June 4, 2014 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs FC London (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday June 4th, 2014 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and FC London played at Sheridan College in Oakville at 6:00pm.

Toronto Lynx (yellow & black hooped socks, black shorts and shirts, yellow shoulders, white numbers)

......................1 Matt Silva
14 Taylor McNamara (cpt)...6 Callum Home...5 Eric Crawford...2 Tevin Wynters
20 Khody Ellis...11 Jaimie Henderson...4 Liam Collins...8 Will Grocott...23 Anthony Novak
.......................9 Leigh Veidman

Subs:...26 Triston Henry (gk)...7 Macca Wilde (fwd)...17 Lukas Risto (mid)...25 Justin Gordon (fwd)...15 Anthony Doran (mid)
...16 Terence Smith (def)...19 Gary Giffin (def)
team officials: head coach Duncan Wilde...assistant coaches Billy Steele and Brett Mosen

Forest City London (white socks and shorts, yellow shirts, black numbers)

........................1 Mark Haynes
27 Denver Spearman...29 Aurelien Norest...6 Thilo Koepernich...23 Dan Savory
7 Sandro Rajkovic...15 Eddie Jones (cpt)...12 Sam Orritt...20 Alex Delarolic
................21 Yannis Becker...10 James Pucci

Subs:...28 Scott Shewfelt (gk)...4 Beau Johnson (def)...17 Quinn Duncan (def)...55 Aaron Schneebeli (def)...11 Danny Deakin (mid)
...8 Ben Whitcombe (mid)...13 Tasas Bujouves (fwd)
team official:...head coach Martin Painter

Game officials:...referee David Barrie...referee's assistant Fabrizio Stasolla and Afshin Korkorian...fourth official Scott Bowman
...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 6:01pm...Lynx defend north end on this mild evening with a bright sun in the north west.
4 min...Lon Pucci taps ball over to Lon Becker who blasts 22 yarder up middle well over net.
6 min...Lon Becker shoots 20 yarder around defender and goalie leans over to catch ball on left post.
7 min...FCL Yannis Becker GOAL...Becker blasts a 20 yard shot down the middle into the top left corner of the net past goalie Matthew Silva. Becker started at 40 yards on the right and played at least two give and go tapped passes with teammates stepping past Lynx defenders on his run in. The last pass was from James Pucci.
8 min...Lon goalie runs to right to pick up through ball.
9 min...Lynx Wynters loses ball at 22 yards in own end.
9 min...FCL Yannis Becker GOAL...FCL Thilo Koepernich rolls ball from 30 yards in the middle over to Becker who rolls 25 yard shot into short right side of net.
11 min...Lynx Grocott receives short freekick from left and cuts to middle and shoots low 25 yarder wide right of net.
13 min...Lynx Wynters eludes doefender on left end line to cross 25 yarder that Lynx player heads at 6 yards on right end line but defender heads ball away. Lynx Henderson heads 18 yarder down middle that goalie catches.
16 min...Lon Pucci can't draw Penalty kick when he's checked off ball by two defenders at 12 yards on left.
17 min...Lon Delarolic long throw-in from left has Lon Rajkovic flick pop up header from 15 yards on left that goalie catches on right side of goal.
18 min...Lynx McNamara long throw-in from right has Lynx Ellis head ball wide right of net from 15 yards.
19 min...Lon Becker pass from middle has Lon 10 follow up with low shot that's wide right as he's bumped off ball.
20 min...Lynx Veidman chips ball from 30 yards on left that sliding goalie beats Lynx Ellis to catch at 12 yards.
22 min...Lon sub...Johnson replaces Delarolic.
24 min...Lon Jones cross from 25 yards on right is bounced through box.
26 min...Lynx Grocott bends in 40 yard cross near left sideline that drops and bounces wide right of net.
29 min...Lon Jones 35 yard freekick from left is over players and bounces to goalie.
32 min...Lon Jones ball bounces through on low cross from left and Lon Becker blasts 15 yarder from middle wide left of net.
33 min...Lynx YELLOW card...McNamara earns it for something.
34 min...Lon Jones cornerkick from left is through goalie's arms coming out to 8 yards but deflects off defender for cornerkick on right.
35 min...Lon Pucci takes short cornerkick from right. Lon Johnson chips 30 yarder from right that Lynx Wynters heads away at 10 yards.
36 min...Lynx sub...Doran replaces Novak.
36 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Grocott earns it for knocking tackle on player at Lon 25 yard line on right.
38 min...Lynx player's long throw-in from right is flicked on header across box. Lynx Veidman in alone blasts 12 yarder off left post then ball deflects off Lon player for cornerkick.
38 min...Lynx Grocott cornerkick from left is cleared from box.
42 min...Lynx Collins 40 yard freekick from right has goalie run forward in front of players to catch at 15 yards.
43 min...Lon Norest 55 yard chip over players in caught by goalie.
44 min...Lynx Liam Collins GOAL...Lynx Leigh Veidman steals the ball off FCL Dan Savory at 25 yards and taps ball over to Collins who blasts 20 yarder down middle into top right side of net over goalie Mark Haynes. Veidman is down with leg injury on play while Savory is face down with embarrassment.
45 min...Lynx Wynters and Lynx Ellis both sprawl over on left at 8 yards in Lon box trying to head cross from 20 yards from right.
46 min...Lynx Wynters bends 40 yard shot from left that goalie catches on left post.
46 min...half ends 6:47pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:03pm...there's scoreboard trouble for the first 7 minutes of the half.
49 min...Lon Becker gets to bounced throw-in on left end line but crosses it behind end line.
50 min...Lynx McNamara pushes pass forward up right for Lynx Doran and his cross from 22 yards on right is caught by goalie.
52 min...Lon Jones blasts 40 yard shot from left over net trying to catch goalie off his line.
56 min...Lynx Leigh Veidman GOAL...Lynx Will Grocott in middle intercepts ball at 40 yards and rushes forward on 2 on 1 rush with Veidman having to not run too far forward. The FCL defender finally lunges to check Grocott at 20 yards and he taps pass over to Veidman for short run to 8 yards on left to shoot ball into right side of net.
59 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Home earns it for bashing over Lon Pucci at Lynx 20 yard line.
60 min...Lon Becker low 20 yard freekick from right is smothered by goalie.
61 min...Lynx Doran 35 yard cross from right is caught by goalie.
63 min...Lynx Leigh Veidman GOAL...Lynx Will Grocott chips 35 yard cross from right that two defenders wait on edge of box to clear but one defender ducks to head ball down leaving it for Veidman to have clear 16 yard shot down middle into top right of net.
64 min...Lon sub...Duncan replaces Koepernich.
67 min...Lon Pucci 35 yard low shot from right is through crowd of players bounces wide left of net.
68 min...Lon goalie charges to 25 yards to keep ball from Lynx Veidman on 1 on 3 rush.
70 min...Lynx defender flicks header back to Lynx goalie on Lon goalie's freekick punt from own box.
71 min...Lon defenders clears Lynx player's throw-in from left into left side of box.
72 min...Lon sub...Bujouves replaces Savory.
73 min...Lon Orritt feeds pass from 60 yards but goalie rushes to pick up ball ahead of Lon Pucci charging forward.
74 min...Lynx sub...Risto replaces Henderson.
75 min...Lynx Grocott dekes defender on right and rushes to middle. Grocott 20 yard blast up middle deflects off defender and pops up and drops just over bar.
75 min...Lynx Grocott cornerkick from left is high to right but whistle blown as defender is injured.
77 min...Lynx Grocott 30 yard freekick from left bounces wide right of net as Lynx Wynters had fallen during rush to make play.
78 min...Lon Jones can't win Penalty kick for hand ball when he blasts 25 yarder into crowd of players.
80 min...Lon Norest 55 yard chip down middle is wind-aided and bounces wide left for goalkick.
82 min...Lon player's throw-in from right has ball flciked over from right and Lon Pucci hits post on 8 yard shot then kicks 5 yard rebound wide left.
83 min...Lon Orritt 40 yard chip from left is wide right of net on bounce.
84 min...Lon Bujouves cross from 25 yards has Lynx Crawford kick midair clearance at 6 yards.
84 min...Lynx sub...Giffin replaces Collins.
85 min...Lon Spearman 40 yard cross from right is well over net.
86 min...Lynx sub...Wilde replaces Ellis.
86 min...Lynx McNamara pass to Lynx Wilde but 7 yard shot up middle is called offside.
87 min...FCL Yannis Becker GOAL...FCL player crosses from right edge of box over to left side where FCL Tasas Bujouves chests ball back for Becker to blast 15 yard low shot into right corner of net.
88 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Risto earns it for clipping Lon Becker at 35 yards.
89 min...Lon Jones blasts 35 yarder low up middle has goalie block and smother rebound.
90 min...Lon Spearman cross from 20 yards along end line is cleared.
90 min...Lon Jones low cross into box has defenders block at 3 yards on left and then clear.
91 min...Lon Pucci can't win Penalty kick on knock on right.
91 min...Lynx players called offside on break in at 22 yards.
93 min...Lynx Risto 40 yard chip from left has goalie catch pop up on right post.
93:41 min...game ends 7:51pm.

