PHOTOS: Croatia Cup in Vancouver a big success
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Croatia Cup in Vancouver a big success (Photo: Croatia Cup)
Another successful edition of the Croatia Cup, an annual soccer tournament played primarily by Croatian soccer players and members of the teams they play on, has wrapped up in Vancouver, Canada.
The Croatia Cup has officially been going for three years but it is a reborn tournament from more than fifteen years ago when Croatians gathered every summer to play at the Croatian picnic grounds in Richmond.
This year, the season started on April 15th with the finals played last weekend at Swangard Stadium.
10 teams fought it out in two divisions – Masters (Over 35) and Premier (All ages) – with a total of 172 players taking part from different Croatian teams from local clubs Croatia SC and NK Hrvat.
In the Masters final, NK Bura beat Plavi Bikovi 3-2 to claim the title with Flavio Cesar Correa scoring the match-winner for NK Bura.
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Katastrofa Selo were crowned Premier winners after they beat Blue Ballerz 5-4 in the final. With the scores locked at 4-4, ex-pro Johnny Sulentic scored in the final few minutes to give his side the victory.
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Croatia Cup awards:
Masters Awards
Golden Glove
Steven Beekman
Golden Boot (tie)
Joseph Stancic (10 goals)
Tony Rukavina (10 goals)
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Finals MVP
Greg Uchida
Premier Awards
Golden Glove
Paul Cikes
Golden Boot (Tie)
Peter Sulentic (9 Goals)
Bruno Teixeira (9 Goals)
Finals MVP
Johnny Sulentic
There was also a junior division this season which was played at the end of the Croatia SC juniors season and was won by the Gladiators. Next season there are plans to also have a women’s division.
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The purpose of the Croatia Cup is to unite the Croatian and local community through soccer. Many of the players disperse to different teams and leagues in the winter and reunite for the tournament in the spring and summer.
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The seasons usually last for 10 to 12 games followed by the playoffs. Each division has its own cup and every winner‘s name is inscribed on it. Winning teams also earn prizes and/or money.
