A-League game of Thursday June 1st, 2000.
A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Connecticut Wolves played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto at 12:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (white socks, black shorts, names, and numbers, white shirts with black slashes on left side of chest)
.............................................1 Theo Zagar
.....................2 Marco Reda (cpt)...6 Milan Kojic...3 Mauricio Vincello
10 Nebojsa Vignjevic...7 Lyndon Hooper...8 Brian Ashton...9 Nikki Vignjevic...19 David Diplacido
.....................................11 Lloyd Barker...27 Francisco Dos Santos
Subs:...1 Jim Larkin (gk)...14 Edgar Bartolomeu (def)...15 Adrian Serioux (def)...16 Aaron Benjamin (fwd)...21 Laryea Adjetey (mid)...20 Juan Arango (fwd)
head coach/general manager Peter Pinizzotto, equipment manager Carl Titus, goalkeeping coach Paulo Silva, medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth.
Connecticut Wolves (black socks, blue shorts and shirts, white names and numbers, red square 'Coca-Cola' ad on chest)
..........................................0 Matt Chavlovich
18 Alejandro Rincon...6 Pedro Oliveira...5 Gary Crompton...4 Sean Nealis
16 Kevin Wilson...8 Fernando Fernandes...7 Gustavo Villagra...17 Brendan Sullivan
...........................10 Erik Barbieri...22 Mike Saunders
Subs:...00 Julius Pertillar (gk)...19 Geoff Wheeler (def)...12 Sean Duzant (def)...20 Arnaldo Macedo (mid)...11 Dan Rudolph (fwd)
head coach Dan Gaspar.
Game officials:...referee Manuel Orellana, referee's assistants Neil Scholfield and Angelo Gertsakis, fourth official Evan DeJesus.
today was Millennium School Day. The national anthems were song by two school choirs, one song each.
1st Half:...game starts 12:12pm...Lynx defend north end on this warm overcast day.
2 min...Lynx goalie picks up deflection in box when Lynx Reda boots ball off sliding CW Sullivan.
5 min...CW Wilson dekes defender on left but crosses right over box.
7 min...CW goalie catches corner kick by Lynx Nikki Vignjevic from left.
8 min...Lynx goalie punches CW Rincon corner kick from left safely across box.
12 min...Lynx Dos Santos turns and cuts 18 yard roller directly to goalie.
15 min...Lynx GOAL Barker...Barker scores on rebound shot from 12 yards that Dos Santos had just drilled from 18 yards off sliding goalie. This was the end of a 90 yard run started after Ashton in two man wall had headed away a freekick by CW Sullivan and Lynx Nikki Vignjevic ran 50 yards downfield before pass to Dos Santos.
16 min...CW Saunders 12 yard blast in traffic stopped on right by goalie.
18 min...CW YELLOW card...Saunders at Lynx 35 yard line.
19 min...CW Crompton heads back to goalie to prevent Lynx Dos Santos from break-in.
22 min...Lynx Nikki Vignjevic short pass from left of box, Lynx Ashton blasts 15 yard shot well over net.
28 min...CW Fernandes injured just outside right of Lynx box draws freekick.
29 min...CW Rincon from edge of box across box but forwards ruled offside.
31 min...CW Rincon long cross from right, CW Saunders heads up on left side but goalie catches ball.
32 min...CW Sullivan 25 yard shot on right is wide right.
34 min...Lynx Dos Santos drops off pass for Lynx Diplacido to blast low 20 yard shot that sprawling goalie saves.
36 min...Lynx Nikki Vignjevic rolls 20 yard shot well wide left.
40 min...CW Sullivan shoots 30 yard shot wide left after getting to partially cleared corner kick.
41 min...CW goalie rushes out to scoop up through ball ahead of Lynx Dos Santos.
45 min...CW Rincon long cross from right, CW Fernandes near left post heads shot wide left while defender rides him out.
46 min...half ends.
Halftime Entertainment:...Five kids have a penalty shootout with the Lynxster in net. The two English boys Stephen Carter and Stephen Ingram had to be declared co-winners after five shots each. The Canadians had bowed out earlier in this 3 shot contest. Sure the Lynxster didn't make much effort dressed in that bulky costume but these boys were picking corners like they were pros.
