July 11, 2006 USL Montreal Impact vs Toronto Lynx (from montrealimpact.com)
Salles leads Impact past Lynx
Montreal moves into first
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montreal Impact News Release - www.montrealimpact.com
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
MONTREAL, QUE -- Two goals by Mauricio Salles gave the Montreal Impact (7-1-5) a 2-0 win over the Toronto Lynx, Tuesday, in front of a record regular season crowd of 13,367 fans at Claude-Robillard Sports Complex.
The win allows the Impact to take first place in USL First Division standings with 26 points, tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Impact, however, has five games in hand.
The win also allowed the Impact to set a new club record for the best start of the season at home, playing an eighth consecutive game undefeated (5-0-3).
Goalkeeper Andrew Weber, who played a seventh consecutive game with the Impact since Greg Sutton’s injury, recorded a fifth shutout this season (4-0-3).
The Impact has not lost to the Lynx in its last nine games (7-0-2) and dominates Toronto 13-3 in goals during that sequence.
With 13,367 spectators, the Impact set a new attendance record for the regular season, surpassing the previous mark of 12,952 fans established August 16, 2005. It was also the Impact’s second largest crowd in club history, after the 2004 championship final, September 18, 2005, which attracted 13,648 spectators.
Impact defender Nevio Pizzolitto, who received his fifth yellow card of the season tonight, will have to sit out Montreal’s next game.
The Impact will play its next two games on the road, in less than 24 hours, this Saturday, against the Seattle Sounders (10:00 pm) and then Sunday, against the Whitecaps, in Vancouver (10:00 pm).
THE GOAL
62nd minute – After receiving a pass from Leonardo Di Lorenzo, forward Mauricio Salles, posted on the left flank, pivoted and took a sudden high shot from 25 yards out that beat Toronto goalkeeper Theo Zagar in the top right corner.
75th minute – After a long run on the right flank, captain Mauro Biello beat his last defender and passed the ball back into the box to Mauricio Salles, who took a low shot to the left of goalkeeper Theo Zagar.
HIGHLIGHTS
19th minute – Following a deep pass from Nevio Pizzolitto, Impact forward Daniel Antoniuk controlled the ball in the box and took a shot, but Toronto goalkeeper Theo Zagar made the save by coming out of his net.
28th minute – After a run on the right flank by Mauro Biello, the captain served a centering pass to the far post to Daniel Antoniuk, who headed the ball just wide of the Toronto net.
41st minute – On a free kick just on top of the box, Toronto midfielder Jamie Dodds took a low shot that got past the wall, but Impact goalkeeper Andrew Weber made the save, diving to his right.
POST GAME COMMENTS
HEAD COACH NICK DE SANTIS
“The difference tonight was the players who were substituted into the game. In the second half, they brought more control and more creativity to the game. It proves that, once again, we have a team with depth. Salles has a very good left foot and he proved tonight.”
FORWARD MAURICIO SALLES
“Tonight, I only did my work. Nick (De Santis) asked me to get behind the defence and that’s what I did. I’m happy to have helped the team win and to reach first place in the standings. Yes, I think that I scored one of the most beautiful goals of my career but the most important thing is the win tonight”
CAPTAIN MAURO BIELLO
“We were flat in the first half, but we needed something else in the second half. It’s important to have a good result in front of a good crowd like tonight. We needed those three points for our position in the standings.”
.
.