W-League game of Saturday June 14, 1998.
Here are the results of the W-League game between Toronto Inferno and Finger Lakes Heartbreakers played at Esther Shiner Stadium in North York at 2:30pm. All Inferno games are considered exhibition games this season.
Toronto Inferno (navy socks and shirts, black shorts, white numbers)
..............................................13 Jessica Montagano
15 Jennifer Dillinger...2 Jennifer Nicholson...20 Jennifer Johnson...14 Denise Lowe
10 Nancy Lewis...5 Portia Barriffe...4 Denise Hosey...11 Andrea Johnston
.....................16 Tina Blaskovic..........9 Josie Tucceri
Subs:...3 Maari Scott (Mid)...6 Rose Daley (fwd)...7 Sonia Sousa (def)...8 Ginette Ferrigni (mid)...12 Megan Beckett (mid)...17 Nadia Colangelo (mid)...93 Heather McInall (def).
Team Officials:...Coaches Tony Marmo and Dave Ashfield, Manager Michelle Corneau, Trainer Doug Innis.
Finger Lakes Heartbreakers (white socks, shorts, and numbers, red shirts)
.................................................1 Juli Slack
2 Laura Ray...8 Tracy Stalker...9 Jane Medina...25 Kelly Gayle
11 Kelly Sosa...15 Nichole Platte...19 Carrie Lysik...3 Carrie Klotz
........................23 Miki Agrawal................17 Janine Corning
Subs:...Listed as:...0 Marilind West (gk)...5 Melissa Ribaudo (def)...6 Shannon Russell (fwd)...7 Janet Urban (mid)...10 Amanda Palladino (mid)...12 Meghan Merriman (fwd)...13 Olivia Wilson (def)...14 Stacy Shanning (mid)...16 Brigitte L'Heureux (mid)...18 Jessica Milne (def)...21 Kym Eynard-Bozzi (fwd)...?? Tracy Ranieri (fwd)...I only noticed one player on their bench as a reserve but I didn't know if she was a player or a team official.
Team Officials:...Coach Rodrigo Plaza, Assistant Coach (Janine Corning).
Officials:...Referee Denise Daleman, Linesmen Brian Lopez and Steve Robinson.
Game starts at 3:53pm(!!) on slippery field with bouts of rain.
1st Half:...Inferno defend East end.
2 min...TI Blaskovic shot from 7 yards stopped point blank by sliding goalie.
4 min...TI GOAL...Johnston on break on left side slides ball to right corner of net from 15 yards.
8 min...TI Dillinger gets rebound from 15 yards just wide right of post.
10 min...FLH goalie catches high cross.
11 min...FLH 35 yard shot from right of goal is tipped over bar by TI goalie, no corner kick called.
13 min...TI Blaskovic from 12 yards hits right side of net after she beat FLH Stalker on right side.
16 min...FLH Platte freekick from 25 yards dips just over bar.
18 min...TI Hosey tips 7 yard pop shot off left post on rebound ball to her.
20 min...FLH Klotz 25 yard shot along left line is wide left.
22 min...FLH goalie races out to grab ball on slide from charging TI Blaskovic.
25 min...FLH Platte 20 yard shot in crowd just wide left of post.
27 min...FLH Platte 20 yard shot after short freekick into side left goes outside of post.
29 min...TI goalie punches wide left 25 yard freekick by FLH Platte.
30 min...TI goalie palms out through box FLH Platte corner kick from left side.
31 min...FLH goalie saves shot from left side.
33 min...TI Barriffe gives short pass from right side to TI Blaskovic who gets ball tangled in her legs and goalie covers kneed shot.
38 min...TI Lewis cross from right side headed by TI Tucceri on left post saved by jumping goalie.
40 min...TI GOAL...Blaskovic scores as ball hits and bounces off chest of Blaskovic bouncing into net from 4 yards.
42 min...TI goalie catches 30 yard shot.
half ends at 4:48pm.
2nd Half:...weather is now sunny and this half Heartbreakers have to run into bright sun.
Halftime sub:...Inferno goalie...Mormile replaces Montagano.
49 min...TI defensive miscue as goalie has to save defrenders pass back with her body and than FLH point blank rebound.
58 min...TI goalie catches 35 yard cross from right by FLH Medina.
63 min...TI goalie catches 30 yard cross from near right line.
64 min...FLH Agrawal charges and sends 5 yard shot wide right of post.
65 min...TI GOAL...Blaskovic flicks short header into net after cross from right side.
68 min...I noticed TI Daley was on field replacing either Barriffe or Lewis. Blaskovic was moved back from forward to playing in the midfield.
70 min...TI Hosey has hard 25 yard shot caught by goalie on right post.
71 min...TI sub...Barriffe (who's previously been subbed) replaces Beckett (hadn't noticed she was even on field).
78 min...TI sub...Sousa replaces Lowe.
79 min...TI GOAL...Blaskovic scores on 20 yards blast to left side of net.
80 min...FLH goalie catches cross from left side.
83 min...TI GOAL...Daley has time to line up 15 yard blast to top right corner through goalie's hands.
85 min...FLH Corning weak 20 yard shot rolls right to goalie.
87 min...TI Daley turns and gets 20 yard bullet shot off crossbar.
90 min...FLH Yellow card...Klotz for pulling down Blaskovic near midfield.
91 min...FLH goalie stops 10 yard shot by Inferno player.
Final Score:........Toronto Inferno.............5.......Finger Lake Heartbreakers........0...
Attendance was announced as '837 tickets sold' but there were likely less than half that many people at the game. Tickets were only $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children. The tickets were preprinted with the opponents Buffalo Ffillies who are a W-1 class team except the franchise folded the Wednesday before. Rather than the Inferno having to cancel another home opener two weeks in a row, the W-League found the W-2 class Finger Lakes Heartbreakers to fill in. They were late getting to Toronto and the game was delayed by almost 90 minutes. Maybe that was a blessing as there was a hard rain and thunderstorm before the game. The organizers let the Etobicoke Under 11 and Vaughan Under 11 girls teams play a whole game instead of just at halftime to fill in the delay but I went back to my car to get out of the rain. I was missing the World Cup Belgium vs Netherlands match on television and was just ready to drive off when I heard the players introductions. The other team arrived in minivans (not New York state plates).
Miki Agrawal said after the game that most of the Heartbreakers players come from midstate New York schools like Syracuse University and Cornell. She also said they received very short notice about the game and about half the team was missing. (I said there was no bench strength even though I printed the program lineup of reserves in this report). They had a very vocal goalie Juli Slack who attends Syracuse University who was silent for most of the 2nd half when the score got out of hand. Some good news for them is the next day they won a game against Connecticut Lady Wolves by forfeit!...What's up W-League??
It was announced after Tina Blaskovic's third goal for the Inferno that she had just been called up to the Canadian National team. Later in the week, CPSL chairman Bill Spiers said the OSA had been trumpeting her play to the CSA for quite awhile and she is the daughter of a former coach of Toronto Croatia so learned a lot watching the men's practices.
The loss of the Buffalo franchise also cancels one of their road games so it looks like a very short five game W-League exhibition season. The Inferno looked like it was definitely a W-1 calibre franchise for next year.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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