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Result of the Wednesday July 23, 2008 W-League game between Toronto Lady Lynx and Laval Comets played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 7:30pm.
This was a Central Conference divisional round playoff game with the winner of tonight’s game traveling to Indiana for the Semi-Final and possible Championship.
Toronto was the host because they finished second and Laval finished third. Ottawa Fury gets a bye directly to the tournament in Indiana for finishing first.
Toronto Lady Lynx (all black, yellow numbers and trim)
.........................1 Elise Kuhar-Pitters
20 Kayla Afonso...9 Kelsi Landry...6 Vonya Beckles...11 Allysha Chapman
16 Oni Bernard...12 Alyssa Lagonia...23 Julia Bazi...18 Brooke McCalla
................22 Brittany Bisnott...7 Stefania Morra
Subs:...25 Aurelea Gumiela (gk)...3 Alicia Donaldson (fwd/mid)...4 Becky Carreiro (fwd)...5 Jamie Baggs (def)...8 Nicole Markowitz (mid/fwd)...14 Tessa Dimitrakopoulos (fwd/mid)...19 Stephanie Conley (def)
team officials:...head coach Danny Stewart...assistant coach Paul DeAbreu...goalkeeping coach Joe Nucifora...team doctor Dr Frank Markus...medical co-ordinator Dr Robert Gringmuth
Laval Comets (white socks and numbers, sky blue shorts and shirts)
........................1 Marie-Pier Bilodeau
20 Amanda Robinson...3 Cindy Walsh (cpt)...15 Kathryn Acton...5 Katryn Maramatsu
2 Emilie Mercier...7 Andreanne Gagne...13 Catherine Scott...19 Josee Busilacchi
................9 Melissa Busque...18 Veronique Laverdiere
Subs:...6 Ariane Mano (mid)...10 Aimee Legault (fwd)...11 Chloe Malette (fwd)...14 Emilie Filion (fwd)...22 Kelsy Wilson (def)
team officials:...head coach Mohamed Hilen
Game officials:...referee Michael Izzo...referee's assistants Afshin Korkorian and Leo Monico...fourth official Simon Surely...(red shirts, black shorts and socks)
1st Half:...game starts 7:35pm...Lady Lynx defend south end and this warm and sunny evening played on a very wet field.
3 min...LC Gagne cross from 22 yards has LC Laverdiere head ball wide left weakly from 10 yards.
4 min...Lynx Bernard cross from right through box but behind Lynx forward.
7 min...Comets Andreanne Gagne GOAL…Gagne 25 yard freekick up middle is around player wall and into left side of net beyond flying goalie Elise Kuhar-Pitters.
8 min...Lynx goalie beats LC Laverdiere to through ball to pick up.
8 min...LC Busilacchi cornerkick from right is caught by goalie in crowd of players.
12 min...LC Mercier beats offside trap on run up right and her cross has Lynx Landry have to concede cornerkick.
12 min...LC Mercier cornerkick from right is behind net.
13 min...Lynx Bazi 30 yard freekick from right has Lynx player tap 8 yarder forward that rolls to goalie.
15 min...LC goalie runs out to 35 yards to clear through ball.
16 min...LC goalie charges out to 20 yards on right to boot away another through ball for throw-in.
17 min...Lynx Afonso cross from right has Lynx player head ball down but ball is cleared.
19 min...LC Busilacchi cross from 15 yards on left has goalie fly over and push ball wide right.
20 min...LC Scott 25 yard shot is low and defelcts off defender wide right for cornerkick.
21 min...LC Busilacchi cornerkick from right has goalie get hand to ball and referee whistles down play.
24 min...LC Walsh 40 yard low shot through players well wide left of net.
25 min...Lynx Morra cross to Lynx Bazi but defender gets to ball and offside flag is up anyway.
26 min...Lynx Bisnott runs down right but slips in LC box trying to roll ball across goalmouth.
27 min...LC Busilacchi shot from 20 yards on left has goalie dive for it. LC player following up is flagged offside.
28 min...Lynx Bisnott intercepts goalie's ball and chips defender at 10 yards on right but LC Walsh head ball out of box.
30 min...Lynx Bisnott blasts 22 yard shot from right that's well over net.
35 min...LC goalie beats Lynx Morra to grab ball into box.
35 min...Lynx Bisnott cross from right hits LC Walsh preventing Lynx forward from a tap-in.
38 min...Lynx Bisnott is outrun on break up middle and ball is poked away before she gets away shot.
39 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Chapman for knock down for knocking down LC Busque at 20 yards in middle of field.
41 min…Comets Andreanne Gagne GOAL…Gagne 20 yard freekick up middle is low and rolls into left corner of net beyond diving goalie.
43 min...LC Mercier cross from 15 yards on right has LC Maramatsu get off-balance header wide left from 5 yards.
45 min...LC Maramatsu cross from 20 yards on extreme left is sent over players waiting in box.
46 min...LC goalie is sent back pass and she's being challenged by two Lynx players but referee blows whistle to end the half.
46 min...half ends 8:21pm.
2nd Half:...starts 8:37pm.
halftime sub:...Lynx Gumiela replaces Kuhar-Pitters in goal.
45 min...LC player outjumps Lynx player for high ball into LC box.
48 min...LC Gagne 35 yard shot is wide and high right of net.
51 min...Lynx Bernard beats offside trap on right and takes 25 yard shot that's over net.
53 min...Lynx sub...Conley replaces Bazi.
54 min...Lynx lagonia 25 yard freekick from extreme left has goalie catch and drop ball but she makes second save as she's down and the ball is cleared.
