Toronto Storm Calgary in Six-Goal Rout
Toronto defeated Calgary Wild 6-0 in the National Superleague regular season on August 1st. The visitors took full advantage of a struggling home side, extending their recent dominance over the sixth-placed outfit. By then, Toronto had already established themselves as genuine title contenders with thirty-three points from twenty matches.
Calgary's troubles ran deep this evening. The hosts have won just twice in eighteen games, collecting only eleven points and sitting firmly in the lower half of the table. Things came to a head against a Toronto side that has been running hot of late, winning their last outing against Montreal Roses two-nil.
The visitors' recent form tells the story. After a narrow one-two defeat to Ottawa on July 11th, Toronto bounced back with a three-one victory over Vancouver Rise and a goalless draw with Montreal Roses. They have kept three clean sheets on the spin, something Calgary simply could not match.
Calgary's own run has been far less encouraging. They lost one-two to Ottawa on July 23rd, were beaten two-four by Vancouver, and have now fallen to Halifax Tides on consecutive occasions. The high line was picked apart on several occasions, and the away end never stopped.
This result adds to a painful chapter for the hosts. On May 31st, Toronto had already beaten Calgary four-nil, and this evening's scoreline only deepened the gulf between the two sides. Calgary are running out of games if they want to climb away from sixth place.
For Toronto, the victory keeps them firmly in second position, eight points clear of any challenger in the immediate vicinity. They fancy their chances of closing the gap on the league leaders, especially with this kind of defensive solidity.