July 9/2008 Toronto Lady Lynx vs Laval Comets

[Rocket Robin]

Result of the Wednesday July 9th, 2008 W-League game between Toronto Lady Lynx and Laval Comets played at Centennial Stadium in Etobicoke at 11:00am.

15 min…Lady Lynx Stefania Morra GOAL…Morra 8 yard blast in box deflects into left corner of net past goalie Marie-Pier Bilodeau.

15 min…Lady Lynx defender Kayla Afonso makes sliding tackle from behind that upends Comets Melissa Busque on right side of LL box. Referee Peter Pendli wastes no time in awarding a Penalty kick.

16 min…Comets Andreanne Gagne GOAL…Gagne’s Penalty kick is low to left side of net just beyond diving goalie Elise Kuhar-Pitters.

31 min…Lady Lynx Brittany Bisnott GOAL…LL Julia Bazi took a 15 yard shot from the left that deflected off the left post and Bisnott chased rebound and blasted a 12 yard shot into the top right corner of the net.

Final Score:…….Toronto Lady Lynx……2………..Laval Comets………1………

Attendance was about 800 on today’s “Youth Day” which was a majority of Toronto area day camp children.

Referee’s assistants Emile Schultz and Alexis Vaughan were consistent calling offsides. It didn’t make a difference in the second half when the two teams switched ends; they still called anything questionable. There certainly were a lot of flags. Lady Lynx Brittany Bisnott was called three times within seven minutes in one stretch in the first half. Referee Peter Pendli gave out one yellow card.

I thought the Lady Lynx held an advantage overall in play and did a good job in holding on to the lead in the last half hour. They almost increased their lead and really limited the Comets chances. At 83 minutes however it almost went for naught as LC Aimee Legault squeezed through defenders to get to the ball and goalie Elise Kuhar-Pitters had to make a point blank save at 8 yards then stand tough for a possible rebound until the defenders could poke the ball away.

Best Lady Lynx second half chances were at 64 minutes when Stefania Morra on a rush down the left wing sent in a perfect cross to LL Aurelea Gumiela down the middle at 10 yards and she tried to round the goalie who sprawled and blocked the shot and was injured as Gumiela fell over her. The goalie had another close call when Alyssa Lagonia took a cornerkick from the left was knocked around in the box and LL Kelsi Landry headed a 10 yard pop up that the goalie caught under the bar. At 72 minutes LL Allysha Chapman runs on the left all rolls cross from left edge of box. An LL player gets a shot at the ball which hadn’t been cleared and the goalie catches the ball by flying back towards the goal playing 5 yards off her line. Two minutes after that the goalie made a split second decision to kick away a ball rather than risk picking it up at 10 yards just a step ahead after a hard charging Stefania Morra was pushed a ball forward from Brooke McCalla. At 89 minutes, TL Tessa Dimitrakopoulos eluded defender Kathryn Acton as Chapman crossed to her up the middle and her 20 yard try had the goalie block the shot.

Lady Lynx worked six subs into the game in the second half to keep fresh legs. The Comets brought in the three subs they brought into the game during the second half.

Allysha Chapman was back in the lineup and came into the game at 55 minutes. She had been away at the CONCACAF Under 20 Championship helping Canada win the tournament and earn a place at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in New Zealand later this year.

This was a huge game for the Lady Lynx to win. Assuming the division results fall as expected to the better teams winning, the Lady Lynx will probably finish second and earn a home playoff game against the Comets on Wednesday July 23rd. Although the Lady Lynx pulled into the division lead with today’s result, Ottawa Fury with their game in hand will probably flip back into the lead and hold on by sweeping their remaining games.

Rocket Robin

robing@eol.ca

[Rocket Robin]

TORONTO LADY LYNX GAME REPORT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lady Lynx Sizzle in the Sunshine

Thrill Youth Day throng with 2-1 victory over Laval

Date: July 9, 2008

Venue: Centennial Park Stadium, Toronto, ON

Kick Off Time: 11:00 AM EDT

Final Score: Toronto 2 (1) Laval 1 (1)

Match Summary:

The Toronto Lady Lynx once again leapt past the Ottawa Fury back into first place in the Northern Division of the W-League with a tough 2-1 victory over the Laval Comets this afternoon at sunny Centennial Park Stadium. The win, the Lady Lynx’ first-ever regular season home victory over the Comets, brings them Lynx to within four points of clinching their fourth consecutive playoff berth, and raises their record to 9-1-1 (28 points) on the season. The team sits one point ahead of the Fury, who have one game in hand. Laval falls to 7-3-0 (21 points) on the year, and remains in third place in the division, five points ahead of the idle Rochester Rhinos. Stefania Morra and Brittany Bisnott both scored for the Lady Lynx, continuing their torrid streak which has seen the pair notch four goals each in the past two matches.

