Blast, Wave Take Early Leads

October 7, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

The Baltimore Blast and Milwaukee Wave have each claimed the top spot in their respective conferences through the first two weeks of the 2002-03 Major Indoor Soccer League regular season. Baltimore (1-0) opened its 2002-03 campaign with a 14-6 victory over Cleveland on October 5. The Blast used three goals from midfielder Paul Wright, a pair of scores from rookie P.J. Wakefield, and three assists from Gino DiFlorio to post the win. With the victory, Baltimore sits alone atop the MISL's Eastern Conference with a half-game lead over Philadelphia.

The Kixx (1-1) evened their record by way of an 11-10 October 5 victory over Harrisburg. Don D'Ambra scored the game-winning 3-point goal and Peter Pappas made 11 saves on a night in which the reigning MISL Champions raised their 2001-02 championship banner to the rafters of the First Union Spectrum. Second-place Philadelphia holds a half-game lead over Cleveland and Harrisburg, who are each one game behind the Blast.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee improved to a League-best 2-0 on the young season with a 15-13 win over Kansas City on October 5. Greg Howes continued his early season hot play with three goals and six points to pace the Wave. Howes leads the MISL in scoring with nine points. Victor Nogueira earned his second straight win of the season while making seven saves in the Wave goal.

In other National Conference action, the San Diego Sockers evened their record at 1-1 and moved into a second-place tie with Dallas (1-1) after beating the Sidekicks, 7-4, at the San Diego Sports Arena on October 5. Sockers' goalkeeper Nick Vorberg allowed just two goals while making 15 saves to record the win in goal. Anthony Farace's game-winning score was also the first 3-pointer in Sockers history as San Diego rebounded from an opening night loss to Milwaukee to post the victory. Dallas and San Diego trail first-place Milwaukee by one game in the standings while Kansas City is a game and-a-half behind the Wave.

MARINARO PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF...

Cleveland Force forward and professional indoor soccer's all-time leading scorer Hector Marinaro recorded two points during the Force's 14-6 loss at Baltimore on October 5 to extend his current scoring streak to 43 games. Marinaro has now posted a point in 75 of his last 76 games and 182 of his last 185 outings. The forward's shootout goal vs. the Blast was his 1,188th overall career lamp-lighter.

BASCOME AND VORBERG EARN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS... Offensive: Harrisburg Heat forward David Bascome has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending October 6. Bascome receives the award after posting four 2-point goals and eight points last week.

The native of Bermuda recorded all four of his 2-pointers in Harrisburg's 11-10 loss at Philadelphia on October 5, including three of the tallies in second-half action.

The veteran forward leads the MISL in 2-point goals (four) while being tied for second in both total goals with four and points with eight. Others Receiving Consideration:

Baltimore midfielder Paul Wright posted three 2-point goals and six points in the Blast's 14-6 victory over Cleveland on October 5.

Milwaukee forward Greg Howes registered three 2-point goals and six points during the Wave's 15-13 win over the Kansas City Comets on October 5.

Defensive:

San Diego Sockers goalkeeper Nick Vorberg has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending October 6. Vorberg receives the award after leading San Diego to a 7-4 victory over the Dallas Sidekicks on October 5.

Vorberg stopped 15 of 17 shots faced (.882 save percentage) while allowing just two goals vs. the Sidekicks.

Vorberg currently leads the MISL in both points against average (5.19) and save percentage (.853) while being tied for the League lead in saves with 29.

Others Receiving Consideration: Baltimore goalkeeper Scott Hileman stopped nine of 12 shots faced in the Blast's 14-6 victory over Cleveland on October 5.

Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas made 11 saves during the Kixx's 11-10 victory over Harrisburg on October 5.

BALTIMORE & MILWAUKEE LEAD WEEK TWO ATTENDANCE...

The Baltimore Blast and Milwaukee Wave each enjoyed healthy crowds as the club's opened the home portion of their 2002-03 schedules. Baltimore welcomed 8,853 fans to the Baltimore Arena for the Blast's 14-6 win over Cleveland while Milwaukee hosted 7,302 fans for the club's 15-13 triumph over Kansas City. Both games were played on October 5. The Major Indoor Soccer League has attracted a total of 36,474 fans to six dates this season for an average crowd of 6,079.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE...

