June 25, 2014 PDL--Toronto Lynx vs FC London (by Rocket Robin)

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Result and details of the Wednesday June 25, 2014 PDL game between Toronto Lynx and FC London played at Sheridan College in Oakville at 6:00pm.

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

.............................1 Matt Silva
14 Taylor McNamara (cpt)...11 Jamie Henderson...3 Francis Brennan...6 Callum Home
23 Anthony Novak...8 Will Grocott...4 Liam Collins...21 Grant Hutchinson
............9 Leigh Veidman...13 Scott McCoumbry

Subs:...1 Triston Henry (gk)...7 Macca Wilde (fwd)...25 Justin Gordon (mid)...20 Khody Ellis (mid)...19 Gary Giffin (mid)
...12 Jordan Roberts (fwd)...22 Grant Keith (def)
team officials:...head coach Duncan Wilde

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

..........................1 Mark Haynes
12 Sam Orritt...29 Aurelien Norest...24 Tyler Hemming...17 Quinn Duncan
11 Danny Deakin...15 Eddie Jones (cpt)...7 Sandro Rajkovic...3 Josh Hughes
.............10 James Pucci...21 Yannis Becker

Subs:...28 Scott Shewfelt (gk)...4 Beau Johnson (def)...27 Denver Spearman (def)...6 Thilo Koepernich (mid)...13 Tasos Bujouves (fwd)
...9 Jamie Dell (fwd)...5 Alex Lewis (def)
team officials:...head coach Martin Painter

Game officials:...referee Fabrizio Stasolla...assistant referees Sharon Welsby and Sofiane Saadi...fourth official Afshin Korkorian
...(teal shirts, black shorts and socks)

1st Half:...game starts 6:02pm...Lynx defend north end on this hot and humid evening.
1 min...FCL Orritt cross from 25 yards on right has defender head ball away at 15 yards in center of box.
4 min...Lynx Scott McCoumbry GOAL...McCoumbry 20 yard freekick from right is over player wall and past goalie Mark Haynes into the top left corner of net.
5 min...Lynx Brennan at 10 yards pops header back to goalie on FCL cross into box.
6 min...FCL Becker pushes pass forward and FCL Hughes shoots down middle wide left from 15 yards.
9 min...FCL Yannis Becker GOAL...Becker receives pass on right from FCL Danny Deakin and rolls 20 yard shot into left corner of net beyond diving goalie Matt Silva.
12 min...Lynx Home throw-in from left has Lynx Collins push ball over end line on left.
14 min...Lynx Grocott 30 yard freekick from left has ball headed on pop up at 6 yards but play is flagged down in box.
17 min...Lynx McCoumbry intercepts pass at FCL 40 yard line on left and short run to 30 yards then blasts shot that goalie bats down at 6 yards then recovers and survives collision with own defender before Lynx McCoumbry closes in.
18 min...FCL Orritt cross from 35 yards on right has goalie bobble overhead catch in crowd of players at 8 yards on left then picks ball up.
A bright sun comes out for a few minutes.
21 min...FCL goalie comes out of box to clear through ball.
22 min...FCL Orritt heads ball back to goalie.
23 min...FCL James Pucci GOAL...FCL Yannis Becker intercepts Lynx goalie's throw at Lynx 25 yard line on left and crosses in to charging Pucci who pokes in 7 yarder up middle past sprawling goalie to center of net.
26 min...FCL Pucci cornerkick from right is low and cleared by defender.
26 min...FCL Aurelien Norest GOAL...FCL Tyler Hemming cross from 25 yards on left has Norest head 7 yarder down middle just under bar.
28 min...Lynx defence looks frazzled in own end for the next few minutes.
30 min...Lynx Brennan jumps to body away pass flick into Lynx box.
31 min...FCL Duncan long run up left and rolled ball through box is unplayed.
32 min...Lynx Novak cross through FCL box from 20 yards on left is step ahead of Lynx player at 5 yards.
32 min...Lynx Veidman twists header from Lynx player's long throw-in from right downward and wide left of post.
33 min...FCL James Pucci GOAL...Pucci picks up rebound of Lynx goalie's sliding point blank save at 8 yards and bends 15 yard shot from right into left corner of net. Lynx goalie is injured on the initial save with a bloody nose. Players use the opportunity for a water break as Silva undergoes treatment.
38 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Grocott earns it for sliding tackle on FCL Duncan at FCL 30 yard line.
43 min...FCL sub...Dell replaces Pucci.
43 min...FCL Orritt low cross from 28 yards on right has FCL player miss connecting at 10 yards.
44 min...Lynx Novak is injured at FCL 50 yard line.
45 min...Lynx sub...Gordon replaces injured Novak.
47 min...Lynx Grocott is tapped freekick from 30 yards and cross from right has goalie punch ball up at 6 yards and defender heads ball up for goalie to catch.
48 min...half ends 6:50pm.

