A-League game of Sunday June 4th, 2000.
A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Pittsburgh Riverhounds played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto at 7:30pm.
Toronto Lynx (white socks and numbers and names, black shorts and shirts, yellow & gray chevron stripes on shoulders and side of shorts)
.................................................22 Theo Zagar
2 Marco Reda (cpt)...6 Milan Kojic...3 Mauricio Vincello...15 Adrian Serioux
11 Lloyd Barker...7 Lyndon Hooper...9 Nikola Vignjevic...8 Brian Ashton
................................27 Francisco Dos Santos...20 Juan Arango
Subs:...1 Jim Larkin (gk)...19 David Diplacido (mid)...10 Nebojsa Vignjevic (mid)...14 Edgar Bartolomeu (mid)...16 Aaron Benjamin (fwd)...21 Laryea Adjetey (mid)
head coach/general manager Peter Pinizzotto, equipment manager Carl Titus, goalkeeping coach Paulo Silva, medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (all white, black trim, numbers and names)
......................................................0 Randy Dedini
23 Nick Terlecky...18 Tenywa Bonseu...26 David Wright...5 Bobby Meyer
.........................4 Gary DePalma...7 Jair Vasquez...14 Edward Child
........................9 Adam Fedoruk...13 David Flavius...8 Mike Butler
Subs:...10 Michael Apple (fwd)...17 Ezzy Ihekoronye (def)...22 Doug Petras (gk)...15 Goran Vasic (mid)...20 Jaman Tripoli (mid)
head coach John Kowalski.
Game Officials:...referee Neil Schofield, referee's assistants Steve Cahoon and Gustavo Calzato, fourth official Michael Lambert.
Tonight was Family Night. The national anthems were sung by the 26 member Etobicoke Centennial Choir all wearing green shirts. Giselle from TVO Kids Television takes the ceremonial first kick.
1st Half:...start 7:44pm...Lynx defend north goal on this sunny mild evening.
2 min...Lynx Barker cross from right corner curves over net.
4 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic corner from right is headed away by defender in box.
5 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic hangs on to ball too long and stripped on edge of PR box.
6 min...PR Terlecky cross from right corner caught by goalie.
8 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic races through middle and short pass tipped high for leaping goalie.
12 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic gets freekick tapped to him and he shoots 25 yard kick into wall, ball pops up and is cleared.
14 min...Lynx goalie scoops up PR Butler cross left.
15 min...Lynx Barker turns and midair shot from 18 yards is well over net.
16 min...Lynx Dos Santos receives cross from left but 7 yarder from right is well over net.
17 min...Lynx Dos Santos GOAL...Dos Santos receives pass up middle from 35 yards from Lynx Nikola Vignjevic and his 10 yard shot goes into right side of net.
19 min...PR DePalma pops 18 yard shot well over net after Lynx Nikola Vignjevic heads away corner kick from right.
21 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic blasts dropped back pass from 20 yards well over net.
23 min...PR YELLOW card...DePalma for knocking down Lynx Serioux at center line.
24 min...Lynx Arango with back to defender pops ball up and bicycle kicks from 12 yards just wide right of goal after receiving freekick.
25 min...PR Vasquez blasts 25 yard freekick from left into two man wall.
26 min...PR Child cross from left is caught by Lynx goalie.
28 min...Lynx goalie catches PR Vasquez corner kick from right.
30 min...PR Wright cross from left is caught by goalie.
32 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 45 yard freekick on right is headed back and Lynx Serioux lobs shot from 15 yards caught by leaping goalie off line.
33 min...Lynx Reda is injured on edge of Lynx box on play that Lynx Vincello slides to poke ball away from PR player. Reda leaves field with head tilted back (maybe a nose bleed).
35 min...Lynx Reda back into game.
38 min...PR DePalma ends good PR offensive pressure by lobbing 25 yard shot well wide right of net.
39 min...PR Butler has last poke to get ball away from Lynx Arango resulting in goal kick.
40 min...Lynx corner kick from left, sails over PR goalie and defender, Lynx Kojic 'hips' ball in from 1 yard but ref blows play down for pushing in the box.
42 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic cross from right, goalie catches ball on left post.
