Soccer In Toronto 07.21.10

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

W-League Result
Wednesday July 21, 2010

Final Score
Toronto Lady Lynx 2 Laval Cometes 0

Venue
Centennial Stadium, Etobicoke

Kickoff
3:30 pm

Highlights
12 min … Lady Lynx Carmelina Puopolo GOAL
LL Kodee Williams cornerkick from right has ball drop into center of box and Puopolo one-touches 5 yard shot to right side of net.

25 min … Lady Lynx Alyscha Mottershead GOAL
LL Lexi Marton 35 yard freekick from right has Mottershead charge into box and head 6 yarder into left side of net beyond goalie Cynthia Leblanc.

Notes
Attendance was about 50 people for this mid-afternoon game arranged on short notice when it was determined that Lady Lynx would host a playoff team by finishing second.

Later that evening the Toronto Lynx (men’s team) would host a regular season game against Michigan Bucks at 7:00 pm. [Michigan won 3-1].

The Lady Lynx game was delayed until 4:19 pm as there were no officials until then. The teams warmed up a second time after being prepared to start at 3:30 pm. I’d initially heard the game would start at 3:00 pm. The game was played with referee Ihor Bokiy and only one assistant. There were no glaring offside calls missed without a second–the referee just blew his whistle if it looked obvious. There were also no ball boys/girls so with over 30 yard endzones because it is a football field and there’s a track around it, there were time delays when the teams ran out of game balls.

Sabrina D’Angelo earned the shutout for the Lady Lynx. Cometes lone striker Nkem Ezurike had a few second half chances but each time was either caught by a defender or shot the ball wide or over the net. Lady Lynx had most of their chances in the first half. Lady Lynx did have a goal called back after the restart when Bryanna McCarthy crossed a through ball to Carmelina Puopolo who shot it in from 8 yards but referee Bokiy well behind the play called it back.

Lady Lynx almost put the game out of reach in the first half by the chances of Christabel Oduro alone. At 11 minutes she received a short pass and sent an 8 yard shot wide right of the post while being pushed over by a defender. At 13 minutes her 15 yard shot down the middle was high and wide left of the net. At 23 minutes she was send a short pass downfield from 30 yards on the left and her 15 yard shot was wide right. Her shot from 20 yards at 44 minutes was just over the net.

The game was not particularly rough but Oduro needed a bandage on her jaw very early in the game and Bryanna McCarthy needed to have her nose plugged at 34 minutes. Referee Bokiy gave out one Yellow card
to each team but only after the 80 minute mark.

Lady Lynx move on to play this Saturday at Niagara University in Buffalo to play the Buffalo Flash who won the Midwest Division with a 12 wins, 0 loss, 2 tie record. Lady Lynx first string goalie Justine Bernier (not here today) is supposed to play in that game. The Flash were have played an exhibition game against the Lady Lynx back on July 7th at midday at Lamport Stadium but no-showed (well that’s what Lynx team officials said) and left a crowd of about 150 summer camp kids disappointed. The Lady Lynx ended up playing a split squad-half field game. Ottawa Fury who won the Lady Lynx’s Great Lakes Division play Midwest runner up Chicago Red Eleven. Winners play off for an invitation to the Finals round in California.

I left without seeing the Lynx game that followed for a drive downtown to get to BMO Field to watch Toronto FC play Bolton Wanderers in an exhibition game. The ticket prices were almost double a regular season game and I got to see nine players from the CSL League that I also follow hold their own against the visitors from the English Premier League.