Winnipeg B FC picked a heck of a time to record their first draw of the Manitoba Major Soccer League Division 2 season.
Stonewall’s CSSE Juventus faced the last-place Winnipeg squad in their regular-season finale last Thursday, with hopes of moving into a playoff spot. Juventus sat two points back of the sixth and final playoff position heading into the match at Shaughnessy Park Field.
Coming in as the heavy favourite, Juventus generated numerous scoring chances against the winless Winnipeg club. Danila Shakhov scored his league-leading 19th goal of the season for Juventus and nearly had another if not for the goalpost.
Winnipeg, however, matched Juventus’ scoring output to keep the game tied 1-1.
Juventus’ playoff hopes came down to the final minutes, but with the game still even, they were unable to find another goal and saw their season end in a 1-1 draw.
“We had lots of other chances but just couldn’t put them away,” said Shakhov, who finished the season as the division’s top scorer.
With the draw, Juventus closed out the campaign with a 6-9-3 record, finishing one point out of a playoff spot. They placed seventh overall, while the top six clubs advanced to the MMSL Division 2 playoffs, which begin Monday, Sept. 22 at Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex.
