May 25, 2011 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs Hamilton FC Rage (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Wednesday May 25, 2011 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and Hamilton FC Rage played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 11:00am.

Toronto Lynx (white socks and shirts, black shorts and numbers)

......................1 Mike Watkins
2 Taylor Lord...4 Callum Home...6 Konner McNamara...3 Al James
12 Greg Lewanowski...8 Aaron McKenna...5 Cam Eisses...10 Lee Smyth (cpt)
..............11 Jelani Smith...9 Leigh Veidman

Subs:...00 Matthew Silva (gk)...13 Jordan Kotsopoulos (mid)...14 Jordan Taylor (def)...15 Andrew Dereyheh (def)...16 Stevie Fattorie (mid)
...17 Cazz Warren...38 Brandon Wellington (mid)
team officials:...head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coach Billy Steele

Hamilton FC Rage (all navy, white numbers and trim)

......................26 Alex Mitchell
4 Tevin Wynter...3 Dominic Bell...15 John Nardozzi...22 Anthony DiBiase
20 Liam Calins...18 Andreas Guentre...6 William Grocolt...7 Josh Bennett
................21 Khody Ellis...8 Scott McCoubney (cpt)

Subs:...1 Nick Kurtz (gk)...5 Sean Pike...11 Evan James...15 Rene De Zorzi...16 Johnny Yacou...17 Stephen Powell...23 Adam Bond
team officials:...head coach Brett Mosen

Game officials:...referee Steve Senderovich...referee's assistants Armando Pereira and Alexis Vaughan...no fourth official...(neon yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st half:...game starts 11:00am...Lynx defend south end with a bright sun in the south.
2 min...Lynx Smyth 25 yard freekick from right and Lynx Smith dives to head 12 yarder wide right of net.
4 min...Lynx goalie catches 15 yard shot from right.
5 min...Lynx goalie catches 40 yard freekick down middle.
6 min...Lynx Leigh Veidman GOAL...Lynx Lee Smyth 35 yard freekick from left has goalie Alex Mitchell outjump Lynx Jalani Smith at 6 yards to get body to ball to knock it down. Veidman pounds in 10 yarder to center of open net.
13 min...Lynx Smyth 40 yard crosss from left bounces in front of players and goes out wide right.
15 min...Rage Bennett is passed ball to left and his 15 yard shot is blocked by flying goalie on left post and rebound is cleared by a defender.
16 min...Rage Bennett rush on left and 30 yard roller is smothered by goalie on left post.
17 min...Rage Ellis 20 yard shot from right is cleared by defender.
18 min...Rage DiBiase cornerkick from right has goalie punch ball forward in crowd of players and defenders prevent a follow up shot.
20 min...Lynx Lord rush on right and low 25 yard cross is caught by diving goalie in front of Lynx player.
21 min...Rage DiBiase 25 yard blast on left is over crowd of players and over net.
22 min...Lynx McKenna 25 yard chip over crowd of players bounces to goalie.
24 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Home earns if for hip check on Rage Bennett at Lynx 31 yards.
25 min...Rage DiBiase 33 yard freekick on left is lofted in, Rage Bell heads ball from 5 yards that flying goalie pushes wide left of post. Rage player's recross has Rage Bell pop 5 yarder over net.
28 min...Rage Ellis 30 yard high cross from right sideline is caught by goalie.
29 min...Rage Wynter 50 yard cross from right is ahead of Rage forwards and caught by goalie.
29 min...Rage defender heads ball back to goalie just beating Lynx Smith to ball.
33 min...Rage Calins is given through ball by Rage McCoubney but goalie charges out to dive on it at 15 yards.
39 min...Rage Grocolt 35 yard freekick from right bends to leaping goalie to catch in front of charging players.
40 min...Lynx Jelani Smith GOAL...Lynx Callum Home chips ball forward down right from 60 yards to charging Smith who times run to get behind two defenders and his low 25 yard shot from right is into left corner of net.
42 min...Rage Bennett blasts 25 yard shot from left well over net.
43 min...Rage YELLOW card...DiBiase earns if for upending Lynx Smith at 30 yards in middle.
43 min...Lynx Home is tapped over 30 yard freekick and he blasts shot that goalie catches.
44 min...Lynx Smyth cross from left near cornerflag and leaping Lynx Veidman heads 6 yarder over net.
48 min...half ends 11:48pm.

