A-League game of Sunday June 15, 1997.
Here are the results of the A-League game between the Toronto Lynx and the Worchester Wildfire played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto with 6:05pm kickoff.
Toronto Lynx (white socks and shirts, black shirts, purple numbers, yellow names)
...............................................1 Pat Onstad
17 Daryl Holmes...16 Rick Titus...2 Ralph Golen...Franco Spadafina
9 Elvis Thomas...12 Lei Gong...14 Martin Dugas...11 Tommy Kouzmanis
...........................8 Darren Tilley...........23 Phil Caporrella
Subs:...22 Joe Ciaravino (gk)...4 Ian Carter...20 Danley Johnson...18 Luca Centurione...
25 Irvin Studin.
Worcester Wildfire (yellow socks, numbers, and names, black shorts, and shirts)
................................................0 Jon Busch
3 Tony Lage...5 Gary Crompton...22 Reinaldo Restifo...4 Stuart Susten
14 Brad Agoos...16 Steve Sailsman...10 Mark Heimgartner...23 Shaun Cassella
.................................18 Paul Keegan........9 Jake Ouimet
Subs:...1 Eddie Pigford (gk)...7 Damon Rensing...20 Oscar Medina...24 Anthony Buckley...8 Brad Murray.
Officials:...Referee Al Perreira, Referee Assistants Andrew Drazinski and Steve Cahoun, 4th Steve DiPero. They wore turqouise tonight.
1st half: Lynx defend north end in 1st half. Blinding sunny evening (sun in west) with wind from the south.
2 min...Lynx Gong has centering cross cleared by defenders.
5 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Sailsman for knocking down Thomas 40 yards out.
7 min...Lynx Tilley gets pass and blasts shot wide from 15 yards.
8 min...Lynx goalie catches 30 yard freekick.
12 min...Lynx goalie catches corner.
15 min...Lynx GOAL...Tilley from 5 yards, assist from Caporrella. Wildfire goalie gets body to shot but momentum carries it between his legs rolling into left corner of net. Tilley keeps ahead of Susten from when he took pass from 45 yards out on a breakaway. Most of Wildfire players were caught in Lynx end waiting for freekick that defense botched with some bad passes.
18 min...Wildfire GOAL...Keegan deflects shot from edge of box by Agoos into net. Goalie had shot lined up and was already down ready for it but deflection left him sitting on ground as ball rolled to his left. Agoos shot was about 5 yards outside box.
25 min...Wildfire goalie saves shot along line.
28 min...Wildfire YELLOW card...Lage for tripping Dugas.
29 min...Lynx Tilley outjumps defender on corner kick but heads ball wide.
32 min...Lynx goalie bobbles corner but Holmes clears wide off chest when Wildfire player blasts rebound.
36 min...Lynx goalie tips ball over net on 15 yard blast by Heimgartner.
37 min...Lynx survive two corner kicks.
42 min...Lynx Caporrella gets pass along left line and races 35 yards, cuts to net and blasts ball high and wide right.
Halftime: The 'Kick To Win' contest procedes a bit different than usual today. For the first time, the rules are given that the three holes in the plywood stretched across the centre of the net have different values. A shot through the large hole about six inches off the ground will win $100, the middle hole about chest high will be worth $500 (Lynx will match these amounts with a charitable donation) and a shot through the smallest hole (about a foot under the bar) about the size of a basketball hoop will win the kicker $10,000. First up was some unidentified guy but he was just showing the contestants what to do so he was probably a team official. First was a guy who looked like he was wearing a Colombian national team uniform but it was a Mexican club team. He boots the ball over the net. (first guy who's done that this year). The second contestant is some teenager who rolls the ball into the left side of goal, good for a pizza coupon. Third person is some middle age guy who doesn't look like he's ever missed a pizza who rolls it into right side of net, good for a pizza coupon. I thought it was over but they lined up the first guy again. Carlos Mehica a 40 year old painter from Mexico lofts a shot right into the $10,000 hole! The crowd goes wild, as does the PA announcer and Carlos himself. Now the next day the Lynx officials announced that as it was Carlos's 2nd shot so he would only get $500. Lynx said their insurance company required the kick to be on video and they put their cameras away after everyone had one shot. That sounds pretty lame. Carlos is consulting a lawyer. I thought Carlos was a ringer because he came back to the stands wearing shoes and carrying his soccer boots. What kind of person expects to be chosen for a contest when he has to rely on finding an autograph inside a program out of hundreds sold?
2nd Half...
55 min...Wildfire Keegan pass to Cassella stopped by goalie diving for block.
56 min...Lynx substitute...Carter replaces Gong.
58 min...Lynx substitute...Johnson replaces Thomas.
60 min...Wildfire substitute...Medina replaces Sailsman.
64 min...Lynx Caporrella injured in collision. Wildfire YELLOW card Cassella for this incident.
65 min...Lynx GOAL...Tilley in box slides ball past sliding goalie after through pass from Carter who fought off defender holding him.
70 min...Lynx goalie saves low shot from Medina after passing freekick.
72 min...Lynx substitute Centurione replaces Kouzmanis.
75 min...Wildfire Heimgartner gets ball behind Holmes who missed clearing header but Heimgartner boots ball well over net from 20 yards.
77 min...Wildfire defender clears near crease for corner as Carter cuts ball in box.
79 min...Wildfire substitutes...Rensing replaces Lage.
................................................Murray replaces Susten.
82 min...Lynx Tilley pulled down in box by Crompton.
PENALTY SHOT...Lynx shot low to center left. Goalie dives correctly and rebound is cleared by defender.
84 min...Lynx survive Wildfire one pass too many in box.
86 min...Lynx Tilley gets through ball along right side, he dribbles cutting to net but rolls ball just wide left of far post.
86 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Golen for knockdown.
88 min...Lynx goalie catches Medina's 25 yard shot through crowd.
89 min...Wildfire can't put ball away in goalmouth scramble. Includes goalie making point blank save on Heimgartner and rebound shot rolling wide of right post.
89 min...Lynx YELLOW...Centurione for time wasting.
.....Final Score:........Toronto Lynx..........2 (1)...........Worcester Wildfire..........1 (1)....
Attendance was 1743 which was the largest crowd of the year. There was a special Father's Day deal whereby an adult ticket purchase would entitle a free ticket for your father. I took advantage of that bringing Mr Glover, a longtime tv baseball fan, to the game. The ticket stubs could be redeemed at the concession stands for a free hotdog. The Lynx players also kicked balls into the crowd at the beginning of the game for the first time since the 2nd game of the year.
Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com
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