Toronto took an early lead in front of the huge Youth Day crowd when Morra found the net for her seventh goal of the year in the 16th minute. The veteran forward corralled a loose ball that deflected off a Comet defender and blasted it into the left corner for the 1-0 Lady Lynx lead.

Laval immediately equalized, however, on a penalty strike one minute later. Defender Kayla Afonso brought down Laval forward Melissa Busque from behind in the box, and the penalty was awarded by the referee to the visitors. Andreanne Gagne stepped to the spot and slotted it past Elise Kuhar-Pitters in the Lynx goal to level the match at one.

Toronto was not thrown off their game by the goal, and took control of the proceedings once again following the restart. In the 32nd minute, Australian international Julie Bazi rang a powerful blast off the post, where it fell to Bisnott. The Brampton native controlled the rebound and knocked it past the keeper to give Toronto back the lead at 2-1, her team-leading eighth of the season.

The two teams battled throughout the remainder of the match and traded chances, but neither team found the net again, and the game ended with the Lady Lynx on top. Both Kuhar-Pitters and Laval’s Marie-Pier Bilodeau made a number of huge second-half saves in goal, keeping the score at 2-1, where it remained at the final whistle.

The Lady Lynx head to Bolton this Saturday, July 12, to welcome the Western Mass Pioneers at 1:00 PM at Edelweiss Park in celebration of the Bolton Wanderers Soccer Club’s 30th anniversary. The match will be the front end of a doubleheader with the Lynx, who will host Indiana at 5:00 PM. The event will also feature Super 20 and Super Y-League matches, a graffiti art contest, local entertainment and more! Tickets are available through the Lynx ticket hotline at 416-251-4625 x 31, through the Bolton Wanderers Soccer Club office or at the park on game day.

Final Score: Toronto 2 (1) Laval 1 (1)

Lineups:

Toronto: Kuhar-Pitters, Beckles, Landry, Conley, Bazi (Markowitz, 84), Afonso, Lagonia, Donaldson (Chapman, 56), Bernard (Miliucci, 70), Bisnott (McCalla, 60), Morra (Carreiro, 88)

Laval: Bilodeau, Walsh, Robinson, Acton, Mano (Holland, 45), Scott (Laverdiere, 64), Mercier, Gagne, Tremblay (Filion, 78), Busque, Legault

Officials:

Referee: Peter Pendli

Referee’s Assistants: Alexis Vaughan, Emil Schultz

4th Official: Leo Monaco

Cautions:

Toronto: 0

Laval: 1 (Scott, 7)

Ejections:

Toronto: 0

Laval: 0

Shots: Toronto 16 Laval 7

Saves: Toronto 3 Laval 4

Fouls: Toronto 7 Laval 7

Offsides: Toronto 8 Laval 7

Corners: Toronto 4 Laval 1

Scorers:

Toronto:

16’ Morra

32’ Bisnott

Laval:

17’ Gagné (PK)

The Lady Lynx’ next game is home to Western Mass on July 12 at 1:00 PM at Edelweiss Park in Bolton

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

ROB IRWIN, MEDIA RELATIONS

416-251-4625 ext. 23

[standfortruecanada]

I was at this game. In case nobody noticed, the W League is regressing. It seemed more interesting the first couple of years.

First, the Laval Cometes need to get rid of that coaching staff. The Cometes are clearly incapable of attracting the top talent from Quebec, and that responsibility lies squarely on the coaches. Evidently players don't want to play for Lionel Joseph and Mohammed. Bring in Sophie Drolet or Alex de Rocha, a couple of real Quebecers who have excelled at all levels.

Second, the Toronto Lynx are a marketing nightmare. Two years ago they had nice uniforms with their names on their jerseys which gave them a professional look. They were lead by the soccer Sharapova- Amanda Cicchini. They counted on some very likeable players like Deanna Everett and Holly Lincoln,etc. Now they look and play like a mens rugby team. They could also use a few more authentic Canadians.

The venue, Centennial field in Etobicoke has got to go. The fans are fifty feet away from the side lines. Surprised that nobody has looked into that massive inconvenience. At least Laval has a stadium where the fans can feel on top of the action.

[Rocket Robin]

Well if you've been to the new Varsity Centre, you'd find you're 75 feet away from the sideline.