June 15, 2008 PDL Toronto Lynx vs West Virginia Chaos (from Lynx media release)
TORONTO LYNX GAME REPORT
PRESENTED BY CAW - THE CANADIAN AUTO WORKERS UNION
Chaos at Centennial Stadium
Lynx forced to settle for 2-2 draw in controversial match against West Virginia
Date: June 15, 2008
Venue: Centennial Park Stadium, Toronto, ON
Kick Off Time: 4:00 PM EDT
Final Score: Toronto 2 (1) West Virginia 2 (0)
Match Summary:
The Toronto Lynx returned home to the friendly confines of Centennial Park Stadium this afternoon after four games on the road, but were unable to take full advantage, as the West Virginia Chaos battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a stunning 2-2 draw. The tie elevates the Lynx to a 4-2-2 (14 points) record at the half-way mark of their season and Toronto reclaims a second place tie in the Great Lakes Division with Cleveland. West Virginia stays winless on the season but improve to 0-6-3 (3 points). Jean Tshimpaka and Damion Scott tallied for the Lynx on the attack.
Toronto struck early in the match and took a quick 1-0 lead. Revivo penetrated deep into to Chaos territory, and threaded a pass nearly along the end line into the 6-yard box to an open Tshimpaka. The forward tapped the ball past the West Virginia keeper for his first goal of the year, putting the Lynx ahead in the 7th minute. At that point, the skies opened up and heavy rain fell on the field throughout the remainder of the half. Despite a number of quality chances, Toronto was unable to extended their lead on the slippery pitch, and the teams went to the locker room with the Lynx ahead by one.
Revivo picked up where he left off in the first half and earned his second assist of the afternoon when he again was allowed to dribble deep into the West Virginia box in the 54th minute, with Scott being the beneficiary of his deft touch this time. The Brampton native took Revivo¡¯s pass 10 yards in front of the goal and struck it just under the cross bar for his first-ever goal.
The goal turned the tide of the match, and the game became increasingly physical with hard tackles on both sides of the goal. Matt Clarke of the Chaos received his second yellow card of the afternoon after a rough challenge on Binstock in the Lynx goal area, and was ejected from the match. The ejection seemed to rally the visitors, and they were able to pull within one 9 minutes later when the Lynx were unable to clear a Chaos free kick. Victor Harrision headed the ball home to make the score 2-1. The ball was headed twice off the Lynx crossbar in the free-for-all resulting from West Virginia¡¯s kick into the box before Harrison managed to score.
Four minutes later, the game descended, ironically enough, into chaos after defender Erik DiLorenzo was met on a brutal challenge by Kash Usman, who then flopped to the ground as if shot. The West Virginia midfielder was shown a red card as a result of his actions, but DiLorenzo was sent off by the referee as well for his part in the encounter. Both teams were incensed at the call, and tempers flared. After a lengthy delay, order was restored and the game restarted.
Eight minutes were added to the match by the official as a result of the stoppage. The rough play, however, continued into injury team and Chris McBride was sent off for the Lynx on a questionable challenge. Both teams were reduced to nine men for the remainder of the match. Nine minutes into the extended time, West Virginia equalized on a goal by sub Vinny Crumrine. Toronto was unable to clear the ball from the penalty area, and the midfielder kicked it past Binstock to stun the Lynx and the crowd. Toronto had one final challenge towards the West Virginia goal but Chris Mitchell¡¯s free kick from the edge of the box sailed past the Lynx attackers in the box and the referee blew the final whistle.
Toronto hits the road this week for a pair of road games, with stops in Pontiac, Michigan to battle the Bucks on Thursday evening and Fort Wayne, Indiana on Saturday evening to tangle with the Fever. The Lynx return home on Tuesday July 1 to battle the Cleveland Internationals in the ¡°Steeltown Showdown¡± at Brian Timmis Stadium in Hamilton at 4:00 PM. The game will be preceded by a pair of Hamilton Spectator Cup all-star games (boys and girls). Tickets can be purchased by calling the Toronto Lynx ticketline at 416-251-4625 x 23 or at the box office one hour prior to kick-off.
Final Score: Toronto 2 (1) West Virginia 2 (0) Lineups: Toronto: Binstock, DiLorenzo, Jonke, Grist, McNamara (Smith, 78), DeAbreu (Soutar, 65), Rios (Oppong, 58), Medwin (Bahadur, 65), Scott (Mitchell, 72), Revivo (McBride, 78), Tshimpaka (Medwin, 45) West Virginia: Gott, Bohach (Shegrill, 76), Usman, Ahmad, Harrison, Flunder, LaCrone (Whalley, 58), Acree (Crumrine, 60), Villiard (Arthur, 76), Clare, Geathers Officials: Referee: Yusri Rudolf Referee's Assistants: Ricky Zomparelli, Paul Bottos Fourth Official: Steve Senderovich Cautions: Toronto: 3 (Jonke, 70; Binstock, 71; Bahadur, 90) West Virginia: 3 (Villiard, 24; Clarke, 48, 71) Ejections: Toronto: 2 (DiLorenzo, 84; McBride, 90) West Virginia: 2 (Clarke, 71; Usman, 84) Shots: Toronto 13 West Virginia 9 Saves: Toronto 4, West Virginia 3 Fouls: Toronto 14, West Virginia 20 Offsides: Toronto 2, West Virginia 3 Corners: Toronto 7, West Virginia 5 Scorers: Toronto: 7' Tshimpaka (Revivo) 54' Scott (Revivo) West Virginia: 80' Harrison 90' Crumrine
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