Toronto — A last-minute goal by the Buffalo Flash salvaged a tie for the visitors against the Toronto Lady Lynx this afternoon at newly refurbished Centennial Park Stadium. Clare Rustad’s 71st minute goal looked as if it would hold up as the winner for Toronto as the clock moved to full-time, but Rosie Tantillo beat Justine Bernier to level the match in injury time, and the teams split the points. The tie raises the Lady Lynx’ record to 3-2-3 (12 points) on the season, but they remain in fourth place in the Great Lakes Division, one point behind the Flash ( 4-2-1, 13 points). Toronto wins the season series between the two clubs, earning a win and a tie in two matches.
Toronto controlled play throughout much of the first half of the match, the Lady Lynx’ first of the year at Centennial and its new artificial surface. The young squad could not find the scoresheet, however, and the half ended with both squads level at nil-all.
Neither team was able to set the pace as the second half opened, and the game became a very physical affair with hard tackles on both sides of the ball. Toronto began to press towards the later stages of the frame, and finally found the scoreboard in the 71st minute off of Rustad’s head. The W-League veteran headed home a Bryanna McCarthy corner kick for her second goal of the season, and Toronto found itself with a well-earned 1-0 lead.
As the game progressed towards time, it looked like Toronto would get the three points and sweep the season series from the Flash. Buffalo pressed, but could not crack the strong Lady Lynx defense, and Toronto nearly netted an insurance goal on a number of their many counter-attacks, but a second goal was not in the offering.
The Flash spoiled the afternoon for the Lady Lynx and their fans deep into injury time when Tantillo slotted home an Amanda Abdullah pass to knot the affair at 1-1. Toronto was unable to clear the ball following a frantic Buffalo attack, and the full points were snatched cruelly from their hands.
The Lady Lynx now head into a well-deserved ten day break before their next action. The team heads east to Laval for a Canada Day encounter at 4:00 PM, and then travel to Hamilton on Monday July 6 at 7:00 for a make-up match against the Lady Avalanche following last Wednesday’s postponement. The team then returns home on July 8 at 11:00 AM for a Youth Day rematch against Laval. Tickets for the match may be purchased by calling the Lynx ticket hotline at 416-251-4625 x 31, or at the Centennial Park Stadium box office one hour prior to kickoff.
Lineup Toronto
Bernier, Marton, Rustad, Chapman, Afonso (Schroter, 45), MacDonald, Szwed, Henderson (Ruhe-Lischke, 63), Mangal (Cameron, 45), McCarthy (Morra, 90), Frederick
Lineup Buffalo
Brandao, Sahlen, Tarr, Wagenfuhr, O’Rourke (Barbuto, 60), Sutton (DeSevario, 78), Abdullah, Lacek (Lawrence, 73), Ruiz (Craft, 83), Tantillo
GAME STATS Toronto-Buffalo
Shots: 11-10
Saves: 6-6
Fouls: 11-16
Offsides: 1-4
Corners: 3-3
Scoring
TOR … Rustad (McCarthy) 71′
BUF … Tantillo (Abdullah) 90′
Next Game
July 1, 4:00 PM
At Laval
VENTURA, CA – Vancouver Whitecaps FC women recorded their first win of the season, as they downed the homeside Ventura County Fusion 3-1 Saturday night.
Forward Kate Qually scored the winner just before halftime while young Nikki Wright added the insurance goal. Ventura County’s Jazmarae Strozier opened scoring early, and then cancelled out the lead with an own goal.
Head coach Alan Koch made three changes from Thursday’s lineup. Goalkeeper Stephanie Panozzo, 19-years-old, made her W-League debut. Sophie Schmidt flew in to rejoin the team, returning to central midfield in a 4-3-3 formation, with Amy Vermeulen then pushing up front, replacing Kirsteen Buchan. Finally, defender Carmelina Moscato was a late scratch through illness, and was replaced by Rachael Pelat.
Vancouver took the game to their hosts from the outset, and ended up out shooting them 8-2. However, Fusion opened the scoring on a counter-attack, as 18-year-old Jazmarae Strozier fired the home side to the lead after just eight minutes, giving Panozzo no chance.
Five minutes later, Strozier flattened midfielder Sophie Schmidt with a hard challenge, earning a yellow card. Schmidt had to come off minutes later, replaced by Kirsteen Buchan.
Vancouver was undeterred by these setbacks and continued to push forward, with defender Rachael Pelat in particular making some good forays down the right.
On 25′, off a Vancouver corner kick by Katie Thorlakson, Strozier knocked the ball into her own net under pressure from Jodi-Ann Robinson to make it 1-1.
Though chances were few for both teams for much of the first half, Whitecaps did manage to take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room, scoring a minute before the break. Amy Vermeulen started the play with a great tackle in midfield to win the ball, and then threaded it through for Kate Qually, who rolled it wide of the keeper and inside the post.
More W-League Results
Quebec Amiral Win Two On The Road
June 20th at London Gryphons
June 21st at Hamilton Avalanche
Laval Cometes Split Their Two Road Games
June 20th at Buffalo Flash
June 21st at Rochester Ravens
| TEAM RECORDS | PT | GP | W | L | T | F | A | GD |
| Quebec City Amiral | 21 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 11 | 10 |
| Ottawa Fury | 18 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 18 |
| Toronto Lady Lynx | 12 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18 | 12 | 2 |
| Laval Comets | 9 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| Vancouver Whitecaps | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Hamilton Avalanche | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | -6 |
| London Gryphons | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 15 | -9 |
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