2nd Half:...starts 12:02pm.
45 min...Rage Bell bulls down middle but taps 10 yard shot that goalie smothers.
50 min...Rage DiBiase 45 yard freekick near left sideline is caught by goalie wide right of net.
50 min...Rage Calins runs to loose ball in middle and his 22 yard shot is well over net.
53 min...Rage Bennett 35 yard shot from left is well high and wide right of net.
57 min...Rage Ellis 30 yard shot from right sideline is saved by goalie.
58 min...Rage McCoubney 28 yard shot down middle is caught by goalie.
59 min...Lynx Smyth cornerkick from right has goalie catch ball in crowd of players.
62 min...Lynx sub...Dereyheh replaces Eisses.
.........Rage sub...James replaces Ellis.
64 min...Rage DiBiase scoops ball over defenders for Rage James to head ball wide right but he wins a cornerkick on the right.
65 min...Rage James cornerkick from right has Rage player's 10 yard shot on left caught by goalie.
66 min...Lynx James is fed through ball on left and he rolls an 18 yard shot wide right of the net.
67 min...Lynx sub...Kotsopoulos replaces Veidman.
68 min...Rage cornerkivck from right wins a cornerkick on the left.
68 min...Rage Bennett wastes freekick pressure on left with 22 yard shot wide right of net.
72 min...Lynx Smith leaps and gets foot to ball between defenders on left and 5 yarder hits football upright above net.
73 min...Rage sub...Pike replaces Bennett.
........Lynx sub...Warren replaces Smith.
74 min...Lynx goalie smothers shot from right.
77 min...Rage Home cross on charge to right end line crosses through box but cleared on left.
78 min...Rage DiBiase cornerkick from right has goalie palm ball through box for throw-in on left.
79 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Lewandowski earns it for bump on Rage Calins at Rage 41 yard line.
80 min...Rage sub...Bond replaces Bell.
........Lynx sub...Taylor replaces Lewandowski.
82 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Lord earns it for delay of game taking freekick at Rage 42 yards.
83 min...Lynx Warren cross from right has Lynx Smyth on left one-touch 15 yard shot over net.
86 min...Lynx Smyth low 25 yard freekick from right hits outside right webbing of net with all players on left side wairing for ball.
87 min...Rage sub...Powell replaces Calins.
88 min...Rage Guentre 28 yard freekick from right is caught by goalie.
88 min...Rage DiBiase 35 yard cross from left is caught by leaping goalie in front of Rage forward.
90 min...Lynx Warren is given through ball up left and 18 yard shot is wide right of post.
91 min...Lynx Taylor on right center pass to Lynx Warren who passes back to Lynx Taylor and his 12 yard shot hits football bar just over soccer goal.
92 min...Rage James 22 yard shot up middle spins and flying goalie pushes ball wide right of net.
93 min...Rage McCoubney cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
93 min...game ends 12:50pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Lynx........2...........Hamilton FC Rage..........0.........

Attendance was about 200 on this mild day with a bright sun in the south. This was the special annual School Day game and was first of a double header with the Lady Lynx and the Rage woman's team playing in the afternoon. This was the smallest attendance of any of these school day events the team has held and needs more promotional effort to bring the numbers back to the 2000 these events have known a few years ago. Former soccer greats Dino Perri and Phil Ionadi came into the press box at separate times to say 'Hello'.

The game started off like the first Lynx game did on the weekend against FC London but the Lynx played much better from the moment they scored the first goal. That goal came against the run of play.

Jelani Smith scored the second goal for the Lynx to give them some breathing room. I've seen him play in the CSL with Metro Lions in 2007 as the youngest player in the league and move on to Italia (now York Region) Shooters. He said after the game that the PDL season now fits him perfect as he's a student at Florida Gulf Coast University (Business major). His 6'3” size helped draw a Yellow card just moments after he scored as it is hard to stop him. He almost scored again at 66 minutes on a near identical play but shot just to the right of goal. At 72 minutes he jumped to get a foot in between defenders at 5 yards and hit the football uprights just above the soccer net. Jelani is three years younger than his brother Jamaal who famously won a position at the training camp of Toronto FC in 2007 from an open tryout of over 1000 competitors before their inaugural season. The brothers played together on the same teams in the CSL.

Mike Watkins earned the shutout for the Lynx. He had to be great in the first half to keep them in the game. At 15 minutes HFCR Josh Bennett received a pass from the left and his 15 yard shot was blocked by the flying Watkins on the left post and the rebound was cleared by a defender. Best save however was at 25 minutes when Anthony DiBiase lofted in a 33 yard freekick from the left that Dominic Bell headed from 5 yards but had Watkins fly over to push wide left of the post. Another HFCR player kept the ball in play then sent back cross that had DiBiase pop a header from 5 yards over the net.

Both teams had some last minute chances. At 86 minutes Lee Smyth took a low 25 yard freekick from the right with all the players on both sides waiting on the left side of the box for a cross and he instead sent it to the short side and just missed the post and the ball ended up in the right side webbing of the net. Two minutes later HFCR Dibiase sent in a 35 yard cross from the left that was caught by the jumping goalie just a step in front of a striker. Two minutes after that Cazz Warren was given a through ball up the left and his 18 yard shot was just wide right of the post. A minute later Jordan Taylor and Jelani Smith worked a pass back and forth that ended up with Taylor sending a 12 yard shot that hit the football bar just over the soccer net. Last chance fell to HFCR with Evan James at 92 minutes with a spinning shot up the middle from 22 yards that the flying goalie pushed wide right of the net.

Referee was Steve Senderovich gave out a few cards and a lot of freekicks for this rather rough game.

Hamilton is a new team to the PDL and this was their first regular season game. The only player I recognize in the listings was Anthony DiBiase who played for FC London of the PDL in 2010.

The Lynx record improves to 1 win, 1 loss in a great recovery from their 1-0 loss to FC London on Sunday in their first home game.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Lynx starters