SLAM Sports: Lynx Outplayed by Vancouver
by Winnipeg Fury

Lynx outplayed by Vancouver

By JOHN F. MOLINARO -- SLAM! Sports
 TORONTO -- The woes of the Toronto Lynx continued tonight as Toronto dropped a 3-1 decision to the Vancouver Whitecaps before an announced crowd of 3, 293 fans at Varsity Stadium in A-League Soccer action.
 The loss, Toronto's ninth of the season, extends their winless streak to seven games. Toronto's last victory came on June 3rd, a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at home.
 Taking advantage of a defensive breakdown in Toronto's 18-yard box, Vancouver forward Chris Craveiro opened the scoring in the third minute when he took a short pass from team-mate Jason Jordan and fired a shot past helpless Lynx goalkeeper Yuri Elkaim.
 Toronto nearly squared the affair ten minutes later when a Robbie Aristodemo free-kick deflected off the foot of Vancouver defender Steve McCauley and soared just over the crossbar.
 Vancouver nearly made it 2-0 when Jason Jordan found himself all alone deep inside Toronto's box, only to have Lynx keeper Elkaim come up with a brilliant foot save. Moments later Elkaim cut off a dangerous cross ball deep into the box, stopping Vancouver's offensive flurry in its tracks.
 Elkaim came up big again ten minutes from half when he stopped Jordan on a partial breakaway down the left side of the field after receiving a lovely through ball from teammate Alfredo Valente who caught the Lynx defenders napping.
 The first half continued to progress as the Lynx enjoyed the majority of possession in midfield while Vancouver counterattacked with well-timed forward runs.
 Toronto's hard work in midfield finally paid off in the 44th minute. Aristodemo found himself wide open on the right hand side of the box and clanked one off the goal post. The rebound bounced straight out to teammate Lyndon Hooper. With a Vancouver defender draped all over him, Hooper slipped a short pass to forward David DiPlacido on the left side of the box who fired a blistering shot into the back of the net past Vancouver goalkeeper Didar Sandhu, knotting the game at 1-1 and scoring his second goal of the season in the process.
 The Lynx nearly made it 2-1 in the 54th minute when a cross ball into the 18-yard box trickled through the Vancouver defence, finding Toronto forward Juan Arango all alone in front of the net. Whitecap goalkeeper Sandhu managed to get a hand on Arango's shot, deflecting it wide of the post and keeping the score tied.
 The Whitecaps took a 2-1 lead seven minutes later when midfielder Kevin Holness darted down the right side of Toronto's box, sending a low, crisp pass into the middle to team-mate Chris Craveiro who effortlessly tapped it in for his second goal of the game.
 Craveiro assumed the role of playmaker in the 69th minute when a quick give and go with Dave Morris resulted in Morris making it 3-1. Craveiro walked through the Lynx defence virtually untouched down the right side of the field, quickly cutting inside and delivering a short pass to Morris deep in the middle of the box who knocked it into the back of the net.
 After the game, Craveiro was elated with his outstanding play and Vancouver's performance as a whole.
 "It was great to get a win, great to get our bonus points (for scoring three goals)... everything went well," Craveiro told SLAM! Sports. "We felt a little heavy because of the plane ride we were on and it took a while to get into our rhythm."
 Craveiro was virtually breathless when describing his two goals.
 "The first goal was all Jason Jordan. He beat the defender, slipped the ball to me and I just volleyed it in. Second goal, Kevin Holness just killed two guys down the left wing, cut it across and I just finished it. Third goal, Jordan got me the ball and I beat my man and I cut it to Dave Morris for a great goal."
 Vancouver Head Coach Dale Mitchell was impressed with Craveiro.
 "The kid's got speed, he's got skill and he finished the chances he had."
 Now 2-9-1 on the season, Toronto is in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in two years.
 Over in the home locker room, Head Coach Peter Pinizzotto was seething with anger over Toronto's effort.
 "We played terrible. Again, like all our past games, we had possession of the ball but it means nothing if you can't score more goals than the other team. At the same time I think Vancouver wanted the win more than us... Yes, some of the boys worked hard but you need everybody to be on the same page and I find that Vancouver seemed more hungry than us."
 Pinizzotto also bemoaned the breakdowns in defence.
 "You could clearly see we had some breakdowns in the back. It's unusual because we usually play very good defensively."
 Pinizzotto also issued a stern message to his players.
 "I basically told them that if I'm the problem as a coach, they should let me know because I can always resign. It's up to them to really see if they want to turn this thing around. I basically told them before the game that if I'm the problem they should let me know because these players aren't really responding right now."
 NOTES: The Lynx travel to Hershey on Sunday to take on the Wildcats. Toronto sits in last place in the Northern Conference with nine points... Regular starting goalkeeper Theo Zagar sprained his ankle in training this week, forcing him to miss his first game of the season. The Lynx were forced to start 19-year-old Yuri Elkaim in his place... Defender Adrian Serioux missed tonight's game with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of the starting line up for a few weeks... Tonight's game was broadcast nationally on CTV Sportsnet... After tonight's game, the Lynx have only scored six goals in 11 games while giving up 17...

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