Adur strikes winner

A goal at 62 minutes by forward Anthony Adur was enough to give Italia Shooters a 1-0 victory over Serbian White Eagles and the Canadian Soccer League championship in  well-attended thriller at Esther Shiner Stadium Sunday.

 Trinidad and Tobago-born Adur,18, the youngest player on the field which included nine players on the Serbian team from Europe, was playing only his fifth game of the season for Shooters after being brought up from the Italia under 21 provincial youth team, Cruz Azul Shooters, in September.

 Serbian White Eagles, strong favourites to win the CSL title, earlier won the International Conference of five ethnic teams in the CSL and Italia Shooters finished third. The CSL, Canada’s only professional soccer league, also has a National Conference of seven teams from communities in Ontario and Quebec.

 The goal was scored on a counter-attack following a raid on the Italia goal that was cleared to the right wing where it was collected by Italia’s Frank Bruno. He crossed to Adur who promptly volleyed into the net from 7 yards, well out of reach of Eagles’ goalkeeper Dusan Belic.

The game was played at a fast pace and was physical at times at the Esther Shiner ground where all seats were taken and it was standing room only for those arriving late.

 Italia coach Tony De Thomasis said after the game it was his team’s intention to prevent the Serbian team from scoring on the counter-attack, something they have been doing all season. “But we scored the winning goal that way and protected our goal so well to the end, “he said.

 The CSL Championship victory by Italia Shooters ended a CSL season that kicked off last May 19. Oakville Blue Devils won the National Division title and Ottawa St. Anthony Italia of the Ottawa Carleton Soccer League won the CSL’s Open Canada Cup, defeating the USL First Division Toronto Lynx in the final on Labour Day.