A-League game of Sunday August 24, 1997.
Here are the results of the A-League game between Toronto Lynx and Long Island Rough Riders played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto with a 7:00pm kickoff.
Toronto Lynx (white socks, black shorts, purple shirts, yellow names and numbers)
..................................................22 Joe Ciaravino
2 Ralph Golen....17 Daryl Holmes....3 Franco Spadafina....16 Rick Titus
13 Carmen D'Onofrio....12 Lei Gong....6 Kevin Holness....14 Martin Dugas
.................................21 Michele Gioia.........10 Paul Stalteri
Subs:...00 Roman Harapyn (gk)...4 Ian Carter (def)...5 Peyvand Mossavat (def)...18 Luca Centurione (mid)...19 Ryan Gamble (fwd)...24 Christian Lombardo (mid)....
Long Island Rough Riders (red socks and numbers, blue shorts, white shirts)
.....................................................1 Manuel Carou
17 Laurance Piturro....6 Dahir Mohammed....5 Tom Lips....4 Travis Rinker
16 Jim McElderry....14 David Price....12 Jim Rooney....18 Hector Wright
...............................21 Saul Martinez...........24 Ernest Inneh
Subs:...13 Sai Leanti (def)...19 Flavio Ferri (fwd)...23 Martin Nechtman (gk)....
Officials:...Referee Jim Bainbridge, Referee's Assistants Andrew Drazinski and Denise Daleman, 4th official Zoran Christo.
1st Half:...(Lynx defend North goal in 1st half on this damp field caused by yesterday's rain, kickoff at 7:06pm).
25 sec...RR Inneh pulled down in box as he hurtles Lynx goalie while crossing along box about 8 yards out and is pushed by Titus who'd previously slipped on wet ground. Penalty shot awarded.
1 min...RR Rooney shoots penalty show low to right corner, Lynx goalie blocks shot by diving and covers rebound.
2 min...RR Wright injured near centre line as he takes ball in the stomach.
3 min...Lynx Dugas crosses from left wing, Lynx Gioia header from 5 yards blocked by goalie. Lynx Gioia chips rebound ball over net.
5 min...RR Rinker crosses from left wing, RR Inneh charges into box but bouncing header from 15 yards stopped by goalie.
7 min...RR GOAL...Price (assist Wright) Price blasts 25 yard shot to top right corner of net over leaping Lynx goalie.
8 min...Lynx GOAL...Gioia (assist Stalteri)...Gioia taps in shot from 5 yards as Stalteri beats offside trap on left side. Gioia presented with empty net but he or two other Lynx could have tapped it in.
9 min...RR Wright blasts ball high wide left from 25 yards.
13 min...Lynx Gioia corner kick caught on far left post by goalie.
15 min...RR Martinez dive in box when checked by Titus looks lame and referee not fooled.
16 min...RR YELLOW card...Martinez for injuring Lynx D'Onofrio when he nutcrackers his left leg.
18 min...RR Rooney corner cross through box when tipped header allowed to pop through.
21 min...Lynx Golen takes 35 yard shot over crowd and over net.
22 min...RR Piturro pulls down Lynx Stalteri in box who doesn't have ball. Penalty shot awarded.
23 min...Lynx GOAL...Gioia rolls penalty kick shot just inside right post. RR goalie frozen in centre of goal.
24 min...RR YELLOW card...Lips for some reason. Announced over PA about four minutes later.
27 min...RR Inneh blast from 6 yards tipped over net by sliding Lynx Golen.
29 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Golen for dissent protesting free kick.
30 min...RR YELLOW card...Rooney for argueing throw in call.
31 min...RR goalie jumps to catch Lynx D'Onofrio chip from 20 yards over crowd in box.
39 min...Lynx Gioia scissor kicks Lynx Dugas cross from left touchline against left post from 5 yards.
40 min...RR Rooney gets 25 yard shot wide left, RR Martinez had earlier been injured downfield.
40 min...Lynx goalie races RR Inneh to through ball.
41 min...Lynx goalie dives to left side of net to block RR Martinez 25 yard blast.
43 min...Lynx goalie saves 20 yard shot deflected at him.
44 min...RR Rooney has short five yard shot along right touch line blocked by Lynx goalie.
