A-League game of Tuesday June 20, 2000.
A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Hershey Wildcats played at Varsity Stadium at 7:30pm.
Toronto Lynx (white socks and shirts, black shorts and names and numbers, black slashes on right chest)
.........................................................22 Theo Zagar
..................15 Adrian Serioux...6 Milan Kojic...3 Mauricio Vincello
21 Laryea Adjetey...8 Brian Ashton (cpt)...10 Nebojsa Vignjevic...9 Nikola Vignjevic
..................20 Juan Arango...27 Francisco Dos Santos...11 Lloyd Barker
Subs:...1 Carmine Isacco (gk)...16 Aaron Benjamin (fwd)...18 Chris Pozniak (mid)...David Diplacido (mid/fwd)
head coach/general manager Peter Pinizzotto, equipment manager Carl Titus, goalkeeping coach Paulo Silva, medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth.
Hershey Wildcats (dark green socks and shirts, white shorts and numbers and names and shoulders)
..............................................24 Richard Sletvold
20 Kyle Swords...2 Chris Penny...5 Mike Williams...17 Chris Marinos
6 Timothy Leonard...7 Michael Henning...4 Mike Feniger...13 Ze Roberto
.................................19 Steven Klein...11 Jamel Mitchell
Subs:...1 Mike O'Conner (gk)...3 Raymond Goodlett (def)...8 Matthew Ford (mid)...10 Eric Kvello (fwd)...15 Cesideio Colassante (mid)
head coach Bob Lilley, assistant coaches Todd Wawrousek and Joe Longenecker.
Game Officials:...referee Steve Mortimer, referee's assistants Glenn Sharkey and ?????????, fourth official Joe Fletcher.
This is Union & Employee Night. The national anthems were sung by the 21 man Humber Express Barbershop Chorus.
1st Half:...game starts 7:47pm...Lynx defend south end of this mild overcast night.
2 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic cornerkick from left into box, cleared right, Lynx player crosses back into box but behind HW end line.
6 min...Lynx goalie calls Lynx Serioux off ball in box but HW Mitchell steps in between them and goalie has to make point blank save 5 yards out and then smother ball.
9 min...HW Henning from right crosses into box but ball comes directly out on left.
12 min...HW Mitchell chips 10 yard shot over goalie but wide left of net.
14 min...HW Swords cornerkick from right, HW Mitchell leaps for header on left but weakly wide from 3 yards.
15 min...HW Roberto injured on sliding tackle by Lynx Kojic at 20 yard left sideline.
17 min...HW YELLOW card...Swords for handball just to left of HW box as Lynx Barker racing by.
18 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 20 yard freekick blast just over bar.
19 min...Lynx Arango almost gets to 80 yard throughball but bumps with HW defender.
21 min...Lynx Serioux long throw-in from left, Lynx Kojic leaps up on right post and heads ball just over ball. HW Penny has to be treated on sideline for head injury.
22 min...HW Leonard chips weak 20 yard freekick wide of wall but easily cleared by Lynx defenders.
23 min...HW goalie drifts left to catch long freekick from right.
27 min...HW Klein gets cross from left but Lynx Kolic runs him out before he gets away shot.
28 min...HW Swords cornerkick from right is punched out by Lynx goalie.
31 min...HW Leonard freekick on left edge of box blocked by Lynx Ashton's head while standing in wall inside box.
34 min...Lynx Nebojsa Vignjevic good 10 yard pass up middle to Lynx Arango in box, point blank shot is blocked by HW goalie 10 yards out and Lynx Barker blasts rebound well over bar from 12 yards.
35 min...HW GOAL Klein...Lynx defender Serioux made a weak pass in backfield that was intercepted by Klein who walked in on left side and banks 15 yard shot in off right post beyond diving Lynx goalie.
38 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic cornerkick from right, Lynx Kojic leaps up and 15 yard header is just over bar.
39 min...HW Leonard skyball from 35 yards on right is caught by Lynx goalie.
40 min...Lynx Dos Santos taps pass he received in box to Lynx Nebojsa Vignjevic who gets point blank shot saved by goalie from 7 yards.
44 min...Lynx Ashton 40 yard shot rolls wide right of net.
45 min...HW Klein 12 yard through ball on extreme right is booted well over net.
45 min...half ends 8:32pm.
