A-LEAGUE SOCCER

KICKERS 1 TORONTO 1

They played a soccer game at University of Richmond Stadium last night, and a hockey game broke out.

No telling what might have happened had the Richmond Kickers and Toronto Lynx had sticks in their hands. As it was, they beat and knocked on each other for 110 minutes - and nobody won.

The final was 1-1, thanks to a penalty kick by Richmond's Kevin Jeffrey with seconds left in regulation stoppage play.

The Lynx will return north of the border undoubtedly convinced they were robbed by referee Augusta Saint Silva, who called a Toronto hand ball in the penalty area as time was running out.

That's an automatic PK. Before Jeffrey could step to the plate and drill the ball by Lynx goalkeeper Theo Zagar, low to the left corner, players from both sides had to restrain Toronto defender Mauricio Vincello. He went borderline berserk as a result of the call and tried to get at Saint Silva, getting ejected for his trouble.

It was the second red card for the Lynx (0-1-1), who lost Adrian Serioux in the 64th minute after he took Jeffrey down in front of the Richmond bench with a hard tackle from behind. Serioux also had to be kept away from Saint Silva.

The Kickers went a man down themselves in stoppage when reserve Kwaku elbowed Vincello, who went down as if he'd been hit over the head with a stick. So he already was in a nasty mood when Richmond (2-0-1) was handed a chance to pull even.

How ugly was it? Saint Silva whistled 41 fouls (25 against Richmond), handed out seven yellow cards (four to the Kickers) as well as three red cards - and they weren't nearly enough.

"It got out of hand," Richmond coach Leigh Cowlishaw said. "It's safe to say the guy lost control, [but] I really don't want to comment on it. I would have been upset if we lost."

The Kickers had numerous chances to score in the second half after goalie Ronnie Pascale made a couple of big-time anticipation saves to keep Toronto off the scoreboard in the first half.

Jeffrey missed two golden opportunities a couple of minutes apart, shooting wide. Zagar finished with a whopping 12 saves, 11 after intermission including a brilliant stop on veteran Rob Ukrop midway of the second overtime.

Toronto's goal came in the 83rd minute on Niki Budalic's blast from inside the box that hit both pipes and stayed in.

Toronto's game plan clearly was to work over Jeffrey, who led the Kickers last year with 20 goals. They consistently whacked the forward from Trinidad from behind, kicked him (he said) a lot and tried to get in his head, too.

In the 70th minute, as play was going the other way, Lynx midfielder Brian Ralston knocked Jeffrey to the ground. Saint Silva asked linesman Andrew Chapin what happened, and Jeffrey received a yellow card for diving.

Before the first of the two sudden-death OTs, former Kicker Nikkola Vignjevic, who had been replaced a few minutes earlier, was on the field, threatening Jeffrey. By then, he already had the last laugh.

"We definitely should have had the win, but at least we didn't lose," Jeffrey said.

Toronto ------------------------- 0 1 0 0 - 1

Scoring -1, Toronto, Budalic, 83rd minute; 2, Richmond, Jeffrey 1 (PK), 90th. Shots - Richmond 22-19. Saves -Toronto, Zagar 12; Richmond, Pascale 6. Corner kicks - Richmond 9-3. Offsides - Toronto 8-0. Yellow Cards -Knights, Tor, 25th; Lekics, Rich, 45th; Reda, Tor, 53rd; Knight, Rich, 54th; Jeffrey, Rich, 70th; Faria, Tor, 71st; Ferruzzi, Rich, 81st. Red Card - Serioux, Tor, 64th; Kwaku, Rich, 90th; Vincello, Tor, 90th. Referee - Saint Silva. A - 2,434.