55 min...LC goalie fumbles catch attempt from right but defender clears ball on left side of box.
57 min...Lynx Landry 30 yard freekick from left has Lynx Bisnott slip while trying to get to ball on right side of box.
59 min...Lynx defenders get back to break up LC player who'd been rolls a cross on the edge of box.
60 min...LC goalie charges out to break up 2 on 0 break but the offside flag was up anyway.
62 min...Lynx Lagonia cornerkick from left has defender head ball away.
62 min...Lynx Afonso 30 yard cross from right bounces just wide of left post as Lynx player slipped.
63 min...Lynx sub...Donaldson replaces Bernard.
64 min...LC Robinson throw-in from right has defender clear.
65 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Afonso for hip check on LC Busilacchi injurying her.
66 min...Lynx sub...Dimitrakopoulos replaces Bisnott.
67 min...LC Gagne 30 yard freekick from left has goalie punch ball away in crowd of players.
68 min...Lynx Donaldson low cross to Lynx McCalla from 25 yards on left that has McCalla slip when defender steps in front of her.
70 min...Lynx Donaldson on run down left has 25 yard shot deflect off defender for cornerkick.
70 min...Lynx Lagonia cornerkick from left has LC Morra head tip across box and LC defender clears.
71 min...Lynx Chapman 30 yard chip from left has goalie catch ball in crowd of players.
75 min...Lynx Donaldson cross from left is through box and Lynx Morra turns and rolls ball to Lynx Lagonia for 20 yard shot over crowd of players and over net.
76 min...Lyxn player cornerkick from right has another Lynx player checked off ball in box.
79 min...LC Gagne 25 yard shot up middle that's low and smothered by diving goalie.
80 min...LC Busilacchi cross bounced from 25 yards has goalie pick ball up.
81 min...Lynx sub...Carreiro replaces Lagonia.
84 min...Lynx Morra cross in crowd of players from right has Lynx Chapman not able to turn header from 12 yards.
85 min...LC Gagne 40 yard freekick blast hits head in 3 man wall.
86 min...LC YELLOW card...Busque for check on Lynx player at Lynx 45 yard sideline.
87 min...Lynx Beckles 45 yard freekick from right has defender clear ball for cornerkick.
88 min…Lady Lynx RED card…Alysa Chapman draws her second Yellow card for her part in a pushing match in the Comets box waiting for a cornerkick.
…………Comets RED card…Amy Walsh earns a direct ejection from referee Michael Izzo for her part in the pushing match in the Comets box.
88 min...LC Laverdiere cross from 25 yards has LC Gagne on break hit ball wide left from 12 yards.
92 min...Lynx Beckles long throw-in from right has defender clear ball away.
92 min...game ends 9:24pm.
Final Score:……Toronto Lady Lynx……..0…………Laval Comets………2……….
Attendance was about 80 on this warm evening with the sun in the North West for the first half of the game. The field was wet for the constant rain Toronto has had every day since the weekend. This year has so far broken the record as the wettest July ever. Kicks into the north end especially would spray up a flume of water. The City of Toronto Parks department tried to have the team not play in the stadium but on what of the side fields. After the game the field looked pretty chewed up all that stomping around for 90 minutes.
Marie-Pier Bilodeau earned the shutout for the Comets. She didn’t have to make a lot of saves but she was sharp on crosses into the box and was aggressive in charging to the edge of the box and outside to clear away through balls before they resulted in Lady Lynx shots or breakaways. Comets captain Cyndi Walsh deserves special mention for breaking up many Lady Lynx rushes.
Aurelea Gumiela played the second half of the game replacing Elise Kuhar-Pitters in goal for the Lady Lynx. They both had to keep Andreanne Gagne for getting a hat trick. Best chance for her was at 88 minutes when Veronique Laverdiere crossed in from 25 yards from the left and Gagne all alone hit the ball wide left from 12 yards. She probably kicked it too soon as she didn’t want the ball to settle on the wet ground. Maybe the whole team needs different studs on their shoes for wet days.
The ball was unpredictable as passes to the sidelines or up field would sometimes roll out of bounds or just stop without rolling out. This affected both teams but I wonder if the Comets trained in these conditions or were more used to it. Almost half the Lady Lynx home games were played on field turf. Lady Lynx forward Brittany Bisnott had the worst time slipping up on runs for passes on the edge of the Comets box when the team needed her scoring touch most of all. She was subbed out at 66 minutes. She sang the national anthem for the third time this season before the game.
Comets were confident enough to play with just their eleven starters and not bring in a player from their selection of five subs. Lady Lynx made five subs in the second half.
The Lady Lynx with tonight’s loss are finished for the season. This was only the team’s third loss all year although their last game on a road trip to Rochester on Sunday they lost which might have affected their momentum.
At the end of the game they announced the result of the men’s Lynx game—a 2-1 loss in Cleveland. This was not a surprise because this was the third time that Cleveland beat Toronto this season and all in the month of July.
Laval moves on to the tournament in Indiana and plays the hosts. From what I’ve heard of FC Indiana Lionesses they are gearing up for a place in the American pro league that will start up in 2009. Lionesses are undefeated in 14 league games. The Comets take a bus from Toronto tomorrow morning for West Lafayette Indiana and play at Purdue University Soccer Complex. The media guide lists the Lionesses main home as in Indianapolis named Kuntz Memorial Stadium. :)
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Comets starters
Lady Lynx starters
Brittany Bisnott sang O Canada
midfield action
more midfield action
Comets freekick
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