Halftime entertainment...besides the usual 'Kick For Cash' was a special Mascot Showdown soccer game.
the south side team of True Blue (U of T), Rock (Maple Lodge Farms chicken), Joe Beaver (Beaver Lumber) and Buddy the Lifeguard Dog (St Johns Ambulance ?) played the north side team of Pizza-Pizza Doughboy (a new thinner mascot looking a lot different than their old style Michelin Tire Man), the Raptor (Toronto Raptor NBA basketball team), TC Cow (what sponser?). The Lynxster was supposed to be an impartial referee. The game ended in a 2-2 tie. What chaos. The Lynxster hit players over the head with his oversized red and yellow cards. Cartoon music was playing in the background. Best player was the Raptor because although he was in a dinosaur costume, he had small feet so he could kick the ball better than the others.
2nd Half:...starts 8:49pm.
halftime sub...Lynx Benjamin replaces Adjetey.
47 min...HW Klein has break from left but Lynx Vincello checked kick that deflects off HW Klein over line for goal kick ball.
48 min...HW Roberto break on left, Lynx defender blocks cross attempt.
49 min...HW Leonard cross from right, HW Klein deflects ball just wide right of post from 7 yards.
50 min...Lynx goalie catches 20 yard chip shot that lobs over his defenders.
53 min...Lynx goalie fumbles while smothering ball on edge of box but defender clears before HW Klein can get to it.
54 min...Lynx Adjetey centers a give and go to Lynx Nebojsa Vignjevic whose 10 yard shot is wide right of net.
56 min...HW player steps around defender and cross from extreme right to left side where HW Klein header is caught by Lynx goalie on left post.
58 min...Lynx sub...Pozniak replaces Adjetey.
61 min...Lynx Pozniak steps around two HW defenders but from 15 yards passes left to no one instead of taking a clear shot on goal.
62 min...Lynx Barker rolls 20 yard shot just wide right of post.
63 min...HW sub...Colassante replaces Leonard who was injured in a collision in HW end.
65 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic 30 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie as Lynx forward can't flick header.
66 min...HW Henning on breakaway from 40 yards rolls 25 yard shot just wide right of post.
68 min...HW player escapes on right but cross is directly to Lynx goalie.
69 min...Lynx Nebojsa Vignjevic curls 30 yard shot that goalie catches on right side.
72 min...Lynx freekick, all but Lynx Ashton is box, the ball is cleared for a HW 2 on 1 break but a Lynx defender catches HW Feniger at center line.
72 min...Lynx Serioux is injured at center line.
74 min...HW goalie races out to catch through ball ahead of Lynx Dos Santos.
76 min...Lynx Nebojsa Vignjevic blasts rebound shot from 25 yards that HW goalie catches on right post but momentum almost knocks him over on line but he drops the ball then picks it up.
77 min...After Lynx get another good chance, HW Mitchell on breakaway on right but Lynx goalie makes sliding save on 18 yard low shot.
79 min...Lynx Ashton through pass to Lynx Benjamin whose low cross from 7 yards on right rolls untouched across box.
80 min...Lynx Dos Santos gets away bicycle kick from 12 yards with HW goalie out of net but ball just rolls wide right.
82 min...Lynx Vincello kicks low shot to sliding goalie from 15 yards.
84 min...Lynx Serioux takes long throw-in from right, Lynx Kojic 15 yard header that leaping HW goalie palms over goal.
86 min...HW sub...Kvello replaces Mitchell.
88 min...Lynx Nikola Vignjevic passes into box from 25 yards that's caught by charging HW goalie.
88 min...HW sub...Ford repalces Colassante.
89 min...HW Marinos injured at center when he and Lynx Barker jump for header.
92 min...HW Ford quick freekick to HW Roberto all alone on right and his shot is into right side of webbing.
93 min...Lynx Ashton escapes defender and shot from extreme angle on right is wide into side of net with two Lynx players waiting on left side of net for the tap-in.
93 min...game ends 9:39pm.
Final Score:.........Toronto Lynx........0.........Hershey Wildcats.........1........
Lynx started off too slow with them trying one too many passes or positioning for the perfect shot.
The second half they improved but the Wildcats could get good breaks on counterattacks and should have put away the game much sooner. The Lynx defence looked a little shakey getting by without injured Marco Reda and Lyndon Hooper.
Lynx backup goaltender Jim Larkin was sold to Montreal Impact for cash. New backup goaltender is Carmine Isacco who played last year for the Milwaukee Rampage but is a Toronto resident.
Attendance was unannounced but claimed as 1427 which looked like 400 were actually there. A
Tuesday night is a hard sell on a school night.
This was the first loss in the nine games this year for the Lynx. Quite a reversal from
1999.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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