|
 The two teams with the most Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League titles over the past 40 years will meet for this season's championship.
Top-seeded Croatian Eagles and No. 3 seed Bavarian SC each posted 2-1 victories in semifinal matches Sunday afternoon, setting the stage for next Sunday's final at Croatian Park.
Croatians (17-2-3 overall) won both regular-season meetings between the teams, 6-0 back on Sept. 26 and 1-0 on July 10. However, last week's match is only loss in the past eight games for the Bavarians (11-4-4).
The Eagles are looking to become the first back-to-back Major champions since they did so in 2002 and '03, and have won five league titles – including a 1-0 victory over Bavarians in the 2005 final.
They fell behind the fourth-seeded Milwaukee Kickers (11-7-1) in their semifinal, as UW-Whitewater's Trevor Swentik (Delafield/Milwaukee Marquette) struck in the 44th minute.
But Mike Narcisio equalized in the 60th and Ilya Ksenidi (West Allis Halle/UW-Green Bay) scored in the 80th as Croatians advanced to the final for the ninth time in the past 14 years.
Bavarian SC has won 15 Majors titles in 22 finals appearances since 1973 and earned another shot at the trophy by getting past second-seeded Milwaukee Sport Club (11-5-3) in the semifinals.
Chad Dombrowski (West Allis Hale/UW-Milwaukee) put the visiting Bavarians ahead in the 25th minute, assisted by his brother Neil, but Sport Club tied it up in the 55th. T.C. Ward (Kettle Moraine/Marquette) netted the winner in the 78th, finishing off a pass from 40-year-old John Luna.
|
