FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 TORONTO LYNX GAME REPORT
presented by Heineken

 Mariners De-claw Lynx 
Virginia Beach Roll Over Toronto For Their 5th win in 7 Matches

Date:                Monday, August 2, 2004  

Venue:             Centennial Park Stadium, Etobicoke, Ontario       

Attendance:      1,818    

Kick off Time:    6:00 PM

Final Score:      Virginia Beach   2        Toronto   1     

Match Summary: 

On a hot, humid evening at Centennial Park Stadium the Toronto Lynx returned home after a 2-game Alberta road trip to face their division rivals from Virginia Beach. Celebrating their annual Carib Fest to honour and recognize the abundant Caribbean culture in the GTA, 1,818 fans on hand were treated to reggae and calypso music, as well as performances by the Caribbean Dance Theatre. On the pitch every match is a must-win situation for Toronto and despite the heat they came out strong in the opening half. The Lynx dominated both ends of the field in the early going and opened the scoring in the 19th minute when John Barry Nusum took a cross from Shawn Faria and headed it into the upper right corner for a 1-nil Toronto lead. But that seemed to motivate the Mariners because they turned up their offense and had a few good opportunities to tie the game, the best coming in the 34th minute when Mike Kirmse's chip from just outside the box was handled nicely by Lynx 'keeper Bryheem Hancock. The Mariners pulled even in the 41st minute when Daniel Alvarez delivered a lovely cross from the left side of the box that Carlos Garcia got a head on, the initial shot was stopped by Hancock but he couldn't control the rebound and Garcia headed in the equalizer. The Mariners opened the 2nd half as the clear aggressor with Garcia working from left to right inside the box getting a good shot away but once again Hancock came up big. That wasn't the case in the 54th minute when Garcia figured in the mix with a cross to Dante Washington who buried the header into the low right corner for a 2-1 Virginia Beach lead. After making numerous substitutions to enhance their defense the Mariners kept the Lynx offense at bay with the exception of Ali Gerba who had a couple of great chances. In the 76th minute and three minutes later, taking the cross but heading both over the goal. In the 82th minute with a defender draped on him, Gerba got a solid strike off but it was stopped by a falling Matt Nelson, making the final 2-1 Virginia Beach. The Lynx record falls to 7-12-1 on the season, while the Mariners improve to 9-9-3 and hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Lynx continue their home stand on Saturday, August 7th when they meet the Vancouver Whitecaps at Centennial Park Stadium for a 7:30pm kickoff.

Highlights:

1st Half

3rd min: Darren Baxter with a great feed to John Barry Nusum but he couldn't chip it past Keeper Matt Nelson.

17th min: Off a free kick from the right side of the box bent towards the low left corner but it went just wide.

19th min: Shawn Faria sent a sensational cross to Nusum who bounced the header into the upper right corner, 1-0 Tor.

34th min: Mike Kirmse with a strong chip from just outside the penalty area was stopped by Keeper Bryheem Hancock.

36th min: Ali Gerba sent a nice ball to Nusum who got a foot on it but steered it wide of the goal.

41st min: Daniel Alvarez sent a cross that Carlos Garcia headed towards the goal, Hancock stopped the initial shot but couldn't hold onto the rebound, Garcia headed in the loose ball, 1-1.

2nd Half

49th min: Jeremy Aldridge unleashed a hard shot from the top of the box that sailed just over the crossbar.

51st min: Garcia working left to right inside the box got a good shot away but it was stopped by Hancock.

54th min: Garcia delivered a perfect cross to Dante Washington for the header into the low right corner, 2-1 Virginia Beach.

60th min: Nusum working on the right side chipped a cross to Ali Gerba but his header went up and over the crossbar.

66th min: Tony McManus cross to Hamisi Amani-Dove but his hard shot was handled by Hancock.

68th min: Dante Washington to Nate Wintel on the 2-on-1 stopped by a charging Hancock.

76th min: Gerba with a chance off a great cross but the header went over the crossbar.

79th min: Gerba with a chance off another great cross but it to sailed over the crossbar.

82nd min: Gerba with a defender draped all over him managed to get off a solid strike but it was hauled in by a falling Nelson.

92nd min: Aldrige with a near breakaway on the left side in all alone against Hancock but he could not beat Hancock.

Final Score:    Virginia Beach   2      Toronto   1  

Lineups:

Virginia Beach: Nelson, Danbusky, Kuott, Kirmse (Hutchinson, 81st min), Morelli, Aldrich, Bilyk (Gomez, 77th min), Alvarez (McMannus, 64th min), Amani-Dove (Jonas, 81st min), Washington, Garcia (Winkle, 64th min)

Toronto: Hancock, Mattacchione, Hughes, Mayard, Faria, DiPlacido (Hansor, 89th min), Baxter, Nusum (O'Conner, 73rd min), Prostran (Gbeke, 58th min), Bartolomeu (Milson, 73rd min), Gerba

Cautions: Vir: Kirmse (33rd minute), McMannus (86th min)          Tor: 

Ejections: None

Shots:  Vir: 14      Tor: 18   

Saves:  Vir: 2     Tor: 7  

Fouls:   Vir: 13     Tor: 11 

Scorers:  Vir: Garcia (41st min), Washington (54th min)            Tor: Nusum (19th min)  

The Lynx next home game is Saturday, August 7th at 7:30 pm versus the Vancouver Whitecaps.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
DAVID NUTT, MEDIA RELATIONS
416-251-4625 ext. 30