Result of the A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Montreal Impact played Sunday June 8, 2003 at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke.at 4:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (all white, black names and numbers, yellow trim)
................................22 Theo Zagar (cpt)
............16 Josue Mayard...2 Jan Veenhof...3 Maricio Vincello
20 Elvis Thomas...9 David DiPlacido...8 Brian Ashton...4 Joe Mattacchione...14 Tyler Hughes
..........................11 Sebastian Barclay...18 Ryan Lucas
Subs:...1 James Kryger (gk)...5 Shawn Faria (mid)...6 Nikki Vignjevic (mid)...10 Robbie Aristodemo (mid)...15 Adrian Serioux (def)...17 Nick Blicharski (mid)...19 Ali Ngon (fwd)
team officials:...head coach/GM Peter Pinizzotto...assistant coach Alberto Furtado...Goalkeeping coach Paulo Silva...medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth.
Montreal Impact (all navy, white names and numbers)
.....................................1 Greg Sutton
.............7 Drew Kopp...8 Gabriel Gervais...5 Nevio Pizzolitto
20 Mauro Biello...10 Ze Roberto...4 Nick DeSantis...21 Martin Nash...24 Abraham Francois
..........................12 Eduardo Sebrango...6 Mark Rowland
Subs:...22 Michael Ueltshchey (gk)...3 Jason DiTullio (def)...14 Sita-Taly Matondo (mid)...15 Patrick Leduc (mid)...17 Chris Williams (mid)...18 Chris Lemire (mid)...19 David Fronimadis (def)
team officials:...head coach Bob Lilley...assistant coaches Nick DeSantis and Mike Toshack, manager Mike Moretto
Game officials:...referee Jose Farias...referee's assistants Michael Lambert and Joe Fletcher, fourth official Frank Marciello (yellow shirts, black socks and shorts)
Tonight was Girl Power Day and Lynx officials presented gifts to Toronto Inferno players Melanie Booth, Holly Lincoln, Anne Ogundele and Tina Blaskovic. Blaskovic took the ceremonial kickoff and from my angle looked like she nutmegged the Lynxster. Hey a team that can score goals! O Canada was sung today by 17 members of the Centennial Choir.
1st Half:...game starts 4:14pm...Lynx defend south end on this warm day...The scoreboard did not work so all times are converted from my wristwatch.
2 min...Lynx Hughes 40 yard freekick from left drifts just wide of left post.
3 min...Lynx Hughes 30 yard cross from left is headed behind line by defender conceding cornerkick.
4 min...Lynx Hughes cornerkick from right is headed down by Lynx player. Lynx Barclay while fallen down in box can't connect by spinning body to kick ball.
8 min...Lynx goalie beats Imp Sebrango to high through ball sent in from 25 yards.
12 min...Imp goalie races out 30 yards to kick away through ball.
14 min...Lynx defender in box leaps and heads away Imp Nash's 35 yard freekick from right.
14 min...Imp Rowland 25 yard cross from left is caught by goalie.
15 min...Imp Nash freekick from right near cornerflag is caught by leaping goalie, fast break kick to Lynx Barclay and defender heads back to Imp goalie.
18 min...Imp Francois races down left wing and cross to center caught by goalie.
20 min...Lynx Vincello freekick from 50 yards on left, ball is popped up on header from 30 yards and charging goalie catches it.
21 min...Imp Nash 30 yard freekick from left is blocked in wall.
22 min...Lynx Hughes 40 yard shot into box from left, Lynx Lucas steps forward but can't connect with header.
23 min...Lynx Lucas gets breakaway on high pass and chips over charging goalie, Imp Gervais gets back to kick ball out, Lynx Lucas gets ball back but ruled to have dived when checked in box.
26 min...Imp goalie charges to edge of box to head away ball.
27 min...Imp Pizzolitto clears away Lynx Lucas cross from left after rush.
28 min...Lynx Thomas cornerkick from left, is over players in box and bounces for goalkick.
33 min...Imp Nash pushes ball through to Imp Biello who is alone in box and runs around goalie on right but rushes 7 yard shot over net!
36 min...Lynx goalie clears ball low but blocked by Imp player who passes ahead to Imp Rowland who was offside on edge of box. Imp blow a 2 on 0 break!
37 min...Imp Nash freekick from 40 yards on left, Imp player missed header on edge of box and ball is cleared.
38 min...Lynx Ashton wins freekick on left edge of box after some good footwork.
39 min...Lynx Hughes freekick that Imp defender heads away. Lynx Mattacchione blasts 25 yard rebound well over net.
40 min...Lynx Ashton wins ball and chips 35 yard shot that hits bar and ball ruled out although Lynx player heads ball into open net from 7 yards over fallen goalie.
41 min...Imp Sebrango injured on sideline in Lynx end.
42 min...Imp DeSantis chips shot from 25 yards over players but bounces to goalie.
43 min...Imp Ashton great effort in Imp box winning ball and beating defenders to pass off and Imp player concedes cornerkick.
45 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Ashton for incident before Imp freekick from 40 yards in Lynx end.