Final Score:......Toronto Lynx........3........FC London........3......

Attendance started at about 50 (for the 6:00pm start*) but grew to about 100 by the game was over.

This game started as what I thought would be a blowout for FC London who've had the Lynx number over the last few years that I 've attended. As the game progressed the FCL defence looked more and more suspect. I was feeling sorry for Leigh Veidman who was listed as the lone Lynx forward and he'd sometimes get high balls sent in that he'd head down but no teammate was there and the defenders would clear. Later he'd be able to hold the ball and wait for midfielders to come forward.

Weather played a factor in that a strong gusty wind in the second half and a blindingly bright sun that came out on a mostly cloudy evening helped FCL somewhat for the last 20 minutes. FCL defenders could loop 60 yard crosses that would land in the Lynx box. Even the FCL goalie took a freekick from his own box and the Lynx goalie had to catch it. FCL almost had their tieing goal at 82 minutes when James Pucci had an 8 yard shot in the clear on the left that hit the left post and the rebound deflected directly back to him and he put the 5 yard shot just wide left of the post.

Referee David Barrie gave out four Yellow cards—all to the Lynx --but more importantly for the Lynx waved off all FCL claims for Penalty kicks including one in injury time.

Thanks to FCL Yannis Becker after the game for filling in the assists on his three goals. He's from Germany.

Tyler Hemming was not in today's 18 listing for FC London. (He's played here many years but I just thought I'd mention it as I've been listing ex Toronto FC and TFC Academy players for the last week in postings for League 1 Ontario).

*The answer to the question of why this game started at 6:00pm rather than an hour or two later when more people would have been able to get here is that looking around the stadium I could see there were no lights! The game ended at 7:51pm which was only about one hour until sunset.

Next home game for the Lynx is Sunday at Sheridan College at 4:00pm against Chicago Fire U-23s. The Lynx were in Chicago to play that team last weekend and split the two games. (0-1, 2-1). Lynx record after today is 1 win, 2 losses, and now 2 ties which is not near a playoff position.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Lynx starters