Ryan Lucas broke the scoring the scoring drought just two minutes into the game, bungling in a loose ball for his first of the season. The Rhinos tied it up late in the first half when David Hayes converted a penalty shot after Jan Veenhof was whistled for a dubious foul in the penalty area.

The Lynx played a very inspired game under the early evening sun. They came out strong, as they did against Syracuse last Wednesday, but this time they were rewarded with an early goal and did not let up as the game progressed. Along with scoring his first goal of the season, Ryan Lucas was a tireless worker up front, especially after striking partner Sebastian Barclay was ejected for a second yellow card 29 minutes into the second half.

Toronto reverted back to a 3-5-2 formation which was successful during the second half of last season. Coach Peter Pinizzotto appears comfortable leaving Veenhof as the lone central defender, allowing Joe Mattachione to play as a roaming defensive midfielder just in front of him. The fact that Adrian Serioux was unavailable due to injury may have had something to do with the new formation. The back three of Veenhof, Mauricio Vincello and Josue Mayard effectively shut down the Rochester offence throughout the game.

The home team was rewarded for some aggressive play when a seemingly harmless free kick from midfield was flicked into the box from the far side by Vincello. A mad scramble ensued and Lucas finally pushed it over the line after having a two opportunities blocked by the Rhino defence. After the goal the Lynx continued to press the Rhinos in the Rochester defensive third and created a slew of turnovers and hurried clearances. The best chance for Toronto came when David DiPlacido dispossessed Lenin Steenkamp to set up Barclay for a shot on goal that Billy Andracki easily saved.

Rochester had their share of chances in the first half, the majority of which were created from crosses by their speedy wingers, Kirk Wilson and David Hayes. Wilson was handful for Nikki Vignjevic and Elvis Thomas, darting inside and out and finding his strikers with pinpoint passing. On the other side, Robbie Aristodemo did a lot of running as he was able to create offence for the Lynx as well as track all the way back to his own backline to help contain Hayes.

The penalty call that led to the goal came when Veenhof looked to have pulled down Fred Commodore with 8 minutes to play in the first half. Veenhof appeared to have his hand on Commodore's side as the Rochester player turned to face goal and went down rather easily. Referee J.F. Corrivault deemed it a foul and called for the penalty kick. David Hayes knocked it into the right corner as Theo Zagar dove left.

In the second half it appeared as though the Rhinos were going to be content with the tie. This is possibly due to the fact that Rochester is in the middle of a stretch that will see them play four games in eight days. The balls that in the first half were being worked down the wings for crosses were being cut out at midfield by the Lynx defence. At the same time, Lucas continued to press the Rhino defence, although he never did break free for a chance at his second goal. The Rhinos got the break they were looking for in the 74th minute when Lynx forward Sebastian Barclay needlessly bumped Rochester keeper Andracki while going up for a ball that was 15 yards over his head. Barclay received a deserved yellow card, and coupled with the one he received late in the first half for dissent, it meant that his match was over.

Having an extra man did not spur on the Rhinos to go for the win. Veenhof, Vincello and Tyler Hughes, who came on for an injured Mayard in the 72nd minute were excellent in defence. The 23-year-old Hughes, looked particularly impressive with his confident defending and accurate passing. It was the Lynx that in fact picked up their game, continually sending balls up to Lucas to run at the Rochester defence. Unfortunately for the Lynx, they were not able to send the numbers up field to sustain an attack.

The teams played 20 minutes of overtime but were unable to decide the match. Ali Ngon replaced Lucas up front and continued in vain Lucas' attempt to take on the back three of Rochester all by himself. The only really good chance of overtime came when DiPlacido sent a perfectly weighted through ball to Aristodemo down the right side. Aristodemo decided to pass when a shot seemed to be available and had it intercepted just before Ngon could get to it.

The Lynx could have and should have come away with three points on the night. A lack of discipline was a factor. Joe Mattachione joined Barclay in the referee's book for dissent, and Ali Ngon received a yellow card for diving in the box in overtime in an attempt to win a penalty. The referee did not do them any favours, but the treatment he got from the Lynx players and their bench meant he probably didn't lose much sleep over his decisions.

Lynx Notes: Adrian Serioux was a late scratch due to injury... A disappointing crowd of only 1,594 showed up on what was a perfect evening for soccer... The first half goal by Ryan Lucas ended a 272 minute goalless streak for the Lynx... Lucas became the second striker in as many games to be voted 'Hardest Working Man of the Match' by the media... This was a big week for Lynx birthdays - Serioux's was May 12th, rookie Sam Borgh's was the 16th, David DiPlacido turned 26 on the 18th, while Robbie Aristodemo turns 26 today (20th)... The Lynx are now tied for fourth (last) with the Montreal Impact in the Northeastern division. The Impact have two games in hand... The Lynx head to Virginia Beach for a game against the Mariners on May 26th... Toronto's next home game is against the Impact on Sunday, June 8 at 4:00pm. Call (416) 251-4625 or visit for tickets.

