Friday, June 15, 2001
Lynx lose heartbreaker to
Montreal
By JOHN F. MOLINARO -- SLAM! Sports
MONTREAL - It may
sound like a broken record, but it bears repeating: the Toronto Lynx simply
can't score.
Mired in a horrendous scoring drought, the Lynx managed to
play another 90 minutes of soccer without scoring a goal, dropping a 1-0
decision to Northern Conference rivals Montreal Impact in A-League Soccer action
this evening at Claude-Robillard Stadium in Montreal.
Impact striker
George Papandreou stuck a dagger in the hearts of the Lynx when he potted a goal
in the 88th minute to give Montreal a well-deserved win.
The wily
veteran scooped up a rebound after Toronto goalkeeper Theo Zagar could not
handle a blistering shot from Montreal rookie Rocco Placentino, giving up a big
rebound to Papandreou who drove the ball home into the back of the net.
Papandreou has now scored three game winning goals in as many games at home.
After taking the long train ride into Quebec, the Lynx were greeted by a
Montreal side that played the role of rude hosts, outshooting Toronto 10-6 and
totally dictating the pace of the game.
The climate, a hot and humid 32
degrees Celcius, seemed to have a lasting effect on the Lynx. Toronto looked
sluggish for the entire 90 minutes as Montreal continually took it to them and
neutralized Toronto's midfielders. Toronto strikers Kristian Grzetic and David
Di Placido proved to be totally ineffective, unable to make any kind of lasting
impression on the game.
By far the best player on the pitch for Toronto
was Zagar who robbed Montreal's Niall Thompson on two scoring chances, keeping
the Lynx in the game. Montreal backstop Greg Sutton, in his first game of the
season, turned back nine shots to earn the shutout, Montreal's second of the
season.
Toronto haven't scored a single goal in over 210 minutes, their
last coming in a 1-0 win on June 3rd against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
The Lynx, now 2-4 on the season and sitting in last place in the
Northern Conference with eight points, will look to end their scoring drought
when they return home to host Montreal at Varsity Stadium tomorrow night.
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