June 12, 2011 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs Michigan Bucks (by Rocket Robin)

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Result of the Sunday June 12th, 2011 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and Michigan Bucks played at Centennial Stadium at 6:00pm.

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

........................1 Mike Watkins
4 Taylor Lord...5 Terrence Smith...6 Konner McNamara...3 Al James
11 Jon Costa...8 Aaron McKenna...12 Cameron Eisses...10 Lee Smyth (cpt)
..............7 Macca Wilde...9 Leigh Veidman

Subs:...00 Matt Silva (gk)...13 Jordan Taylor (def)...14 Jordan Kotsopoulos (def)...15 Andrew Deyrayeh (mid)...16 Jelani Smith (fwd)
...17 Eric Crawford (def)...18 Warren Cazz (fwd)
team officials:...head coach Duncan Wilde...asssistant coach Billy Steele

Michigan Bucks (all dark green, white numbers)

.........................1 Mitch Hildebrandt
23 Joey Dillon...13 Stew Givens (cpt)...25 Justin Saas...2 Ben Hunt
14 Tommy Catalano...18 Alex Morrisette...7 Adam Shaw...9 Luke Holmes
..............26 Sodade Bubeyele...21 Lucky Mkosana

Subs:...27 Daniel Withrow (gk)...3 Ryan Keenes (def)...8 Peter Jacobson (fwd)...10 Kenny Uzoigwe (fwd)...16 Victor Otieno (mid) ...24 Tony Walls (mid)
team officials:...head coach Gary Parsons