2nd Half:...starts 7:07pm...Gray clouds had rolled in from the north and now a misty rain is falling.
halftime subs:...Lynx Wilde replaces Hutchinson.
45 min...FCL Dell rush down left and low cross from near end line from 20 yards has goalie dive to punch away.
46 min...FCL Jamie Dell GOAL...Dell is unpressured by defenders at 22 yards on left and cuts along 22 yard line towards middle and blasts roller into left corner of net beyond diving goalie.
48 min...Lynx Grocott 25 yard freekick from left edge of box has Lynx Brennan leap at 4 yards on right post and heads ball wide left.
50 min...FCL Hughes 20 yard blast from left deflects off defender and is over net.
50 min...FCL Jones cornerkick from right is headed away for fast break out.
51 min...Lynx player chips from 35 yards on left that bounces over head of jumping Lynx Veidman at 8 yards on right.
55 min...FCL Dell low cross from 22 yards on left has FCL Deakin miskick 15 yard shot down middle well wide right.
58 min...Lynx Gordon rescues ball on right endline at 10 yards and cross out has Lynx Wilde bounce midair shot from 10 yards on right that goalie catches.
59 min...FCL sub...Lewis replaces Duncan.
61 min...Lynx Collins is knocked over on edge of box but gets up and 20 yarder from left has goalie palm ball over net.
61 min...Lynx player's quick cornerkick from right has Lynx player cross from right has defender head wide left.
62 min...Lynx Henderson cross from 30 yards on left has goalie catch.
64 min...FCL sub...Koepernich replaces Orritt.
........Lynx sub...Ellis replaces McCoumbry.
64 min...FCL players cornerkick from right has ball cleared but it's crossed back into box before another clearance.
65 min...Lynx Veidman is injured at FCL 30 yard line but advantage played and FCL goalie makes dive forward to stop cross from right.
67 min...FCL sub...Bujouves replaces Deakin.
68 min...Lynx Veidman rolls cross from 10 yards on left that goalie slides to save before Lynx player can tap in from 5 yards.
70 min...Lynx Henderson slides to shoot 18 yard roller up middle on cross from left and goalie smothers at 4 yards.
72 min...Lynx Grocott 20 yard freekick from left is botched up and run over FCL end line.
73 min...Lynx YELLOW card...Grocott earns it for check or complaing about whistle.
75 min...Lynx Wilde is injured on sideline collision.
76 min...FCL Dell rush in from left and 3 yard shot is blocked near left post.
78 min...FCL Becker taps pass and FCL Bujouves shoots down middle from 18 yards wide right of net.
78 min...Lynx Henderson is tapped back pass and takes 15 yard shot from left that's wide right of net.
79 min...FCL YELLOW card...Hemming earns it for sliding tackle on Lynx Ellis.
80 min...Lynx Grocott 30 yard freekick from right has Lynx Veidman head over net in crowd of players from 8 yards on left.
81 min...Lynx sub...Giffin replaces Collins.
.........Lynx sub...Roberts replaces Wilde.
82 min...Lynx Veidman rolls 18 yard cross from left that Lynx Roberts taps into goalie at 4 yards.
83 min...FCL sub...Johnson replaces Hemming.
87 min...Lynx RED card...Jordan Roberts earns a direct ejection off the ball in the right side of the FCL box as ball was being played in the left side of the box. Referee Fabrizio Stasolla told me after the game that it was for violent conduct.
88 min...Lynx RED card...Head coach Duncan Wilde earns ejection from the Lynx player bench for complaining about the previous play.
89 min...Lynx YELLOW card?...Henderson earns it for tackle at FCL 30 yard line?
92 min...Lynx Ellis rush on left and cuts 20 yard shot from left just over bar on right corner of net.
92:17 min...game ends 7:54pm.

Final Score:.....Toronto Lynx.......1......FC London........5........

Attendance was started at about 20 and ended at maybe 60 on this hot, humid, and mostly overcast evening with a storm cloud crossing over at halftime and dumping rain throughout the second half and then off and on my drive home. The game had to have an early start because Sheridan College Stadium has no lights.

These teams played earlier this season at Sheridan and that game ended in a 3-3 tie with FCL Yannis Becker earning a hat trick.

I ensured that FCL defender Aurelien Norest was given credit for a goal (as the stats lady gave three goals to James Pucci on the advice of her spotter). Assist on Norest's goal was from fellow defender Tyler Hemming who was with Toronto FC in 2007. He confirmed for me after the game that he's now been with FC London for four years.

London did empty their bench in the second half (as did the Lynx) but for one-too-many passes they may have reached double digits. Lynx played more men forward that left them subject to counterattacks.

This was a rough game with Lynx taking all the cards (except one) that I counted from referee Fabrizio Stasolla—two Yellows and the Reds. Lynx midfielder Anthony Novak was injured near the end of the first half and had to be subbed. He was coming off winning Super 20 Player of the Week last week. Toronto Lynx Jrs lead the Super 20 Great Lakes Division (7 teams) with a 5-2-0 record.

Lynx record falls to 1 win, 6 losses, 2 ties for 5th of 6 in the PDL Great Lakes Division. FC London improves to 3 wins, 3 losses, 3 ties good for 4th place which must be a disappointment from previous seasons. Michigan Bucks and Chicago Fire U23s are leading the division with only K-W United close to them with all those teams playing less games than London.

Next game for the Lynx is this Saturday at 4:00pm at Crescent School in Toronto against Pittsburgh Riverhounds U23s—the one team with less points than them but their one win was against the Lynx.

Rocket Robin
robing@eol.ca

Toronto Lynx starters