KILDONAN CAVALIERS 2015

Back row: Phil Pododworny, Jeff Penner, Jeremy Guenette, Silvano Munilla,  Clayton Rayban, Matt Labdon, Rob Ivekovic, Josh Bellingham, Martin Bshouty, Brian Penner

Front Row: Kyle Giesbrecht, Matt Marjanovic, Lorenzo Melfi, Golden Creary, Duane Chaves, Brian Collins, Amir Hussein, Cristovao Carvalho

Missing: Tyler Phillips

Kildonan ended off the 2015/16 indoor season with a convincing win over Bonivital Flames, 4-2.

Duane scored 2, Cristovao had 1 and Matty had 1. The highlight goal of the night came after the 3rd goal where on the Bonivital kickoff, Duane intercepted a pass, headed to the net, rounded the keeper and put the ball in the back of the net, in what literally must have been 6 seconds.

Bonivital got back 1 but couldn't mount a serious attack and Kildonan held on to the win.

Kildonan finished 2 points behind the 6th and final playoff spot. With 6 ties in the season, the 6th spot was in their reach.

Duane finished top goal scorer of the team, with 17, as well as division top goal scorer, helped by his four goals in the final two games.

Kildonan will now start preparation for the outdoor season. Training dates and times below.

Despite a tough game, kildonan had to replace missed opprtunities and we're on the wrong side of a 1 nil scoreline.

The only goal of the game came in the 81st minute. Kildonan made a bad challenge just outside the 18 yd bx which was judged by the cavs bench as being harsh. The kicker for Waverley made no mistake curling it just inside the near post, despite Phil getting his finger tips on it. With very little time left and couldn't muster a significant attack and had to accept the 1 nil loss, giving Waverley the playoff trophy.

Kildonan still sees promotion to division 1 for the 2016 season and see the whole season as progress.

Next up kildonan will participate in the MMSL indoor season in division 2 again, with the majority of the team returning for indoor.

Kildonan got first on the board on a counterattack. Duane beat one defender and rifled in a powerful shot from outside the 18 at the near post. Despite the keeper getting a hand on it, all he could do was palm the ball into the net to allow Cavs go up by 1.

AC fiorentina got back two before the end of the half. The first was a free kick from outside the 18 yrd box that the Fiorentina taker beat the defenders and Phil to see the shot go right into the net. Fiorentina got a 2nd and it remained that way until late in the 2nd half.

With the clock ticking, Kildonan changed their formation to add more attacking and a long ball ball found Duane all alone. Duane found himself one on one with the goalie and beat the keeper with a powerful shot to tie it up in the 93rd minute and push the game into overtime.

Overtime saw Fiorentina slowing a bit with a limited bench and the Cavs pressed but to no effect. Just before the end of overtime, Matt was hurt when he crossed the ball into the box. With his injury, the ref signaled for the dreaded penalty kicks, with Fiorentina kicking first.

Fiorentina scored their first 2, but so did the Cavs with Duane and Clayton making no mistake.

Fiorentina's next two kickers shot the ball wide and it was up to Brian Collins and Rob to finish off the game. Rob took the 4th kick and made no mistake beating the keeper and sending the Cavs into the finals.

Kildonan will face off against Waverley Mitsubishi, who defeated Dunvegan in the other semi-final match, 2-1.

The finals is the last match for the league as it takes place, Wednesday, Oct. 14th, 6:30 pm at the Soccer Complex, field 1.

Despite winning their last game of the season, Waverley managed to defeat a lackluster Dunvegan Castle in their final game to go level on points with the Cavs.

The MMSL tiebreaker rules stipulate that the teams level on points are decided by goal differential. Waverley defeated Dunvegan 3-0, which gave them a +3 better goal differential, earning them the 1st place finished.

While disappointing, Kildonan can be proud in finishing in the top 2, and achieving the highest level the team has ever had in its 21 year existence.

Kildonan earns a bye into the Semi-finals of the playoffs and will face AC Fiorentina, who beat Lions FC in their quarter final match-up, 3-1.

Kildonan defeated AC Fiorentina twice in regular season, but anything can happen in the playoffs so the Cavs will not take them lightly.

Game is Thursday, Oct 1st, 8:30 pm at Shaughnessy park.