Lynx Player Ratings (Out of 10)

GK Theo Zagar [8] - Zagar was solid in goal for the Lynx. He controlled the penalty area for Toronto and had no chance on the PK goal by Hayes.

DF Mauricio Vincello [7] - Vincello was solid defensively as part of the three man backfield that contained the Rochester attack for the entire game.

DF Jan Veenhof [8] - The stellar play of Jan Veenhof has allowed Pinizzotto to go with only three in the back. Veenhof always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to break up Rochester attacks before they got started. His only blemish was being victimized for the penalty that led to the Rochester goal.

DF Josue Mayard [7] - Mayard continues to get stronger and played a mistake-free game in the back for the Lynx. For the second straight home game he had to be substituted due to injury.

MF Joe Mattachione [6] - Mattachione had a slightly more defensive role this game as there were only three defenders behind him rather than the usual four. His free kicks led directly to the Toronto goal and to some half-chances that the Lynx were unable to convert. His mouth got him into trouble as he was booked for dissent midway through the first half.

MF Nikki Vignjevic [6] - Vignjevic showed that there may be some good soccer left in his 32-year-old body as he played a useful 103 minutes in the Lynx midfield. He did not create many offensive chances, but he was not a defensive liability and was one of the few midfielders to venture up field to support the lone striker after the Lynx were reduced to 10 men.

MF Robbie Aristodemo [8] - Aristodemo had another strong game on the wing. He played the entire length of the pitch, getting forward to create chances as well as tracking back to support Mayard and Hughes in the back. He had a chance to be the hero when DiPlacido sent him into the box in overtime, but he was unable to get a decent pass away from a sharp angle.

MF David DiPlacido [8] - DiPlacido started and played his strongest home game thus far in 2003. He set up multiple offensive breaks with nicely weighted passes and created defensive zone turnovers by the Rhinos with good pressure. He made a great pass to set up Aristodemo in the second overtime period.

MF Elvis Thomas [5] - Thomas had a quiet game offensively, as he spent most of his time tracking back to defend against Rhino winger Kirk Wilson. He came off injured after 40 minutes.

F Sebastian Barclay [4] - Barclay struggled to maintain his composure in this match. It became apparent early on that he wasn't going to put up with the tight marking that has been commonplace against him in his brief A-League career. He did not contribute much to the offence and his night was over early after two immature actions resulting in yellow cards.

F Ryan Lucas [8] - Ryan Lucas played a strong game and was rewarded with his first goal of the season and the award for 'Hardest Working Man-of-the-Match'. Lucas was much more comfortable in his target man role, even after the Lynx were reduced to 10 men and he was all alone for much of the second half. Hopefully he will regain some of his explosiveness to help him get around that last defender and show off his finishing ability.

Substitutes:

MF Brian Ashton [7] - Ashton came on in the 40th minute, replacing the injured Elvis Thomas. He was able to create a number of quick counter-attacks after Rochester turnovers and was relentless in pressuring the Rhino defence throughout the game.

D Tyler Hughes [8] - Hughes played 38 minutes after coming on for Mayard in the 72nd minute. The early indication is that the Lynx may have found another gem in the 23-year-old from British Columbia. He was never really threatened in the back where he showed confident aggression. But his real value may be offensively, where he consistently sent 30 and 40 yard passes right to the Lynx forwards, or in places where they could run on to them. This is a skill not yet mastered by the rest of the Toronto defensive corps.

F Ali Ngon [6] - Ngon replaced an exhausted Ryan Lucas at the end of regulation time and played the entire overtime as the lone striker. He was able to maintain possession on long balls and make a few probing runs, but could not shake the marking of Rochester's Craig Demmin to create any real chances.

D Nick Blicharski [NR] - Nick Blicharski played 7 minutes, coming on for Nikki Vignjevic in the second overtime period.

Coaching:

Peter Pinizzotto [7] - Pinizzotto brought back the 3-5-2 formation that saw some success in 2002. Peter's faith in Nikki Vignjevic seems vindicated for the time being and the midfielder played a decent game. With Shawn Faria out injured, the depth at midfield is a little thin and Pinizzotto may be wise to give Blicharksi more than 6-7 minutes a game in case he needs to rely on him in the future. Team discipline with regards to the officials needs to be addressed before it becomes out of control. Pinizzotto changed his starting striking combination for the third consecutive game. The Lynx need to develop some consistency up front to break out of their scoring slump.