TC Deer high cross from 28 yards on left has goalie catch.
21 min...TC YELLOW card...Niksic earns it for tackle on SCW Colic at SCW 50 yards injurying him.
25 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cornerkick from the left has a charging TC Niksic head an 8 yarder off the bar. The ball bounces to 15 yards and a defender pulled down TC Maletic. Referee Silviu Petrescu called for a Penalty kick.
26 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...Maletic blasted the Penalty kick into the top left side of the net beyond flying goalie Imad Hakura. After some chatter between Maletic and Hakura, the referee made them shake hands.
29 min...SCW Vukovic cornerkick from right is over to left where SCW player pops upp ball but can't get away a shot.
31 min...SCW Simeunovic low 35 yard freekick has low tip at 20 yards and goalie dives to right to save.
32 min...SCW YELLOW card...Hadrovic earns it for sliding tackle on TC Deer at SCW 25 yard line.
33 min...TC Josip Keran GOAL...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic took a 30 yard freekick from the left and a charging Keran headed the ball into the net from 7 yards just under the bar.
36 min...TC Maletic wins freekick when pushed over on right side of box.
37 min...TC Maletic 22 yard freekick from right is well over net.
38 min...TC Keran flying header at 18 yards to save cross into box.
39 min...TC Arapovic pushes over SCW Shawn Brown in the TC box and the referee awards a Penalty kick.
40 min...SCW Drazen Vukovic blasts the Penalty kick to the low right and goalie Panagiotis Koumoulas dives to the right to make the save.
41 min...TC Deer rush on left and rolls cross that sliding defender clears.
42 min...SCW YELLOW card...Colic earns it for pulling on TC Vucemilovic Grgic on run at SCW 45 yards.
42 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 50 yard freekick from left bends shot for goalie to catch.
44 min...SCW Vukovic 35 yard freekick blast from right is just over net.
45 min...TC Tomac rush on left to 30 yards, then cuts along line towards center and blasts low roller that goalie dives to save wide left of net.
47 min...half ends 8:53pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:07pm.
halftime sub:...TC Srzentic replaces Niksic.
45 min...SCW defender turns at last minute to kick 5 yarder over net to stop TC Maletic from getting clear shot.
46 min...TC player's cornerkick from right has whislte blown for pushing in SCW box.
50 min...SCW Simeunovic 45 yard freekick from left has SCW Hadrovic twist header from 12 yards wide left.
50 min...SCW YELLOW card...Zelenbaba earns it for injurying TC Maletic at SCW 47 yards.
52 min...TC Keran takes a 47 yard freekick that finds TC Vucemilovic Grgic on the left end line but his 10 yard shot is caught on the left post.
54 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic on rush pushes ball over end line.
57 min...SCW sub...Dukanac replaces Mielnik.
58 min...TC Maletic 35 yard freekick from right has defender head ball away. TC Vucemilovic Grgic blasts low 28 yard shot up middle that goalie catches.
59 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic pass from 30 yards has TC Fitzwilliams take 8 yard roller deflect wide on left for cornerkick.
59 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic cornerkick from left rolled out and defender intercepts.
63 min...SCW Fazlagic 35 yard freekick from left bends not far enough for top right corner of net.
66 min...TC Fitzwilliams rush down left and rolls cross that TC Maletic hits 8 yarder into outside left webbing of the net.
67 min...SCW Fazlagic flicks 12 yard shot from left that goalie stops.
68 min...TC Tomac crosses across face of 6 yard box from 20 yards on right wide left of goal.
70 min...SCW sub...Beader replaces Brown.
71 min...SCW sub...Heydarpour replaces Inglis.
72 min...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic GOAL...TC Tihomir Maletic rushed on a breakaway towards goal from 50 yards that had him run to 20 yards and his low shot rolled over the diving goalie and Vucemilovic Grgic blasted in a 1 yarder (although the ball probably would have gone in on its own).
73 min...SCW Fazlagic 35 yard freekick from right has goalie swat ball away from left post.
74 min...TC Maletic flicks header pass to TC Vucemilovic Grgic who blasts 15 yarder wide right on open shot down middle.
75 min...TC sub...Buljan replaces Tomac.
76 min...TC Maletic gets the ball off a tip by a SCW defender and kicks a 20 yarder that hits the top of the bar.
78 min...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic GOAL...TC Tihomir Maletic rushed in on the left and centered a pass to Vucemilovic Grgic who shot a low 15 yarder over the diving goalie.
80 min...TC Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC Marin Vucemilovic Grgic rushes on the left and crosses from 15 yards that has Maletic in center flick 5 yard header into the right side of the net.
82 min...TC sub...Sosa replaces Mingon.
85 min...TC Vucemilovic Grgic 15 yard shot deflects off defender at 5 yards and another SCW player clears.
86 min...TC sub...Rios replaces Fitzwilliams.
88 min...TC sub...Herrera replaces Maletic. TC Arapovic becomes captain.
91:30 min...game ends 9:54pm.

Final Score:....Toronto Croatia......6........SC Waterloo......1.......

Attendance was about 150 on this hot night.

This was a match of unbeaten teams with the defending champions Toronto Croatia off to a 2 win, 1 tie start against first season team SC Waterloo off to a surprising 2 win season. Somethings gotta give!

I only recognized a few players of SC Waterloo by name. Midfielders Haris Fazlagic and Drazen Bukovic both played for Brantford Galaxy and Fazlagic scored the winning goal in the 2010 CSL Championship game. Forward Shawn Brown played last year with Mississauga Eagles FC.

40 minutes was a key moment in the game. If Drazen Vukovic had scored the Penalty kick before the first half ended, it could have changed the result. Croatia turned the defence inside out in the second half as SC Waterloo pressed to get back into the game.

Also important on the Croatia side of things was Maletic scoring another goal at 80 minutes. He had a goal 'taken away' 10 minutes earlier when Vucemilovic Grgic kicked in a shot from 1 yard that Maletic had sent past the goalie which would probably have gone in on its own. There was a defender closing in and kicking it in was the only way of ensuring it was a goal. 78 minutes had Maletic set up Vucemilovic Grgic for his second goal. The timing of the two of them was off earlier in the game.

Best non-scoring chances were at 50 seconds when Maletic stole a ball from a defender on the left and he crossed through the 6 yard box and Vucemilovic Grgic all alone at 6 yards fired wide right of the net. 11 minutes Vucemilovic Grgic took a 35 yard low freekick from the left sideline had Maletic charge forward to knock a shot in from 7 yards but the play was flagged offside. 52 minutes had TC Josip Keran take a 47 yard freekick that found Vucemilovic Grgic on the left end line but his 10 yard shot was caught on the left post. 76 minutes and Maletic got the ball off a tip by a SCW defender and kicked a 20 yarder off the top of the bar.

Referee Sylviu Petrescu deservedly awarded one Penalty kick to each team and gave out four Yellow cards (three to SCW) that I saw. It was ironic that he was in the news by refereeing the Amway Canadian Championship on Wednesday and was accused of bias by Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie , bitter after their 1-0 loss because he was 'from Toronto' although reporters later corrected that to Waterloo. Nothing in his calls made me believe any bias tonight. Petrescu hadn't been idle since last week as I noticed from the MLS program guides that he was the referee of the Houston vs Los Angeles game on Saturday night. Well this stadium is very near the Toronto airport!

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Croatia starters