Halftime:
PA must announce that Lynx mascot has key to the dressing room as he's out on the field for the halftime entertainment. Oops! Four kids take shots on the two Doughboys from Pizza Pizza (think Bip the Michelin man, Bonhomme D'Neige from Quebec Winter Carnival, or Pillsbury Doughboy) and every shot goes in. They all then score on the Lynx mascot. In the crowd a Pizza Pizza rep gave out company pencils then coupons. On the way in, we were given a bag of Gummi Savers which was quite nice.
In the $10,000 Kick-To-Win contest at the North end of the field, only one shot missed the net and one hit the board just missing the $10,000 hole.
2nd Half:
Lynx sub...Mossavat replaces D'Onofrio.
49 min...Lynx GOAL...Gioia steals ball off RR Lips 25 yards out and than chips over RR goalie to bounce into left corner of net.
50 min...Lynx goalie punches out cross from right side to prevent heading chance.
53 min...RR Martinez injured in Lynx box as players jockey for cross. It starts raining harder than it was before.
55 min...Lynx goalie catches RR Martinez lob from 20 yards.
57 min...RR Price long 30 yard blast over crowd hits right goalpost.
58 min...Lynx goalie punches out cross from right side.
60 min...Lynx Stalteri from 35 yards on left side lobs ball over charging goalkeeper. The ball lands at 5 yard line and bounces over net. (how could that happen on a wet field?).
61 min...Lynx Stalteri gets through ball on left side and banana kicks shot that's just wide right of post.
62 min...RR sub...Leanti replaces Lips.
63 min...Lynx Stalteri dekes goalie but passes in front of net to Lynx Gioia who blasts ball over net as three defenders standing at goal.
66 min...Lynx Stalteri passes in box and Lynx Gong blasts 10 yard shot over net.
66 min...Lynx sub...Centurione replaces Gong.
67 min...Lynx on 3 on 1 but Lynx Stalteri hits defender with point blank shot.
69 min...RR GOAL...Leanti (Rooney assist)...Leanti receives cross right of net and blasts to right side of net from 12 yards.
70 min...Lynx Dugas tips ball behind line as RR cross rolls through Lynx box.
70 min...RR sub...Ferri replaces Martinez.
71 min...RR Piturro crosses to RR Wright who blasts shot from air well over net.
73 min...Lynx goalie slides to make save on through ball and he almost right out of box.
74 min...RR YELLOW card...Rinker for argueing call.
75 min...Lynx goalie stops weak shot from left side as he has angle covered.
76 min...RR goalie beats Lynx Dugas to ball on give and go with Lynx Stalteri.
77 min...Lynx goalie catches 50 yard shot by RR Mohammed.
78 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Centurione for giving only one yard on freekick.
79 min...Lynx goalie cover ball on 2nd try after freekick bounces around in box. He had punched initial cross but it bounces off RR player and goalie dives back to cover it.
80 min...RR goalie out 40 yards to clear through ball too far for Lynx Gioia.
82 min...RR Pituro curls in 40 yard shot caught by Lynx goalie.
83 min...Lynx Gioia one touches ball and Lynx Stalteri on 40 yard breakaway but tangles with goalie and defenders.
84 min...RR Rooney flubs blast that rolls wide left.
84 min...Lynx sub...Gamble replaces Gioia.
85 min...RR GOAL...Rooney (assist Ferri)...Rooney scores on running header from four yards out after cross from left side of box from Ferri over about five player's heads and Rooney runs in near right post.
87 min...RR Ferri and Lynx goalie injured in three player crash in box.
88 min...Lynx goalie punches out ball in box.
90 min...RR GOAL...Wright (unassisted)...Wright gets backheel pass to him from RR Rooney (?) and blasts ball from edge of box to right corner of net.
Final Score:.......Toronto Lynx........(2) 3..........Long Island Rough Riders....(1) 4....
Attendance was not announced but other sources give it as 1456 which was about average. Everyone seemed to know it would rain but came anyway.
Another tough loss for the Lynx as it was the last minute again that's their downfall. This game was a lot more encouraging and inspiring with their attacking soccer. Long Island is a hot team but should have been beaten with the Lynx ahead 3-1 and not being able to score again with the goalie playing sweeper.
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