Soccer In Toronto 05.21.08

By Rocket Robin Soccer In Toronto

Final Score
Toronto Lady Lynx 4, London Gryphons 0

Venues
Varsity Centre in Toronto

Kickoff
11:00 am

Highlights
2 min … Lady Lynx Stefania Morra GOAL
Oni Bernard on rush down right takes cross from 15 yards and Morra on left post rescues ball from rolling over end line, turns, and her sharp angle 3 yard shot is into top right corner of net.

29 min … Lady Lynx Kayla Afonso GOAL
Afonso steps around Gryphons Grace Howell-Harries and puts low 30 yard blast into low left corner of net beyond diving goalie on partial screen shot.

54 min … Lady Lynx Oni Bernard GOAL
Bernard gets pass on right and Gryphons goalie Alex Tomascin out of her box slides in for tackle and injures herself. Bernard keeps on her feet and rolls 20 yarder from right into open net between four defenders who’d retreated into box. Tomascin had to be helped from the field and was replaces by Kelly Zinkiewich in goal.

88 min … Lady Lynx Rosaly Petriello GOAL
Petriello in center of field from 30 yards chips goalie Zinkiewich off her line at 7 yards and the ball drops into center of net.

Notes
» Attendance was announced as 1,232 on today’s annual “School Day” home opener. School buses of children filled the stadium.

» I have not been here since 2002 where the old Varsity Stadium stood. The seats are on the east side which would have resulted in staring into the sun if the game was later in the day and there’d been any sun about. It was overcast and quite cool and windy for a late May game although it didn’t rain. Some of the kids even threw streamers amongst themselves but even the big guys at BMO Field wouldn’t have been able to hit anyone on the field of play across the wide track surrounding the field a good 20 yards from the front row. The full stadium was listed as holding 5000 people.

» The Field Turf has permanent football lines painted on it. This caused a problem for Lady Lynx goalie Krista Pace who picked up the ball at the white football line 20 yard line just outside the yellow 18 yard soccer box line and the referee awarded the visitors a freekick. Gryphons Treena Ferguson tapped the freekick over to Devon Romak who blasted a 20 yard shot over the net.

» The Lady Lynx got off to the perfect fast start with the goal at 2 minutes but were threatened a few times in the first 20 minutes. After that and especially in the second half the Lady Lynx were in control. Goalie Krista Pace (who played for the Gryphons last year) earned the shutout for the Lady Lynx. Her only real save was at 93 minutes when Stephanie Lynch kicked a 25 yard freekick from even with the 5 yard line on the left and she caught the ball in front of a Gryphons player’s head just waiting for a tap-in. Gryphons’ forwards Devon Beach and Treena Ferguson shots were off target.

» Referee Geoff Gamble had few fouls to call in this game which wasn’t roughly played at all.

» The Lady Lynx looked a little rough in the back at times but this was only their second game of the season. They have completely revamped their playoff team of last year as half their starters moved on to Canada’s U20s or full national team. Forward Stefania Morra looks like their star player this year. Returning defender Vonya Beckles anchored the defense and was used offensively for her long throw-ins into the Gryphons box—as far as some players could cross the ball on freekicks.

» They won their first game on the road against West Mass Lady Pioneers 2-0. Neither of the teams they’ve beaten so far had a winning record last year although both played in different divisions.

» It was the first league game of the year for the Gryphons. They only brought three backups including the extra goalie so I almost expected they’d wear down at the end of the game when faced with fresh legs in second half subs brought in by the Lady Lynx.

» Next home game for the Lady Lynx is Sunday June 1st at 1:00 pm at Centennial Stadium against Vermont although their next game is in Vermont this Saturday May 24th.