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Result of the Sunday July 20th, 2008 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and Michigan Bucks played at the Varsity Centre in Toronto at 4:00pm.
Toronto Lynx (all white, black numbers, yellow trim)
.......................1 Nils Binstock
13 Taylor McNamara...5 Rick Titus...7 Chris DeAbreu...4 Cameron Alksnis
..............21 Kevin Omokhua (cpt)...23 Damion Scott...3 Lloyd Grist
..............9 Daniel Revivo...17 Sherif El-Masri...12 Elder Gomes
Subs:...10 Derek Rios (mid)...11 Jean Tshimpaka (fwd)...19 Sergio DeLuca (mid)
also listed but that I didn't see:...15 Cameron Medwin (mid)...16 Stephen Soutar (def/mid)
team officials:...coach Rob Irwin
Michigan Bucks (all black, white numbers)
......................25 Steve Clark (cpt)
24 Nosa Iyoha...4 Kyle Russell...22 Ian Daniel...15 Dave Hertel
2 Jake Stacy...14 Alex Morisset...23 Billy Weaver...18 Doug DeMartin
................10 Kenny Uzoigwe...9 Bret Mollon
Subs:...none!
team officials:...head coach Dan Fitzgerald
Game officials:...referee Rick Zomparelli...referee's assistants Andrew Kravitz and Peter Pendli...fourth official Brian Butler...(red shirts, black shorts and socks)
1st Half:...game starts 4:09pm...Lynx defend south end. There's been a pregame rain but none at game time. It's hot, humid and overcast.
50 sec...MB Stacy is given short center pass but he's checked off ball before he can take a 10 yard shot on the right.
2 min...MB Mollon low cross from the left to MB Morisset but he's offside at 7 yards.
3 min...MB Uzoigwe threaded ball up middle but he's nudged as he rolls shot from 12 yards that's just wide right of net.
6 min...Lynx goalie charges wide left to get through ball.
6 min...Lynx McNamara 25 yard cross from right drifts well over net.
7 min...MB Mollon? blasts low 25 yard shot from right when he gets partial rebound.
8 min...Lynx Titus breaks up pass between MB Mollon and MB Uzoigwe.
9 min...MB Stacy cornerkick from left has MB Daniel head 10 yarder on right that diving goalie smothers.
13 min...Lynx DeAbreu threads pass from right but goalie beats charging Lynx McNamara to pick ball up.
17 min...Lynx Omokhua rolls through ball but Lynx players hesitate for expected offside call so ball rolls wide right for goalkick.
20 min...MB Hertel checked off ball as he tried to split defence at 20 yards.
25 min...Lynx Grist pass from 40 yards deflected by defender but Lynx players are called offside.
25 min...MB Uzoigwe pops up header at Lynx 10 yards but defender clears.
27 min…Bucks Doug DeMartin GOAL…DeMartin 30 yard shot up the middle deflects off a defender and pops over goalie Nils Binstock and drops into left side of net.
31 min...MB Weaver rolls ball across goalmouth but defender prevents tap-in from player on left post.
32 min…Bucks Billy Weaver GOAL...Bucks Kenny Uzoigwe takes a quick freekick which he uses to pass from the center to the open wing right wing at 35 yards and Weaver blasts a 20 yard from right to the top left corner of the net.
33 min...Lynx Revivo low 30 yard shot up middle is through crowd of players but smothered by goalie on right post.
34 min...Lynx Omokhua 22 yard roller up middle is smothered by goalie.
35 min...Lynx Scott 20 yard blast from right is wide left.
35 min...MB Stacy 30 yard cross from left bounces to goalie.
36 min...MB DeMartin has blast from 22 yards stopped point blank by goalie and rebound behind goalie is rolled wide left of net.
44 min...Lynx Grist cornerkick from right has partial clearance and Lynx DeAbreu blasts 25 yard shot well over crowd in box and over net.
45 min...half ends 4:56pm, no added time...that was a surprise as the balls out of bounds had to be retrieved by the players.
2nd Half:...starts 5:10pm...there is now a misty rain falling the entire second half.
halftime sub:...Lynx DeLuca replaces Gomes.
45 min...Lynx Revivo cross from right is low and defender clears ball away.
47 min...Lynx Alksnis gets foot out to blaock low cross into Lynx box.
48 min...Lynx Grist rush on left and cross into box has goalie charge forward to catch.
49 min…Bucks Kenny Uzoigwe GOAL…Uzoigwe fed through ball from 40 yards and gets pass at 25 yards and runs in and on left rolls ball under falling goalie at 12 yards into center of net. (His 10th goal of the year).
51 min...Lynx Scott in MB box on right but his short cross is behind the net.
53 min...Lynx Scott through ball kick from 30 yards on left rolls beyond end line is too far for Lynx Grist.
56 min...Lynx Omokhua 30 yard shot through crowd of players up middle is caught by goalie.
58 min...Lynx Grist 35 yard blast through crowd up middle and wide left.
59 min...Lynx Omokhua rush up right and 20 yard and rolling blast is pushed wide right by diving goalie.
60 min...MB goalie pushes Lynx Grist cornerkick from right out of box.
