from Toronto Inferno website written by Glen Sutherland.
The
Toronto Inferno Soccer Club officially captured the regular season series
against their W-League Northern Division and Ontario rivals, the Ottawa Fury,
with a 2-0 victory at Burlington’s Sherwood Forest Park on Saturday
evening.
The two teams had tied 1-1 at Ottawa’s Keith Harris Stadium on
June 1st but Toronto gained the upper hand with a 1-0 victory at Sherwood Forest
on June 29th.
Tina Blaskovic, after firing a shot just by the right post
in the 37th minute, hit the mark in the 53rd for her fourth goal in eight games.
Blaskovic, hustling down the left flank, brought down a ball lobbed by
midfielder Jane Lea over the head of an Ottawa defender. After gaining control,
she sent a high volley from about 30 yards out toward the Ottawa net, eluding
Fury goalkeeper Tania Singfield who found herself a few feet off her
line.
Blaskovic almost had her second of the match as Cindy Walsh made a
beautiful cross from the left wing for Tina to head in just beyond the six-yard
box. However, referee Paul Bottos disallowed the goal because of pushing by
Inferno players.
On the way to her second shutout of the season, Inferno
goalkeeper Leisha Alcia repelled an Ottawa flurry in the 69th and 70th minutes,
including her best save of the game as she dove to knock away a Kristina Kiss
shot heading towards the net’s right-hand corner.
Possibly feeding off
Alcia’s stalwart goalkeeping, Inferno forward Jo McNish fired a long volley
moments later which hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced down behind the
goal line, evoking memories of Geoff Hurst’s extra time goal for England in the
1966 World Cup Final. Despite some similarities, there was no controversy
Saturday night over whether or not the ball crossed the line. For McNish, it was
her fourth goal in eight matches as the Inferno went on to their third
consecutive victory. Emma DiCesare picked up an assist on the insurance
marker.
“It was a sweet win,” head coach Tony Marmo remarked repeatedly
Saturday evening.
“The whole team played well, save for the first 12-14
minutes. We didn’t give them (Ottawa) very many chances, except for that flurry
of opportunities midway through the second half,” said Marmo.
In
attendance Saturday night were some very special guests of the Inferno. Six
members of the Peruvian national women’s soccer team are training with the
W-League club and, as spectators, experienced their first Inferno game. The
Peruvians will be staying in Toronto until the end of September.
Less
than twenty-four hours later, the Inferno were taking to the pitch again, this
time against the New Jersey Wildcats.
Under a high sun and matching
temperature, Jo McNish put Toronto on the scoreboard first, blasting a shot just
under the crossbar behind Wildcat goalkeeper Eileen Blair in the 38th
minute.
It looked like the Inferno were on their way to a fourth win in a
row but in the 85th minute, Heather Deerin converted on an direct free kick,
hammering the ball into the top right-hand corner past an outstretched Leisha
Alcia.
That would be the extent of the scoring as the teams played to a
1-1 draw.
Toronto’s record now stands at four wins, three losses, and two
draws with four games remaining.
The Inferno make their final regular
season road trip for 2002 this week as they travel to the United States for a
pair of matches against more Northern Division rivals. Saturday night sees them
visiting the New Hampshire Lady Phantoms then Sunday afternoon in Rhode Island
for an encounter with the Rays.
Due to uncertainty regarding the
availability of Scarborough’s Birchmount Stadium for the Inferno’s remaining
regular season home games on July 21st and July 26th, the club has decided to
book Burlington’s Sherwood Forest Park as the venue for those
matches.
Rhode Island completes the home-and-home series on Sunday, July
21st, with the match beginning at 4:00 p.m. On Friday, July 26th, the Inferno
host Northern Division leaders, the Boston Renegades, at 8:00 p.m.
Sherwood Forest Park is located on Fairview Street, just east off
Appleby Line, south of the QEW.
The Toronto Inferno, founded in 1997, is
one of three Canadian franchises competing in the 34-team W-League. The
remaining clubs are spread out across the United States.
For more
information on the Inferno, please check out our Web site at
www.torontoinferno.com, phone 905-294-6199
, or e-mail us at
inferno@torontoinferno.com
.
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