Van Tech Turf

GOAL: Marinko Maras

CROATIA SC  -  NORVAN PACIFIC  1:0:  On Saturday, at Confederation Park in North Vancouver, Croatia SC put an end to Norvan’s 2-game winning streak by defeating the home team by a narrow 1-0 margin. Once again, the Norvan youngsters played remarkably well but, once again, they failed to convert their numerous goalscoring chances. The Croatians, on the other hand, seemed very satisfied with playing a defensive style and counter-attacking whenever the opportunities arose. The lone goal of the contest was scored midway through the second half when Philip Kotter sent Marinko Maras on a breakaway with an impeccable pass. Maras raced in all alone and buried the ball into the back of the net with an unstoppable shot for Croatia’s winning goal. Shortly thereafter, Croatia almost doubled its lead when veteran Chris Craveiro sent young Steve Fronzo flying in on goal on yet another counter-attack. However, Fronzo’s shot was brilliantly saved by young Norvan goalkeeper Lucas Menz to keep the scoreline at 1-0 till the end of the match. Midfielders Chris Craveiro and Phil Kotter—as well as goalkeeper Didar Sandhu—played remarkably well for Croatia SC, while midfielder Blake Burgon and defenders Brent Dodge and Tony Seddon turned in superlative performances for Norvan Pacific. The victory solidifies Croatia’s chances of qualifying for the Province Cup playdowns, while Norvan’s loss leaves the youngsters mired in last place, with little hope of avoiding relegation.

Report to come.

RICHMOND FC HIBERNIANS  -  CROATIA SC  2-1:  On Sunday, at King George School in Richmond, the Hibernians upset the visiting Croatians by a narrow 2-1 margin after a well-played and highly-contested 90 minutes of non-stop action. Croatia SC took the early lead at the 8th minute mark when young Steve Fronzo gathered the ball on a counter-attack and drove a low cross onto the path of an onrushing Chris Craveiro, who made no mistake in hammering the ball to the top corner of the Richmond net for the game’s opening goal. The Hibs bounced back and tied things up at the 20th minute mark on a fine individual effort by midfielder Reynold Stewart. After being set up by fellow midfielder Alan Chivers, Stewart beat a couple of Croatian defenders before lashing a low, hard drive into the back of the net for the equalizer. Early in the second half, Richmond FC scored the winning goal with Reynold Stewart once again involved—this time as the provider. In fact, it was Stewart that set up Owen Sinclair for the winning goal as he cut the ball back after dribbling along the goal line. After the winning goal was scored, the Hibernians defended their lead tenaciously, led by the excellent play of central defenders Mike Revelle and Stu Walters, as well as goalkeeper Matt Clayton. Late in the match, the Croatians came very close to knotting the score but a clever back pass by Christian Tropeano was blasted just over the bar by Phillip Kotter. All in all, an excellent performance by both teams!

Link to Photos  (photos by Richard Tom)

Croatia SC’s outside midfielder STEVEN FRONZO for his brilliant performance in his team’s 3-1 upset victory over ICST Pegasus. The youngster set up Christian Tropeano for Croatia’s first goal with an immaculate pass. He then proceeded to score the winning goal on a blistering long-range shot. Throughout the rest of the match, Fronzo drove his opponents to distraction with his enormous skill and fast pace.   For his excellent performance, STEVEN FRONZO will receive a prize of a pizza for two, compliments of  THE GOLDEN BOOT CAFFE`.