Toronto Lynx: 2, Calgary Mustangs: 1
Starting Lineups:
Toronto-Bryheem Hancock, Andre Arango (SUB: Josue Mayard, 75th min), Joe
Mattacchione, Tyler Hughes, Shawn Faria, Jamie Dodds (SUB: Rumba Munthali, 63rd
min), David DiPlacido (SUB: Aaron Steele, 90th min), Darren Baxter, Edgar
Bartolomeu (SUB: Lewis Blois, 68th min), John Barry Nusum, Ali Gerba.
Calgary- Lutz Pfannenstiel, CJ Peszneker, Angelo Sestito, Jaime Auvigne, Jordan
Gillespie, Geert Brusselers, Steffen Holdt, Sergei Kolomiets-Raad, Mesut Mert,
Walter Otta, Ernesto Zapata.
(Centennial Park Stadium, Toronto) A noisy packed house of Toronto supporters
were rewarded with the first Lynx home win in over a month when they played
just over a minute of overtime and netted the game winner for a 2-1 victory
over the visiting Calgary Mustangs.
The general consensus before kick off was that Toronto could not afford another
come-from-behind loss like the devastating 3-2 defeat against the Richmond
Kickers four days earlier; they’d have to come out hard and establish control
of the game from the get-go. Somewhat shockingly, the home squad found
themselves one goal down in the 9th minute of play (a perfect header from Otta
misdirected off a left side corner kick), and petered out the first half with a
grinding and terse performance that lacked both creativity and cohesion.
Despite this, Toronto keeper Bryheem Hancock had an inspired and commanding
game, literally robbing Calgary’s darting Mesut Mert on a 25-yard solo run just
prior to the opening goal with a well-timed side step and flashing hands. His
biggest moment though was the masterfully read PK he stopped in the 61st minute
from Walter Otta; the striker shot low to the right, but not quite far enough;
the lanky Toronto ‘keeper saw the shot all the way and killed the rebound
fantastically.
Throughout regulation time, both midfielders David DiPlacido and Shawn Faria
(whose goal on Wednesday I incorrectly credited to Ali Gerba; much love,
Shawn!) had the best showings of their season thus far; both offered bootfuls
of chances on net directly or through intuitive tackling and movement. As early
as the 5th minute, Faria saw a clear path at net and unleashed a powerful 35-
yard strike that was tipped over the bar by Pfannenstiel. Indeed, both keepers
at either end would prove to have excellent moments, with Calgary’s Norwegian
import bravely cutting off potential plays at the top of the box (in some
instances getting his lumps for it) and offering up a graceful cross-box push
on a 63rd minute free kick from Darren Baxter. Only outdone by Hancock’s PK
stop, it was the defensive moment of the night.
Toronto were to tie the game up 6-minutes after the break, showing a little tit-
for-tat and putting away a header by a drifting Andre Arango, serviced up from
the flag by Jamie Dodds. The Calgary box had faced a barrage of attempts from
the second half whistle (Nusum’s top-of-18 strike in the 47th ably held by
Pfannensteil, a wide header from big Gerba in the 50th minute) and a palpable
sense of finish was heavy in the muggy evening air. Dodds’ gently curling kick
rose over the mass of clutching players, and the fullback put his wild raven
mane to good use with his first goal of the campaign, a clattering finish
the ‘Stangs keeper had no chance on.
After the tying goal (and a “smarten-up” row in the locker room by Coach Wilde
at halftime) the lads in gold and white began to see the game in the bigger
picture, and took the pressure to the visitors. Outside of the aforementioned
penalty kick and an optimistic booming chance by Brusselers (dubbed the ‘Tomas
Gravesen wannabe’ by the Toronto Ultras for obvious reasons) in the 86th minute
from 35-yards that flew well-wide, Calgary offered little for Hancock to deal
with in the second half. The Lynx turned up the heat and surely would’ve won in
regulation if not for some smart goalkeeping and well-executed stuff by the
likes of the impressive Jaime Auvigne.
The arrival of overtime was a short and sweet affair. Second half sub Lewis
Blois, contributing nicely on the attack in his last couple of games, found
some space on the left in the 91st minute and carried the ball deep for a late
cross. Keeping in theme with all goals scored tonight, it was nicely slotted
away with a mid-level header from Gerba just out of Pfannanstiel’s reach. With
a flurry of yellow and white streamers falling from the upper bleachers in time
with some thunderous drumming, Gerba celebrated his 10th of the season as
autograph seekers queued up to congratulate their team’s 6th victory of the
season.
Relieved and feeling healthier by the day, Lynx co-captain Faria said amongst a
group of pen-thrusting kids, “we knew what we had to do tonight, and we did it.
We knew that once we got one (goal), we’d be alright and come out with a win.
Now, we’ve got two huge games out west coming up, and we want those 6-points,
we need them. We want to get a winning steak going, and we won’t settle for
anything less.”
Mirroring his counterpart, co-captain Mattacchione stated, “it’s nice that we
started (this next series of games) with a win at home. We have a history of
being successful out west and if we can keep that going hopefully we can put
some pressure on that final playoff spot.”
Pleased and perhaps at his most cerebral, Coach Duncan Wilde mused, “all season
I’ve been trying to get my players to understand ‘the total game’. Without it,
you end up with horrible results like what happened against Richmond and
Charleston; those are the ones you’re truly afraid of. Good attacking play on
the outside, moving the ball up, and we got that tonight, it paid off. Up
front, Ali (Gerba) hasn’t been at his best recently, and so many of our games
can hinge on the attacking end of things. If he and John Barry (Nusum) are
playing well, we have great movement and can play against anyone in this
league. If they’re not, we’re flat, plain and simple. But now, heading out
west, we have a full squad healthy and fit, and we’ll be trying a couple new
guys out over the next few days. So, we know we’ve got our work cut out for us,
but I wouldn’t write us off just yet.”
The Toronto Lynx are Alberta bound with upcoming matches against the Calgary
Mustangs (July 25th) and the Edmonton Aviators (July 26th).
Card Infractions- Toronto: Faria (YELLOW, 38th min), Nusum (YELLOW, 84th min).
Calgary: Brusselers (YELLOW, 75th min).
