Mirror-Guardian Toronto Inferno stories--Tina Blaskovic
Inferno star takes aim at second MVP season
Etobicoke
Hans Niedermair, Guardian Sports
Jul. 3, 2002
Having
reached the pinnacle of individual success in professional soccer's W-League,
Etobicoke native Tina Blaskovic is focussing on helping the Toronto Inferno win
their first championship.
Last year's league MVP, the 30-year-old Blaskovic
is in her fourth season as a striker on an Inferno team that has started off
with a 2-3-1 record after finishing 10-3-2 last season and making the playoffs
for the second straight year.
Blaskovic said that the team should find a
change in its fortunes soon as many of its regular players from last season come
back from playing with their college teams.
"(The team hasn't been
successful) due to the fact that we're missing a lot of players," Blaskovic
said. "We've never really gelled yet, but once some of our old players get back
we should be able to get into the playoffs."
Having said that, Blaskovic
likes her team's chances of improving on last year's final four appearance.
"I think we have a better bench this year over last year," Blaskovic
said. "Everybody's working hard, and everybody's just playing with a lot of
heart."
Blaskovic has had an interesting soccer career. A graduate of
Don Bosco Catholic High School, she only started playing soccer at the age of
21, and has played for Canada's national team for six years. She won the
W-League MVP award last season on the strength of 15 goals, a pair of feats that
will be difficult to top.
LOFTY GOALS
"I'm hoping to win it
again," she said. "I'm off to a slow start myself, but that happens to me every
year."
Inferno head coach Tony Marmo is pleased that his star player is
starting to pick up some steam after a slow start.
"Tina got the monkey
off her back by scoring two goals against New Hampshire (in Toronto's 4-1
victory over the Lady Phantoms on June 16)," Marmo said. "She's one of the top
strikers in the league and she's our threat up top. We need her to produce
consistently for the rest of the year."
Blaskovic said one area she
would like to see the Inferno improve is attendance. She said that most people
don't even realize that Toronto has a professional women's soccer team.
"I think first and foremost we need to get a lot more marketing done,"
she said. "We're only getting one or two hundred fans per game and we're playing
the best women's soccer you can find in Toronto. We've been in the final four
the last two years."
The Inferno will play against their arch-rival
Ottawa Fury on Saturday.
As a result of the labour disruption between
the city and its outside workers the Inferno's permit to play at Birchmount
Stadium has been suspended for the duration of the strike.
The team has
been forced to find temporary sites to play its home games.
For venue
location or for tickets, visit www.torontoinferno.com or call
905-294-6199.
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