14-Point First Half Triggers Win
December 4, 2009 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Rockford, IL - The Philadelphia KiXX (1-2) went into the MetroCentre in Rockford tonight full of determination, and the play of the team reflected that from the opening whistle. Behind a four-goal night by forward Leo Gibson and a 33-save effort by goalkeeper Sanaldo, the KiXX rolled to a 20-6 victory and handed the Rampage (2-1) their first loss of the young Major Indoor Soccer League season.
Philadelphia came into this contest with a focused demeanor and immediately controlled possession in the opening frame. The road club opened the scoring at 8:42 when forward Adauto Neto gathered the ball in the corner and spun around a defender to insert the ball into a small hole on the near side of Rampage goalkeeper Danny Waltman. The KiXX then made it 4-0 with only 38 seconds left in the quarter when Ryan Heins hooked up Gibson for his first goal in a Philadelphia uniform.
Philadelphia kept its foot on the throttle at the start the second period, maintaining the same strong pace that the team had during the first stanza. They also picked up the scoring right where they left off following a rare mistouch by Waltman at 1:38, and Canadian defender Joe Di Buono volleyed a three-pointer into the back of the net to make it 7-0 in favor of the visiting club. While on the power play eight minutes later, Neto found Gibson on the far post, and the two-year veteran back heeled the ball into the goal to stretch the gap to 9-0. Refusing to lessen his defensive pressure, an aggressive Neto then caused a second mishap by Waltman, which led to a triple from Ricardinho at 11:16. After a Sandre Naumoski feed set up the third goal of a first half hat trick for Gibson with 23 seconds remaining, the KiXX headed into the locker room with a 14-0 advantage. Sanaldo was also stellar in the first half of action, recording 11 saves and not allowing a single notch.
Rockford forward Gary Brooks brought the Rampage drought to an end at 2:11 of the third quarter when he scored a two-pointer, and a Bato Radoncic tally at 8:07 closed the gap to ten points in favor of Philadelphia, 14-4.
The KiXX then padded its lead in the fourth quarter, with Naumoski setting up Villanova graduate Joe Taylor with his first professional goal at 5:22 and Gibson picking up his fourth knock on a solo strike at 6:54. After a Neto goal from Sanaldo in the closing minutes concluded the Philadelphia scoring, Rockford midfielder Semir Mesanovic registered the final notch for his club to hang a final 20-6 count in favor of the KiXX.
Next up for Philadelphia is a road match-up with the Milwaukee Wave (1-1) next Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The KiXX will play its historic first home game at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University on Saturday, January 9th, hosting the Rockford Rampage at 7:00 p.m. Season and group ticket packages for the KiXX are available now by calling 1-888-888-KiXX.
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from December 4, 2009
- 14-Point First Half Triggers Win - Philadelphia KiXX
- KiXX top Rockford, 20-6, at MetroCentre - Rockford Rampage
- KiXX Travel To Rockford To Play Unbeaten Rampage Tonight - Philadelphia KiXX
- NOW Newspapers Senior Soccer All-Stars Announced - Milwaukee Wave
- Grammy-Nominated Matthew West Plays Following Wave Game - Milwaukee Wave
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