Kildonan earned the 3 points with a 1-0 victory over Waverley Mitsubishi at Shaughnessy Park.

The only goal came in the 42nd minute. A cross from the wide left found Duane surrounded by Waverley defenders and the keeper. The ball bounced to the right during a scramble and Rob was in the right place to put the low, hard shot into the back of the net to go up 1-0.

Kildonan withstood constant pressure during the entire first half. Waverley's shots were either off target or Phil and/or the defense backline were on hand to clean up any difficult shots.

The win puts Kildonan 3 points ahead of Waverley, having won each game this year against them, but tied on goal difference.

With one game left, Waverley needs to either tie or lose their last match of the season against Dunvegan Castle in order for the Cavs to claim first place. Dunvegan needs to win or tie in order to leap frog Lions FC and get the 3rd and last automatic promotion spot, based on their loss to Lions last week.

The first round of the playoffs start on the 24th with 1st and 2nd receiving a bye. Kildonan is assured one of the top spots, even if Waverley wins so they need to wait for the date, time and field for their playoff matchup.

Kildonan will finish off the season on Tuesday, Sept 1st against First place Waverley Mitsubishi at Shaughnessy Park, 9:30 pm.

Despite  being level on points at 36, Waverley holds a slight edge on the 1st tiebreaker scenario of a +2 better GD scenario and takes the top spot.

Even with a win tonight, Kildonan will have to wait until after the 18th to find out their final placement in the division. Dunvegan Castle, relegated from Division 1 for the 2015 season, has 2 games left to play, Lions FC on Sept. 2nd, and Waverley on Friday, Sept 18th, a rescheduled game from August.

Dunvegan can pass both Waverley and Kildonan with 2 wins, leaving them with 41 points. However, they'll face stiff competition against Lions, who sit with 33 points and are looking for promotion back into Division 1. The first contest between Lions and Dunvegan left Lions with a 3-1 win over Castle. Their earlier match against Waverley ended in a stalemate, 1-1 draw.

A Kildonan win would see them pass Waverley, unless Waverley win against Dunvegan. It would then come down to GD to see who takes the top spot.

Kildonan needs to focus on this game and getting the win and then wait to see for other results.

Duane Chaves leads the team and division in goal scoring with 19 goals. Majed M. from Lions is close behind with 1 game to play and with 18 goals for the season. 3

Despite a 0-0 halftime score, Kildonan came out strong in the 2nd half and secured a 3-0 win and a vital 3 points to remain on top of the standings for Division 2.

Duane got the Cavs on the board, 18th of the season with a great run and was brought down by the keeper with no attempt at the ball. Duane had managed to kick the ball hard enough that it went into the net regardless to give them a 1-0 score.

Duane followed up with his second and with 15 minutes remaining, a long ball was flicked on by Jeff into the near post beating the keeper and rounding out the scoring to 3 for the win.

Phil earns another shut out In net and Kildonan will face off against United Weston on Monday, August 10th at Shaughnessy park. Kildonan needs to continue winning in order to earn 1st place in the league.

Kildonan extended their unbeaten streak to 8 games, winning 2-1 over Bonivital Flames at the Complex last night.

Kildonan was able to penetrate the tough Bonivital defence when a long ball saw to Flames defenders going up for the ball and ended up nodding it into the path of Duane who attacked the net and made no mistake finishing it in the net, for his 14th of the season.

Bonivital got back into the game with a defensive error allowing a Flames attacker to shoot on an empty goal.

Kildonan kept pressing and were rewarded with a Matt long range speculative shot that caught the keeper off his line to get the score to 2-1.

Despite some good chances in the 2nd half, Kildonan couldn't capitalize on their shots and finished with a 2-1 win.

More worrisome is Josh was hurt on a reckless challenge in the 2nd half and had to go off injured.

Next up is Celtic FC on Monday the 27th. Kildonan hasn't lost a match since they played Celtic in June but need a win to keep some distance between Dunvegan and Waverley Mitsubishi FC.

Game at Vince Leah, 7:30 pm

Kildonan's unbeaten run that extended from June 7th, was snapped at Shaugnessy park against United Weston.