46 min...half ends 5:00pm.
Halftime...There's an Oakville U-11 Boys mini-game, the Lynx dance team entertains, some contestant can't hit the mini-net from the penalty spot, and the Inferno goalie steps aside when a girl fan sends a penalty shot right at her.
2nd Half:...starts 5:19pm.
48 min...Lynx Vincello chips 45 yard ball into box and Imp goalie leaps over Lynx Barclay to catch it.
51 min...Imp Gervais kicks ball away from Lynx Thomas at last second to avoid 7 yard shot.
53 min...Imp Nash long throw-in from left is cleared away by defence in box.
55 min...Lynx Hughes 50 yard freekick from left is into box for sliding Lynx Mayard to miss controlling it and Imp goalie picks up ball.
57 min...Imp Rowland gets ball on right and rushes 25 yard shot well over net.
59 min...Lynx DiPlacido cross from near right corner caught by goalie.
61 min...Imp defender manages to trip up two Lynx goalie when Lynx Barclay threads through ball into box. No call is made by referee.
62 min...Lynx Vincello 20 yard blast tipped by defender.
64 min...Referee waves off offside flag after Imp Roberto gives up on ball and Lynx Thomas races in on right and cross makes its way to Lynx Lucas on left and goalie makes save from 5 yards.
65 min...Furious in Imp box action results in freekick on Imp edge of box.
67 min...Lynx sub...Serioux replaces Thomas.
............Imp sub...DiTullio replaces DeSantis.
67 min...Lynx DiPlacido crossfield pass but Imp Rowland intercepts ball and runs in on Lynx goal leading 3 on 1.
68 min...Imp Nash cornerkick from right, Lynx goalie bobbles then turns around and catches ball.
69 min...Imp goalie dives to left edge of box to beat Lynx Barclay to ball.
70 min...Imp Sebrango tips long pass by popping ball up from 15 yards over net.
71 min...Lynx sub...Vignjevic replaces Ashton.
............Imp sub...Matondo replaces Rowland.
72 min...Lynx Barclay 8 yard header on left caught by goalie guarding post.
72 min...Lynx sub...Ngon replaces Lucas.
73 min...Imp Nash sends charging Imp Sebrango in on rush but Lynx Vignjevic injured rushing shot when Imp Sebrango gets up for rebound but goalie grabs it.
77 min...Imp goalie catches ball on cross in-box scramble in box includes Imp Francois swatting ball away with hand to prevent Lynx Barclay recovering it.
78 min...Imp goalie catches high bouncer in front of Lynx Barclay charging in.
79 min...Imp goalie leaps on edge of box to catch ball before Lynx Barclay can head it.
81 min...Imp sub...Fronimadis replaces Kopp.
82 min...Lynx Mayard sends ball into box and Lynx Ngon overruns header, Imp defender heads ball back and wide of net across goalmouth.
84 min...Imp Nash cornerkick from right, leaping Imp Sebrango nods 12 yard header over net.
85 min...Lynx Serioux long throw-in from right, Lynx Barclay heads 5 yarder on top of crossbar near left post.
87 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Vincello for interference.
88 min...Lynx Ali Ngon GOAL...Imp Nash 40 yard freekick blocked by Lynx wall. Lynx Barclay sends in Ngon in on 45 yard line of Imp. Ngon holds off two defenders chasing him and from 20 yards finds bottom right corner of net beyond goalie sliding out at 10 yards.
90 min...Imp Biello on left charges in and 8 yard shot caught by sprawling Lynx goalie.
91 min...Lynx sub...Blicharski replaces Veenhof injured on last play who needs to be helped to limp behind Lynx net.
92 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Vignjevic for something before Lynx freekick in Imp end.
94 min...game ends 6:08pm.
Final Score:........Toronto Lynx.....1.........Montreal Impact.........0...........
Attendance was not announced but reported later as 1638 on this warm sunny day. I was impressed with Tyler Hughes taking many of the Lynx dead-ball kicks. He seems to look like a veteran with Robbie Aristodemo not playing in today's game. The Lynx outshot the Impact 10 to 4 and looked; much better than the first time they played them here in the home opener last month. Brian Ashton had a good game showing a lot of hustle.
The press box was dominated by the Rogers television crew and Montreal media. I was joking before the game with the Inferno coach that with the Lynx scoring drought, one of the Inferno players should step up that could put the ball in the net and generate the kind of Annika Sorenstorm-plays-men's-golf that the local Toronto press headlines has gone overboard. Looks like the Toronto media coverage has faded earlier than other seasons. I caught the goal on the Montreal channel sports news now that I'm getting better at identifying stations on the StarChoice dial. Who'd have thought it would be the Rogers community channel I'd missed most of all by going to satellite?
The Lynx needed this win to stay at least with a chance for a playoff run. They had a lot more chances than the Impact but that doesn't mean they'd win but the per centages of chances were more than any home game this season. Another season starts off badly and they're looking at 'must win' games early as only the first two teams from their division make the playoffs. They still need more than one goal a game but won't lose points in the standings to teams that used to earn bonus points by scoring three goals in a game.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
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