September 8, 2013 CSL--Toronto Croatia vs Windsor Stars (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Sunday September 8, 2013 CSL game between Toronto Croatia and Windsor Stars played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 8:00pm.

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

..................12 Antonio Ilic
21 Daniel Niksic...7 Halberto Harris...3 Josip Keran...15 Ainsley Deer
11 Jarek Whiteman...20 David Alva...22 Mladen Bajamic...8 Hayden Fitzwilliams
.............10 Tihomir Maletic (cpt)...9 Kresimir Prgomet

Subs:...17 Maeo Sutic (gk)...5 Roberto Galle (mid)...6 Hrvoje Perkovic (def)...14 Augustino Demedina (mid)...18 Boze Poljak (mid)
...19 Petar Mingon (mid)...25 Joseph Filipic (mid)
team officials:...head coach Velimir Crljan...assistant coach Miodrag Akmadzic...manager Ivan Kulis...assistant manager Perica Arapovic... physio Amanda Liddle

Windsor Stars (white socks and numbers, black shorts, blue shirts)

.......................21 Joshua Rogers
11 Ciprean Codea...8 Michael Chiandussi...3 Sleman Habib...2 Jamar Kelly
10 Alexander Rickett...9 Stephen Ademolu (cpt)...16 David Kadoic...12 Erik Cirovski
.............4 Wade Allen...20 Chad Stuecher

Subs:...6 Gino Berardi (mid)...13 Patrick Lepera (mid)...14 Adam Philp (mid)...17 John Swiastyn (mid)...18 Michael Watson (mid)
team officials:...head coach Stefano Vagnini...direct Vancho Cirovski...chiro Anthony Meo

Game officials:...referee Steve Depiero...referee's assistants Gianni Facchini and Peter Pendli...fourth official Ramee Arbaji
...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 8:08pm...TC defender south end. It's already dark.
30 sec...TC Prgomet with back to goal 15 yard shot over net.
4 min...TC Keran 50 yard chip down middle is into box and TC Niksic steps on ball but runs over it and goalie picks it up.
5 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 30 yards on left has goalie drift right to catch.
6 min...WS Chiandussi long throw-in from right is over WS player and bounces to goalie.
7 min...TC Maletic rolls ball from 25 yards that's just steps ahead of charging TC Whiteman and goalie picks up at 12 yards.
8 min...TC Maletic low 20 yard shot from left is smothered by goalie.
10 min...TC Bajamic forward pass from 25 yards on right is over end line before it could be played.
11 min...TC Fitzwilliams cross from 20 yards on left is over to TC Prgomet who has first shot blocked from 15 yards by defender and recross to TC Niksic is blocked as well from 12 yards.
19 min...TC Bajamic is injured at WS 40 yard line.
21 min...WS Cirovski 30 yard freekick from left is headed away. WS Stuecher has 22 yard shot down middle blocked by defender.
22 min...Croatia Jarek Whiteman GOAL...TC Mladen Bajamic 45 yard chip from left finds Whiteman at 20 yards on right and he blasts shot to top left corner of net.
26 min...WS Kadoic cornerkick from right has defender charge forward to head away for throw-in.
27 min...WS Codea throw-in from right has WS Allen pop up chip from 15 yards on right that goalie catches.
28 min...TC Niksic long run to ball on right sideline cross has defender head away in box.
29 min...TC Whiteman cross from 25 yards on right is over box.
31 min...TC Prgomet rolls short pass from 30 yards on right to TC Maletic who shoots low and just wide right of post from 25 yards.
33 min...TC Niksic rescues pass on right end line and cross from 20 yards is just behind net.
34 min...TC Maletic gets ball off WS Chiandussi and runs up left and 22 yard blast hits bar and is cleared by defender.
36 min...TC YELLOW card...Bajamic earns it for tackle on WS Kadoic at WS 50 yard line.
37 min...WS Codea cross from 25 yards on right has WS Stuecher rescues on left end like but crosses into webbing of net.
37 min...TC Prgomet low 30 yard shot up middle has WS goalie dive left to save.
38 min...TC Deer rolls pass from 35 yards on left that TC Prgomet receives in center, turns and fires 28 yarder high and wide right.
41 min...WS Ademolu 35 yard low shot up center is smothered by goalie.
46 min...TC Codea rush down right and centers cross and goalie dives on it a step ahead of TC Chiandussi at 9 yards.
46 min...half ends 8:54pm.