Kildonan started off sluggishly, while United Weston pressed from the get-go and continued pressure for 45 minutes. They were awarded a penalty kick that Weston took an advantage of, after 2 defenders knocked down the Weston player.

The 2nd half started more positively for Kildonan, providing constant pressure and keeping the majority of the ball in Weston's half.  Appeals for a penalty were waived off when Duane was brought down by the keeper.  The ref apparently gave Kildonan "advantage" in one of the strangest calls ever heard.

Matt tied up the game at the 60 min mark. Duane crossed a long ball to the left side that Matt settled down and made no mistake beating the keeper.

Looking for the win, Kildonan started pressing and with a free kick near center was blocked, Weston pounced on the counter attack with one Weston player beating Phil and placing the ball into the empty net.

Kildonan have 2 games to go and need to win both matches for the potential 1st place finish. Unfortunately, Dunvegan and Waverley have games in hand and can each pass Kildonan if they take more then 6 points a piece with their last 4 games.

Next up is Luso Canadians, Friday the 21st at 6 pm at the Soccer Complex.

Kildonan faced off against an under-strength Players Club Monday night. PC showed up with 9 players to start,while the Cavs had 7 guys on the bench. Kildonan went after them quickly and  within 10 minutes, Matt M had scored 2 goals. This was followed by a 3rd from Rob, 4th from Jeremy, and a fifth from Duane, his 11th of the season.

The 2nd half saw Players club trying to prevent an onslaught of more goals and with the Cavs enjoying most of the possession in the PC half, Players didn't see much of the ball, nor did Phil get tested.

Scoring was limited in the 2nd. The 6th goal, created by a low, hard cross from Brian Penner had the Players' defender inadvertently put the ball into the back of the net.

Despite constant pressure and what appeared to be a shooting gallery inside the Players 18 yd box, the Cavs could only manage 1 more goal in the 90th minute, courtesy of Morgan who beat the defender and went one on one with the goaltender.

This extends Kildonan's win streak to 5 games straight, scoring 19 and allowing 3 in the process. Kildonan boasts one of the best GA in the league, averaging 1 goal per game.

Next up will be a tough AC Fiorentina, Monday at St.Vital Memorial turf, who have been hitting their stride lately and won their last 2 games by a margin of 14-3. After that, they face Dunvegan Castle, only 1 of two teams to beat the Cavs this season.

July 6th game is an 8 pm kick off.

Kildonan secured 1st place with their 3-0 win over Waverley Mitsubishi at the Complex Thursday night.

Thanks to the man-of the match heroics of goaltender Phil, Phil was unstoppable in net making crucial saves throughout the game.

Duane got the Cavs on the scoreboard from a counter-attack. With a  defender to beat and having to do a bit of work to round the keeper, Duane made no mistake with his 10th of the season.

Kildonan made it 2-0 shortly after. A impossible to defend corner kick curled in by Kyle found a sea of Cavs player on the goal line. Matty Labdon got his 2nd of the year by slotting it past the keeper and defenders.

Kildonan changed their formation for the 2nd half, dropping a forward in favour of solidifying their lead and were rewarded with a great effort from Jeff Penner, who got his 3rd straight goal of the season rounding a defenders and beating the keeper with a low, hard shot.

Combined with Dunvegan's 2 losses, the win puts Kildonan in first place with 19 points, 1 ahead of Dunvegan, 2 ahead of Fiorentina and 6 ahead of Waverley, although Waverley has 2 games in hand.

Next up is Players Club at Shaughnessy Park, 7:45 pm on Monday the 29th.

With a  short bench and one guest call up making 12, Kildonan had their first match on the Buhler field against Luso Canadians. The ground was hard and not conducive to good passes, but the field effected both teams.

Luso took the lead in the first half and held on until way into the 2nd.

Kildonan applied constant pressure and Duane beat the offside trap and the keeper who was well out of his net to chip the ball in, with only a luso defender inside the crease. Incredibly, the defender jumped and smacked the ball out of the net which was seen by the majority of the Kildonan and Luso team, but not caught by the ref. Play was stopped and a free kick was awarded to Luso for a strange reason.

Kildonan pressured and Jeff was rewarded with his 2nd of the season,  a low long shot that beat the keeper at the near post.