44 min...PR Fedoruk cross from left into box, headed away by Lynx defender.
45 min...PR YELLOW card...Wright for pushing down Lynx player after whistle. The Lynx player had knocked down a
PR player and PR were awarded a freekick.
46 min...half ends 8:30pm.
Halftime entertainment was the 'Instant Replay' Fly Ball team from Hamilton Ontario. They are a variety of eight dogs and their owners. The dogs run through a set of hurdles in a relay race to grab a tennis ball off a velcro board. They announced some places where they've played including the New York Knicks basketball game. They were invited back from last year so my jaw didn't drop so far this time.
2nd Half:...starts 8:46pm...the weather is suddenly a lot cooler and windier.
47 min...Lynx Serioux twists knee well behind play.
48 min...Lynx goalie makes behind the back catch on bouncing cross.
48 min...PR DePalma rolls shot from right through defender directly to Lynx goalie covering post.
50 min...PR Vasquez on cornerkick from left has PR Bonseu head ball over net.
53 min...Lynx Ashton pass to Lynx Dos Santos who one touches 20 yard shot from right off cross bar.
55 min...Lynx goalie catches low cross from left.
56 min...Lynx Arango boots 25 yard freekick over wall and over bar.
58 min...Lynx goalie slides along left line to stop point blank shot from PR Flavius along line.
61 min...Lynx Arango pushes ball too far for Lynx Dos Santos in box for goalie to grab.
62 min...Lynx Ashton GOAL...Ashton charges in for shot from 10 yards into top of net after Lynx Barker rolls cross from right that rolls behind Lynx Dos Santos.
63 min...PR Vasquez 20 yard shot over net.
66 min...Lynx goalie picks up looped pass forward into box.
67 min...Lynx goalie palms PR Vasquez cornerkick from right over bar.
69 min...PR Butler heads from right across box after receiving cross from left.
70 min...Lynx goalie sprawls to stop PR Flavius 15 yard shot from left.
70 min...PR Vasquez blasts low shot wide left after receiving drop back pass.
71 min...PR sub...Vasic replaces Vasquez.
72 min...Lynx goalie charges out to punch out ball in box.
73 min...Lynx sub...Adjetey replaces Ashton.
74 min...PR sub...Apple replaces Flavius.
75 min...Lynx Serioux long throw-in from left, Lynx Arango taps mid air ball from right post directly to goalie.
77 min...PR Fedoruk long cross from right, Lynx defender ends up heading behind line.
78 min...Lynx goalie punches out cross.
79 min...Lynx goalie catches PR Fedoruk cross into box from right.
79 min...Lynx sub...Benjamin replaces Arango.
80 min...PR DePalma crosses from right, two PR players miss headers.
81 min...PR Butler 20 yard shot through crowd inside box is wide right.
82 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic cornerkick from left is headed out.
83 min...Lynx Adjetey is injured on right side. Both teams jostle on sideline.
83 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Barker for complaining about incident after play moved upfield.
84 min...PR player gets shot from 10 yards in crowd tipped wide right for corner.
85 min...Lynx goalie drifts to right to make over the shoulder catch ahead of PR Child.
86 min...PR sub...'Ezzy' replaces Butler. (obviously the name Ihekoronye on his uniform would have stretched right to his elbow. :)
87 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic freekick from 30 yards into box on right side but eventually cleared.
87 min...Lynx defenders clear cornerkick from right harmlessly outside to left of field.
88 min...Lynx goalie catches 25 yard shot by PR DePalma (?).
92 min...Lynx Hooper heads away PR DePalma cornerkick from right.
94 min...Lynx goalie picks up shot back into box from left.
94 min...game ends 9:34pm.
Final Score:........Toronto Lynx............2.............Pittsburgh Riverhounds...........0.......
Attendance was not announced (later forwarded to the league as 1620) but I'd say it was less than 1000. The night started mild but got cold by the end of the game. How many people were staying home watching a tape delayed World Cup qualifier between Canada and Cuba?
Pittsburgh is a good team and the Lynx are undefeated. Lynx goalie Theo Zagar had to be good to catch all the crosses sent into the box as Riverhounds pressured in the second half.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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