61 min...MB Mollon is tapped back ball and his 25 yard shot is smothered by goalie.
62 min...Lynx Omokhua cross from right end line has MB Russell gets flying header to knock ball out of the box.
63 min...MB Uzoigwe 22 yard blast has goalie bat down ball.
65 min...Lynx DeAbreu 20 yard roller up middle is through crowd of players and smothered by goalie.
67 min...MB Stacy 30 yard blast of loose ball hits bar and bounces out for defender to head back to goalie.
67 min...Lynx Grist long cross from 40 yards has Lynx Omokhua not able to control ball on right and it's knocked out for cornerkick.
68 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Alksnis for complaining about call.
69 min...Lynx Omokhua rush along 30 yard line sideline to center and cuts shot that goalie catches.
74 min...Lynx Revivo crosses low from 20 yards on right and goalie diving forward pushes ball wide left of net.
76 min...Lynx DeAbreu 30 yard shot up middle has goalie catch on right post.
78 min...Lynx Scott 40 yard blast from left is over players and is high and well wide right of net.
79 min...MB DeMartin rush on right and crosses across box just two steps ahead of charging MB Stacy.
81 min...MB Morisset cross from right has Lynx McNamara head ball back to goalie to break up a tap-in.
84 min...MB Morisset chips cross from right that Lynx Titus head ball out of box.
It's now raining hard.
85 min...Lynx goalie charges to edge of box to pick up through ball that MB Uzoigwe has pushed too far.
89 min...MB Daniel 70 yard clearance from right that bounces to goalie.
90 min...game ends 5:55pm again with no added time.
Final Score:…..Toronto Lynx……0……….Michigan Bucks………3…………
Attendance was about 50 on this rainy day. This is the lowest attendance I’ve ever seen at a Lynx game and is quite a contrast to the 2500 I saw on Wednesday for a matinee game full of children. There was a pre-game rain but it had stopped before opening kickoff. The rain returned in the second half and got really bad as that half wore on. There was no player tunnel of kids or ball boys and this took its toll with the huge end zones. The referee didn’t add any extra time to either half to compensate for the wasted time.
The second goal was a killer as some Lynx players were protesting the freekick call with referee Rick Zomparelli and the Bucks took advantage by taking a quick freekick giving their player a fast breakaway.
The Bucks are the best team in the division and as it turns out in the conference. The defense gave up only 13 goals in their 16 games this season. Goalie Steve Clark earned his sixth shutout this season (actually equaling Lynx goalie Nils Binstock). The defenders limited the Lynx to shots from outside of the box which were all routine for the goalie to catch. The goalie was one of those screamers yelling instructions to his own players any time the Lynx were within 35 yards of his net.
I questioned how serious the Bucks wanted to win as it would guarantee they would host the conference playoffs. They came to Toronto with only 11 players! I thought they would get tired and it was true as their leading scorer Kenny Uzoigwe was just jogging in the second half after his goal and could hold the ball and pass off. Imagine if MLS Toronto FC’s Danny Dichio had to play 90 minutes a game and you get the idea. The Lynx are the only team to beat the Bucks this year limiting them to a 13-1-2 record. The Lynx finish at 8-6-2 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2000.
The Lynx game sheet listed five subs but I only counted three on the bench. At least four players were absent at an Under 20 weekend in St Louis and Des Moines were trying for a playoff spot. Lynx head coach Duncan Wilde and assistant coach Billy Steele went with the team. Director of Operations Rob Irwin was the honourary coach but assistant coach/defensive stalwart Rick Titus played in only his fourth game of the year.
Before the game, player awards were given out by the team.
Rookie of the Year---Lloyd Grist
Best Defensive Player—Erik DiLorenzo earned it for the second year in a row. He had to watch the game from the stands as he earned a red card near the end of the Cincinnati game on Wednesday.
Best Offensive Player---Jean Tshimpaka
Fan Favourite—Derek Rios (a midfielder)
Most Valuable Player (a media award) ---Daniel Revivo
(I think I am the only member of the media covering the team except that FIFA rep/broadcast journalist Dick Howard may have voted after seeing Wednesday’s game. A pretty safe choice as he led the team with 9 goals (more than twice the number of any other Lynx player).
After the game I congratulated Daniel Revivo for his season. I said Lynx MVPs have a habit of not returning to the team. Revivo says he was going back to university in South Carolina for his final year but has been scouted by MLS teams and has some offers from Europe so he’ll see how it turns out. (His bio says it’s Winthrop University and he’s studying Business Administration/Entrepreneurship).
Losing this game was the only way the Lynx could have made the playoffs as the Bucks had to win the conference to let three teams in from their (Great Lakes) division and the third place team was the Lynx. It’s therefore Des Moines Menace that misses the playoffs for finishing third in the Heartland Division.
The Lynx now have a playoff game against the second place team in their division…Cleveland Internationals who have beat the Lynx both times they’ve played this season.
Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca
Bucks starters (actually the whole team because they only brought 11 players)
Lynx starters
Daniel Revivo salutes the crowd after being named the Lynx MVP.
Bucks throw-in
Lynx set piece failed to score
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