Luso then had a man red carded for a challenge on Phil and tried to waste the last 8 minutes of the game to hold on to the lead.

Into stoppage time, a Kildonan player was fouled and Matt took the free kick. A high ball lofted to the far post found at least 4 Cavaliers converging on it. Duane found the ball first, hitting the ball hard to the low post beating the keeper and securing the win in extra time.

The goal gives Duane his 9th of the season as he remains division top goal scorer.

Kildonan take on Waverley Mitsubishi on Thursday the 25th, 10 pm at the Soccer Complex.

Waverley is coming off a 5-0 win over Fiorentina, but only have 4 points in 3 games with a 4-1-1 record.  Last years contest between the two teams ended in ties.

Kildonan took a maximum of 6 out of 6 points in their last two matches to go temporarily top of the standings in Division 2.

Vs. the Lions, which turned out to be a physical match, Duane recorded his 5th and 6th of the season. Despite Lions getting back 1, Kildonan remained strong and held on for the win.

Against newly promoted United Weston, Kildonan started with missing half of their backline regulars. Using a revised formation, Kildonan players were focused and communicated well and went up 3 goals to 1 by the end of the first half.

Kildonan kept on the pressure and late in the 2nd half were rewarded with 2 more goals, Jeff Penner (1st) and Rob Ivekovic (1st) to finish the game 5-1 winners.

Matty Labdon recorded his first goal for the club thanks to a long pass on the counter attack, set-up by Duane. Duane also recorded his 7th and 8th of the season from well delivered through balls on the counter-attack.

Next up is Luso Canadians on Sunday, June 21st, at Buhler park.

With a depleted line-up and a hot day, Kildonan faced off against Celtic FC, knowing in the past that the best they have ever managed is a tie.

Unfortunately history repeated itself and the Cavs were on the wrong end of a 2-1 decision at the Complex.

Celtic got the go ahead goal after a free kick outside the box found 1 of 3 Celtic attackers unmarked who buried the goal past Phil.

It was later in the 2nd half that Celtic extended their lead to 2.  A free kick by the sidelines and a quick one-two with Lorenzo allowed Matt to put in a long, high cross towards the net. The Celtic youth call-up keeper jumped to get it, but it went through his hands as Brian Penner challenged the ball, and landed in the back of the net.

Kildonan couldn't muster anymore of an attack for the rest of the game and are now winless in the last 3 games.

Kildonan's next opponent is Lions FC, who were relegated from D1, having spent a number of years in the upper division. Kick off is 10:00 pm at the Soccer Complex, Thursday June 11th.

Kildonan blew a 1-0 lead in the 2nd half and gifted Bonivital their first point of the season, ending in a score of 1-1. Not one of their stronger performances, the Cavs struggled to have any rhythm amongst themselves, which produced inaccurate passes and a tendency to lose the ball.

The score could have been higher if not for the heroics of keeper Phil in both halves, which kept kildonan in the game.

New signing Golden got his first for the club with a long range shot just outside the 18.

Next up is Celtic FC at the Complex, 12 noon on June 7th. Kildonan has struggled against them in the past and are hoping for a better result for this matchup.

The Cavs took on New Youth United from D3 and were forced to leave with a 2-2 tie.

Despite going up 2-0 in the first half with goals by Golden and Jeff, NYU forced their way back into the game with some sloppy marking to make it within 1.

Their second goal was a questionable penalty shot, after a tackle that was all ball brought down the NYU attacker as well. Being a exhibition match, giving a penalty kick is a bit harsh but Kildonan accepts it as they move on to the regular season where they play the 3rd place finisher, Players Club at the Wpg Soccer Complex.

The Cavs had to settle for a 2-2 draw with D3 Kings Park Rangers yesterday on a warm, sunny day on Sunday the 26th.

Despite going up 2-0 by the first half with goals from Jeff Penner and Duane, the Cavs sacrificed the winner with an unfortunate own goal in the 84th minute.

The Cavs would like to welcome back all returning players from the 2014 season as they get ready to kick off their season this Thursday, May 7th at the Complex.

Kildonan also would like to welcome the new additions to the team, Matty Labdon, Martin Bshouty, Golden Creary, Rob Ivekovic, Brian Collins and returning ex-Cav, Tyler Phillips.