Game officials:...referee Alex Hearn...referee's assistants Yakhov Keimach and Philip Vine...no fourth official ...(yellow shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 6:01pm...Lynx defend south end.
30 sec...MB Holmes low 20 yard shot from extreme left bounces to goalie.
1 min...Lynx Veidman turns and flubs midair shot at 15 yards.
4 min...MB Givens long throw-in has defender clear.
4 min...Lynx goalie dives out to beat MB Mkosana to ball in box.
5 min...MB Givens long throw-in from Lynx 40 yards has defender clear out of box.
7 min...Lynx Costa has MB player make clearance off his face (ouch) and ball deflects back to goalie from 25 yards.
9 min...MB Holmes 25 yard freekick from left has defender pop up header and MB Bubeyele miss on 12 yard bicycle kick attempt.
14 min...Bucks Sodade Bubeyele GOAL...MB Stew Givens long throw-in from Lynx 20 yard line has Bubeyele head 8 yarder from middle into left side of net beyond flying goalie Mike Watkins.
15 min...MB Saas heads 5 yarder down middle just over net.
16 min...MB Shaw chips 20 yarder just over the bar hitting the football bar.
16 min...MB Hunt 30 yard cross from left has goalie catch.
18 min...MB YELLOW card...Morrisette earns it at MB 45 yards for an upending tackle.
18 min...MB Givens heads away cross from 20 yards on right in crowd of players in MB box.
19 min...Lynx Terrence Smith is injured in collision at Lynx 20 yard line.
20 min...MB Catalano gets pass from right and running away from net turns and crosses but ball is cleared.
21 min...Lynx Costa recovers MB player's partial clearance and kicks ball down middle from 20 yards over the net.
22 min...MB Dillon heads ball away conceding cornerkick from Lynx Smyth who was trying to head a 7 yarder.
23 min...Lynx Wilde cornerkick from left has Lynx Veidman on right head 12 yarder over net.
24 min...MB Catalano 45 yard freekick has defender pop up header at 10 yards and MB Bubeyele called offside at 3 yards.
25 min...MB goalie beats Lynx Wilde to hig through ball kick.
26 min...MB Holmes low 25 yard freekick fromright through legs in box and partial clearance has MB Bubeyele kick 12 yard roller that diving goalie blocks on left.
29 min...MB Givens long throw-in from Lynx 5 yard line has MB players on left side of net kick 8 yarder that is wide right of post.
30 min...Lynx Wilde gets cross from right is over player in box and 10 yard shot is blocked by defender.
35 min...Lynx Smyth 40 yard freekick from right has MB player heads ball back wide right but play was flagged already.
.........Lynx YELLOW card...Costa earns it for argueing call.
36 min...Lynx Lord cross from 25 yards on right has Lynx McKenna scissor kick 8 yarder down middle is just over bar.
38 min...MB Givens long throw-in from right 15 yard line has defender head away.
38 min...MB Givens long throw-in from left has defender head ball away.
39 min...Lynx Veidman pushes ball over end line when bumped by defender on right.
40 min...MB Holmes 35 yard freekick from left sideline has goalie catch.
40 min...Lynx Costa turns for 22 yard midair shot down middle wide left of net.
41 min...MB Givens long throw-in from 15 yards on right has ball drop for MB Bubeyele on left and slips and kicks 8 yarder over net.
43 min...MB Catalano 45 yard freekick from right is over players wide left for goalkick.
43 min...MB Mkosana 20 yard blast from right has goalie fly to palm ball left of net.
44 min...Lynx RED card...Jon Costa picks up his second Yellow card from referee Alex Hearn for a check at Lynx 40 yard line. He'd earned his first at 35 minutes for arguing a call after an offside flag.
45 min...MB Holmes blasts 40 yard freekick down middle and wins cornerkick on left.
46 min...MB Holmes can't get away cornerkick before referee blows whistle on time wasting play.
46 min...half ends 6:47pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:01pm.
halftime subs:...MB Uzoigwe replaces Bubeyele.
.................MB Walls replaces Morrisette.
45 min...Lynx Smyth 30 yard cross from extreme left is caught by goalie.
47 min...Bucks Tommy Catalano GOAL...MB Stew Givens long throw-in from right has ball fall for Catalano who blasts low 12 yarder that spins off sliding defender and into right side of net over diving goalie.
51 min...Lynx sub...Kotsopoulos replaces Eisses.
52 min...Lynx Smyth low 45 yard freekick from right has nearest defender clear.
52 min...Lynx Lord blasts 25 yard partial clearance down middle that wins cornerkick.
53 min...Lynx Smyth cornerkick from right has Lynx McKenna kick 20 yarder up middle that sliding defender blocks.
54 min...Lynx Veidman wins freekicki when bumped over by MB Catalano.
54 min...Lynx Smyth blasts tap over freekicki from 20 yards that goalie bats down then picks up.
56 min...MB Kotsopoulos 20 yard shot is just wide right down middle.
59 min...MB Holmes cornerkick from right has goalie catch.
60 min...Bucks Kenny Uzoigwe GOAL...Uzoigwe heads in 3 yarder despite defender hanging on to him when he gets to cross from right.
61 min...Lynx sub...Cazz replaces Smyth.
63 min...MB Holmes cross from right wins cornerkick.
63 min...Lynx sub...Jelani Smith replaces Veidman.
..........Lynx sub...Deyrayeh replaces McKenna.
64 min...MB sub...Keenes replaces Catalano.
65 min...Lynx sub...Crawford replaces James.
..........Lynx sub...Taylor replaces Terrence Smith.
69 min...MB sub...Jacobson replaces Holmes.
70 min...MB Givens 35 yard throw-in from left is over players in box.
71 min...MB Walls cornerkick from right is cleared from box.
71 min...Lynx Jelani Smith 22 yard roller from left has goalie pick up.
72 min...MB Mkosana 30 yard blast up middle is well high and wide right.
73 min...Lynx Wilde cornerkick from right has ball cleared.
73 min...MB Jacobson 22 yard shot from left is stopped in box.
74 min...Lynx Cazz 20 yard header from right is just over net.
76 min...MB Mkosana gets chest to cross from 25 yards on right at 3 yards but ball is saved by diving goalie.
76 min...MB Hunt cross from left has MB Uzoigwe head from 8 yards that flying goalie palms from top right corner of net for cornerkick.
77 min...MB sub...Otieno replaces Shaw.
77 min...Bucks Kenny Uzoigwe GOAL...Bucks Tony Walls cornerkick from right has Uzoigwe kick in 12 yarder between goalie and defender on goal line.
79 min...MG sub...Withrow replaces Mkosana. Withrow was listed as the backup goaltender. He came in wearing the #11 uniform and played an outfield position.
81 min...Lynx YELLOW card...McNamara earns it for (what it looked like to me) complaining about a call.
83 min...MB Jacobson is injured at Lynx 50 yards in collision. After being treated for the injury, MB's decide to sit him down and play short (they've used all their subs).
86 min...Lynx Jelani Smith 15 yard shot is deflected for cornerkick.
87 min...Lynx Lord 35 yard chip from left is over player on right for goalkick.
93:04 min...game ends 7:59pm.

Final Score:........Toronto Lynx........0........Michigan Bucks..........4.............

Attendance was about 110 people on this mild early evening.

Michigan Bucks have always been one of the best teams in the division for years. This year they are in first place and on the weekend they'd already beaten undefeated FC London 2-1 while the Lynx were away to Hamilton Rage FC and won 2-0. I expect the Bucks and Chicago Fire will fight it out for first place.

The Bucks were the better team from the opening whistle with long stretches being played in the Lynx half of the field. They have a weapon in captain Stew Givens who takes the longest throw-ins I've ever seen (and that includes Adrian Serioux of MLS—and the Lynx when they were a pro team, and the Canadian Soccer League of the 1990s with Ross Quarterone and his somersault throws). Givens has no gimmicks, he just throws like a catapault! His teammates had so much respect for him that on a few throw-ins from near the box, they lined up on the opposite side of the box and then played the ball with their heads.

Mitch Hildebrandt earned the shutout for the Bucks without having to do much. I couldn't remember him having to make a save—always a defender to block a shot or inaccurate shooting high or wide of the net. Aaron McKenna had the best chance at 36 minutes when he took an 8 yard scissor kick shot just over the bar. Lee Smyth blasted a tapped over freekick from 20 yards that Hildebrandt batted down at 54 minutes. Bucks even gave their backup goalie Dan Withrow a run as an outfield player at 79 minutes.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Lynx starters