A-League pre season game of Friday April 10, 1998.

Here is the result of the A-League pre season game between Toronto Lynx and Rochester Raging Rhinos played at Lamport Stadium in Toronto at 2:00pm. This was Good Friday.

Toronto Lynx (black socks and shorts, yellow shirts with black stripes, white numbers)

..........................................1 Theo Zagar
14 Peter Sarantopoulos...16 Tony Donia...3 Franco Spadafina...17 Daryl Holmes
6 Bryan Ashton...9 Phil Ionadi...15 David DiPlacido...13 Goran Grubic
........................11 Danley Johnson............10 Ryan Gamble

Subs:...22 Adam Morandini (gk)...19 Muss Ante (mid)...18 Luca Centurione (mid)...24 Edmond Lezha (mid)...23 Phil Caporella (fwd)...

Rochester Raging Rhinos (black socks and shorts, gray teeshirts with black numbers)

..........................................18 Rett Thompson
2 Mauro DaSilva...21 Joe Mercik...17 Fuseini Dauda...27 Tim Hardy
16 Chris Kennel...20 Nate Daligcon...15 Ezekiel Alamo...9 Mike Britton
..........................22 Michael Domm.............11 Darren Tilley

Subs:...29 Josh Freeman (gk)...12 Pat Onstad (gk)...3 Craig Demmin (def)...28 Rob DaSilva (def)...23 Lenin Steenkemp (mid)...24 Kirk Dietrich (fwd)...14 Dan Dapaah (???)...20 Nate Daligcon (???)...

Officials:...Referee Tony Comacho, referee's assistants Scofield and Dipiero 4th Olana.

1st Half: (Lynx defend North goal)
4 min...Lynx Gamble gets head to cross from 3 yards out but goalie saves it for corner kick.
5 min...Lynx Holmes centers from right side but ball caught by goalie.
7 min...RR Mauro DaSilva controls ball in box but with back to goal he pops it up and gets bicycle kick away that goalie stops on bounce.
9 min...Lynx Johnson sprung loose on left side dekes one defender when he cuts to net but shoots into left side of netting.
15 min...Lynx Sarantopoulos clears ball after RR forward crosses over outstretched arms of goalie.
19 min...RR Tilley twists header from 10 yards caught by goalie.
21 min...Lynx DiPlacido gets header off crossbar then ball grabbed by goalie. A good run by Gamble along left side of field set up this play.
26 min...Lynx Ashton shot from 30 yards just wide left.
28 min...Lynx GOAL DePlacido...DePlacido collects centering pass in box from Gamble (who's awarded assist) and with just goalie to beat he flubs his point blank shot but ball rolls inside left post.
29 min...Lynx sub...Lezha replaces DePlacido.
29 min...Lynx Holmes charges up for header.
30 min...Lynx Lezha centering cross gathered up by goalie.
32 min...RR sub...Dietrich replaces Kennel.
39 min...Lynx GOAL (an own goal)...RR goalie Thompson scores own goal as he scoops ball near edge of box and appears ready to throw it upfield. There are a few defenders behind him so it appears maybe one of them called for it and he turns to throw it back for them but they have backed off by then and ball thrown into net. Thompson looked like an Olympic discus thrower.
40 min...Lynx sub...Ante replaces Gamble.

2nd Half:
RR subs:...Onstad for Thompson in goal, Dietrich for Domm, Demmin also comes in for someone.
Lynx subs:...Morandini for Zagar in goal. There may have been others.
47 min...RR Dauda fouls Centurione.
52 min...Lynx Johnson blasts shot from 15 yards that goalie tips wide left.
53 min...RR sub...Kennel replaces Hardy.
54 min...Lynx sub...DiPlacido replaces Grubic.
62 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Holmes for running into someone.
68 min...RR Mauro DaSilva blasts freekick from 25 yards in to Lynx wall.
70 min...RR YELLOW card...Kennel for hipcheck on Centurione on right sideline.
71 min...RR sub...Domm replaces Alamo.
..............Lynx sub...Caporrella replaces still limping Centurione.
78 min...Lynx goalie grabs ball in crowd that had been crossed after freekick but he was actually joustled by own defenders also playing the ball.
90 min...RR player lofts ball over goalie bouncing it from tough angle on right side. A Lynx defender catches the ball but it was ruled time had run out by the A-League countdown clock method.

Final Score:...Toronto Lynx........(2) 2........Rochester Raging Rhinos.........(0) 0....

Attendance was between 400 to 500 people on this Good Friday matinee. The weather was sunny from the south with a temperature a rather cool 10C (50F). The game was played on artificial turf. The Alan Lamport Stadium is solid concrete constuction and holds about 6000 spectators. This stadium may eventually be used by the Lynx if Varsity Stadium is actually demolished for redevelopment. Alan Lamport, a former mayor of the City of Toronto made the paper a few days ago for celebrating his 95th birthday.

This game, like last night's, featured unlimited substitutions with players exiting and reentering the field more than once. I'm not so sure of the players as some were introduced by their wrong numbers but it was a consentience with the press box and some reporters as to who was who. Thanks everyone! The new Lynx uniforms with white numbers on yellow shirts were difficult to see from across the field. The Rhinos gray tee shirts sweated up and made their black numbers difficult to see but they won't be their in-season uniforms.

Both teams were missing players for the Indoor NPSL season. The A-League season has actually started in the South as New Orleans Storm have played two games already. The Lynx open their season May 2nd with five games on the road before their home opener May 24th against Worcester Wildfire.

Special thanks to Lynx goalie Adam Morandini for e-mailing me and stating he was the goalie substitution at halftime.

Rocket Robin
robing@clo.com

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