2nd half:...starts 1:16pm.
halftime Lynx sub:...Serioux replaces Nebojsa Vignjevic.
50 min...Lynx GOAL Nikola Vignjevic...Vignjevic receives high cross from Serioux, ball is headed down by forward giving Vignjevic enough time to blast 10 yard shot to left side of net.
53 min...CW defender kicks 15 yard shot just 1 yard wide of left post of his own net so Lynx Dos Santos can't get shot at it.
54 min...CW Rincon freekick into Lynx box is headed out by defenders.
56 min...Lynx Dos Santos 12 yard shot off CW Crompton rolls to goalie.
57 min...CW sub...Macedo replaces Sullivan.
59 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Kojic for hip check on CW Wilson racing by him just outside box.
60 min...Lynx Serioux ends break out rush on freekick by lobbing 25 yard well off target.
63 min...CW sub...Wheeler replaces Nealis.
................Lynx sub...Benjamin replaces Diplacido.
63 min...CW forward completely misses bouncing ball lining up blast in Lynx box.
64 min...CW Wheeler kicks ball over own bar preventing Lynx Nikki Vignjevic cross from left.
66 min...Lynx Serioux 30 yard blast from left is wide right of net.
67 min...Lynx GOAL Ashton...Ashton on 25 yard lob over CW goalie frozen halfway out of box who retreats too late, Assist awarded to Serioux who sprung Ashton on left with 30 yard pass.
69 min...Lynx Barker crosses from right but too far for open Lynx Dos Santos all alone in box.
70 min...CW sub...Rudolph replaces Saunders.
71 min...CW goalie gets to through ball just ahead of Lynx Dos Santos to make clearance kick.
73 min...Lynx GOAL Benjamin...Benjamin rolls ball from 12 yards to right corner of goal. Serioux had made good pass to set up play. (Lynx Dos Santos pounded ball into net but it was ruled ball was already in).
75 min...Lynx sub...Adjetey replaces Nikki Vignjevic.
................CW sub...Duzant replaces Crompton.
76 min...Lynx Ashton runs in and 25 yard shot is high right of CW goal.
77 min...CW Rudolph 10 yard header well wide left after receiving cross from right.
78 min...Wolves GOAL Barbieri...Barbieri from 10 yards as three defenders following him and he beat
Lynx goalie who stayed on his line. (thanks to reporter Neil Davidson for these comments as I missed it).
82 min...Lynx Dos Santos ridden off play in box but still nudges ball by goalie but CW defender clears.
83 min...Lynx Ashton pass in box to Lynx Dos Santos for open net but he boots under ball missing open net from 5 yards.
84 min...CW Fernandes injured in Lynx box requiring trainer.
87 min...Lynx Barker 7 yard sliding shot just rolls wide right, play was set up by Lynx Serioux running throw-in from left at least 35 yards across field.
91 min...Lynx Serioux hurt near sideline.
92 min...CW goalie runs out to save Lynx Ashton 30 yard cross from left into box.
92 min...game ends 2:03pm.
Final Score:...........Toronto Lynx..........4.........Connecticut Wolves..............1......
Lynx get four points for the win and one extra point for scoring three goals for the first time this season. Wolves are winless in their 10 games this year. Best move was putting today's program insert photo boy Adrian Serioux into the game. Wow, what energy. He set up at least two other gimme goals that the Lynx couldn't connect with.
Attendance was announced as 6012, an alltime record for a home game with the Lynx. It was 12:00 noon! This crowd was packed with schoolkids. Let's have no complaints about a padded attendance. After the game I walked over to Yonge St to shop for CDs and on the train home, it was filled with schoolkids coming home from the Blue Jays game! No one will complain about their hardcore 17000 fans. Biggest cheers from the screaming kids was the intro for Brian Ashton who is the player who most looks like Lance Bass (blond guy in N Sync). Also the kids are impressed by the high long ball as adults can kick the ball 60 yards easily.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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