2nd Half:...starts 9:10pm.
48 min...WS YELLOW card...Codea earns it for injurying TC Fitzwilliams at TC 35 yard line near sideline.
49 min...WS Kadoic has two shot from 15 yards blocked by defenders after being pushed pass up left by WS Cirovski.
50 min...WS Cirovski run up left and centering pass has defender stop and clear.
52 min...TC Whiteman cross from 25 yards on extreme right is over box and TC Fitzwilliams eludes one defender and 12 yard shot is deflected over net for cornerkick.
52 min...TC Bajamic cornerkick from left has WS defender clear on right side of box.
54 min...Stars Chad Stuecher wins Penalty kick when while in TC box he turns and passes ball back to edge of the box and it hits TC Tihomir Maletic's hand. Referee Steven DePiero awards him a spot kick.
55 min...Stars David Kadoic GOAL...Kadoic shoots Penalty kick low to left corner of net as goalie Antonio Ilic dives right.
56 min...WS sub...Philp replaces Cirovski.
58 min...Croatia Tihomir Maletic GOAL...TC Kresimir Prgomet sends pass up the middle for Maletic at 45 yards who splits the defence and shoots low 15 yarder into left corner of net past diving goalie Joshua Rogers.
59 min...WS Stuecher rush on right and cross through 6 yard box from 15 yards has WS Philp jab around defender but not quite able to turn 5 yard shot into net.
60 min...TC goalie dives wide right of net to stop through ball pass.
67 min...TC Niksic has his cross deflect but over end line and goalkick is awarded.
68 min...TC sub...Poljak replaces Alva.
.........WS sub...Berardi replaces Habib.
73 min...WS Codea long throw-in from right has defender head ball away fronm box. A recross is over to WS Philp on left has defender take ball off him.
74 min...TC Maletic is injured in WS box as WS Kelly had elbow raised.
77 min...WS Allen 20 yard freekick down middle deflects through wall and is just wide left for cornerkick.
78 min...WS Ademolu cornerkick from left is out to WS player at 25 yards. He rolls pass up to WS Ademolu who is offside at 8 yard line on left.
79 min...TC sub...Galle replaces Fitzwilliams.
80 min...WS Philp bumps goalie who's jumped to catch jarring ball loose but play is whistled down at 8 yards.
81 min...TC Deer cross from left at 20 yards has goalie step forward to catch.
83 min...WS Chiandussi long throw-in from right has WS player head down but defender clears.
83 min...TC goalie dives on through ball up middle before WS Philp can get to it at 12 yards.
84 min...WS Codea 45 yard freekick from right has nearest defender clear from right edge of box.
86 min...TC sub...Mingon replaces Prgomet.
86 min...TC Maletic 30 yard freekick from right has TC Niksic just missing poking in bouncer at 6 yards and ball bounces wide left for goalkick.
88 min...TC sub...Demedina replaces Bajamic.
90 min...WS YELLOW card...Prgomet earns it for WS 45 yard line for sliding tackle.
93:33 min...game ends 9:58pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto Croatia........2.................Windsor Stars..........1............

Attendance was about 100 on this warm night with the temperature cooling as it was already dark by the time the game started.

The winning goal by Tihomir Maletic was very important as a reply to the Stars tieing the game just 3 minutes earlier and shifted the advantage back to Croatia. Defenders made sure in the final minutes to keep their hands out of the way even taking a ball in the chin to avoid any call for another Penalty kick. TC goalie Antonio Ilic had to be aggressive a few times charging forward to dive on through balls just inside the edge of the box.

The game wasn't rough with referee Steve DePiero only giving out two Yellow cards to Stars and one to Croatia that I counted.

Best non-scoring chances were at 34 minutes when TC Maletic stole a ball off WS Michael Chiandussi and ran up left wing and his 22 yard blast hit the bar and was cleared from the box by a defender. 52 minutes had TC Jarek Whitman cross from 25 yards on the extreme right over the box and TC Hayden Fitzwilliams eluded one defender and his 12 yard shot deflected over the net for a cornerkick. 59 minutes had WS Chad Stuecher rush up the right and cross through the 6 yard box from 15 yards and WS Adam Philp jabbed with his foot at the ball around a defender but was not quite able to turn a 5 yard shot so it flew just wide of the post. 86 minutes had TC Maletic take a 30 yard freekick from the right that TC Daniel Niksic just missed poking in a bouncer from 6 yards and the ball bounced wide left for a goalkick.

The field was unplayable an hour before game time as the permit holders the night before held an event of Extreme Sports and there were at least 25 holes in the field between the north end's 20 to 45 yard line. This was the same field turf that was damaged in the rain that fell in Toronto the first week of July and flooded some areas of the city including this field which buckled and postponed events at this stadium for over a month. These holes were about 4 inches deep and about 2 feet long and almost 1 foot wide and the explanation from the grounds crew was that these were the tracks from dropping dumbbells. The grounds crew drove a pick-up truck onto the field with bags of sand, cut the bags open, filled the holes and then leveled them off with a pounder. It worked as no players slipped nor broke an ankle in the game but I wonder if the sand will wash away with the next rainfall. It's a four hour drive from Windsor which would feel longer to NOT play a game.

Toronto Croatia's record improves to 11 wins, 2 losses, 4 ties and moves them into a tie for 2nd with York Region Shooters although Shooters have played one less game. Windsor lose ground with the rest of the day's results known that they've been passed by SC Waterloo and are now tied for 6th with London City although they have played three fewer games. Stars record is now 7 wins, 7 losses, 3 ties.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

City of Toronto grounds crew work on patching the holes in the field.