[11 paragraphs harping on poor attendance and losing money and 1 paragraph lising the goal scorers. Maybe a better report next time?.........Rocket Robin].
May 30th, 2001.
Toronto
Star: Lynx Bitten by Wolves
by Winnipeg Fury
Lynx bitten by Wolves on a late free kick
2-1 loss comes
as team blows late-game lead
Carmen Di Gregorio
SPORTS
REPORTER
It will take much more than hundreds of thousands of dollars in
yearly operating losses and a sub-par start to the 2001 season to lower the
high-flying spirit that is Nicole Hartrell of the Toronto Lynx.
``All the
signs are there that we're going nowhere but up,'' chief operating officer
Hartrell said yesterday at Varsity Stadium as she watched her A-League soccer
team relinquish a late-game lead and lose 2-1 to the visiting Connecticut
Wolves.
Hartrell said the team lost $500,000 last year, and this year
from increased ticket sales and more sponsorship money, she expects up to
$400,000 in losses. But she's confident the franchise will one day flourish into
something special.
``We (she and husband Bruno, a chartered accountant
in Toronto) are hanging in because the signs are there that one day it's going
to really blossom,'' she said.
Bruno Hartrell invested in the team in
1997, the team's inaugural season, and after taking early retirement after 25
years of teaching, Nicole took over team operations in 1998.
``We think
that in a couple of years we will be at a break-even point,'' Nicole
said.
Some may call that prognosis wishful thinking, considering the team
averaged only 2,700 patrons per game in attendance last season. But she says
she's convinced that with events like yesterday's Student Day, which reportedly
saw 4,200 students attend, the franchise will succeed in the future.
She
said she believes average attendance will be upwards of 3,500 this year, and
will peak at 7,000 to 8,000 per game for July and August home games.
The
team says there were nearly 3,300 spectators at the May 19 1-0 home win over
Montreal, but just a meagre 2,000 at Sunday's 1-0 home loss to
Rochester.
``We're showcasing and developing Canadian talent at great
personal sacrifice, and we certainly don't want to see the dream of a pro club
in Toronto fail,'' she said.
Although Hartrell is oozing with optimism
about the team's future success, Lynx head coach Peter Pinizotto was a dejected
soul after yesterday's game.
With the game tied at one after second-half
goals by Lynx Kristian Grzetic in the 58th minute, and Connecticut's Fabio
Zuniga in the 79th minute, Temoc Suarez sealed the road win with a brilliant
goal in the 84th minute on a free kick.
.
.