Friday, October 11 Harrisburg at San Diego 7:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, October 12 Baltimore at Cleveland 7:05 p.m. ET
Harrisburg at Dallas 7:05 p.m. CT
Milwaukee at Kansas City 8:05 p.m. CT
Sunday, October 13 Cleveland at Philadelphia 5:05 p.m. ET
Baltimore at Dallas 6:05 p.m. CT

MISL GAME RECAPS (September 30 - October 6, 2002)

GAMES OF 10/05/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 11 2-4-2-3 3,473 23 8 0-0 Pappas (11-16)
Harrisburg 10 0-2-2-6 25 0 2-4 Petras (11-16)

Don D'Ambra scored the game-winning 3-point goal at 3:36 of the fourth quarter and the Philadelphia Kixx withstood a late Harrisburg Heat rally to record an 11-10 victory at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, October 5. D'Ambra's goal gave the home team an 11-4 advantage, as Philadelphia never trailed in the contest with Pat Morris opening the scoring with a 2-point goal at 6:32 of the first quarter. David Bascome tied the score at two with his first deuce of the season at the 44-second mark of the second frame. Les Lunsford then put the home team on top for good with a 2-pointer at 4:07 of the second before Gary DePalma ended the first-half scoring with a 2-point tally at 13:11 as the Kixx held a 6-2 lead through 30 minutes of play. In the third, Glenn Carbonara made it an 8-2 game with a deuce at 1:23 before Bascome notched his second goal of the contest at 11:51 of the stanza. D'Ambra's 3-pointer opened the fourth quarter scoring and gave Philadelphia a seven-point advantage before the Heat made a game of it over the final 11 minutes of play. Bascome was the catalyst for the Harrisburg comeback, scoring back-to-back 2-point goals at 4:39 and 9:36 of the frame to make it an 11-8 score. David Barbosa then took a Chris Morman feed at 9:51 and made it a one-point game at 11-10. Despite adding Martin Hernandez as a sixth attacker over the final 55 seconds, the Heat could not get the decisive score as the Kixx evened their record at 1-1. D'Ambra led the Philadelphia offense with 3-points while Bascome paced Harrisburg with eight points on four 2-point goals. Peter Pappas (11 saves) earned the win in goal while Doug Petras (11 stops) took the loss. (Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
BALTIMORE 14 2-2-2-8 8,853 24 9 2-3 Hileman (9-12)
Cleveland 6 2-2-0-2 26 6 1-2 Larkin (9-16)

Baltimore rookie P.J. Wakefield scored a pair of goals and Paul Wright notched three scores as the Baltimore Blast defeated the Cleveland Force, 14-6, in front of 8,853 fans at the Baltimore Arena on Saturday, October 5. Wakefield, playing in his first MISL contest, scored Baltimore's first goal of the season with a deuce at 1:50 of the opening quarter. Cleveland's Justin Evans then tied the score with a 2-pointer at 8:03 of the frame. Chris Stathopoulos gave the Force a 4-2 lead with a 2-pointer at 12:22 of the second before Wright tied the score with a 2-point tally at 13:37 of the quarter. In the third, Tarik Walker pushed the Blast back in front with a 2-pointer at 9:58. That score was followed by Wakefield's second goal, this one at 1:47 of the fourth, which gave Baltimore an 8-4 advantage. Hector Marinaro then connected on a 2-point shootout goal at 5:04 of the fourth, but it would be all Baltimore from that point forward as the home team scored the final three goals of the contest. Two of those scores came off of the foot of Wright (8:41, 10:24) while Denison Cabral capped the scoring with a 2-point goal at 10:46. Wright led all scorers with six points while Evans, Stathopoulos, and Marinaro each notched two points for the Force. Scott Hileman (nine saves) earned the win while Jim Larkin (nine stops) took the loss.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
MILWAUKEE 15 2-2-7-4 7,302 36 6 2-3 Nogueira (11-24)
Kansas City 13 0-2-5-6 27 26 1-2 Andonovski (0-1)

Greg Howes scored three goals as the Milwaukee Wave remained perfect on the season with a 15-13 victory over the Kansas City Comets in front of a crowd of 7,302 at the Bradley Center on Saturday, October 5. Howes opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 11:28 of the first quarter. Nino DaSilva tied the score for Kansas City with a 2-pointer at 12:08 of the second before Howes gave the Wave a 4-2 halftime lead with a deuce at 14:00 of the second frame. In the third, Nick Corneli gave the Comets a 5-4 lead with a 3-point score at 4:09 of the frame, but Joe Reiniger re-claimed the lead for Milwaukee with a 2-point strike at 5:25 before Brian Loftin (2-pointer at 8:08) and Marcelo Fontana (3-pointer at 12:07) extended the Wave lead to 11-5. Alex Zotinca notched a 2-pointer at 14:45 of the third, which began a Kansas City rally that carried over to the final frame. In the fourth, Vlatko Andonovski (5:16) and Chad James (5:47) registered 2-pointers to tie the score at 11. Following a Loftin 2-point goal at 8:09, Greg Howes scored his third deuce of the night at 12:56 to make it a 15-11 game. Goran Hunjak bagged a deuce at 14:07, but Kansas City would fail to connect on an equalizer as Milwaukee registered the two-point victory. Howes led all scorers with six points while Alex Zotinca pace Kansas City with four points. Victor Nogueira (11 saves) earned the win while Vlatko Andonovski (no saves) took the loss.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
SAN DIEGO 7 2-3-2-0 3,658 28 4 1-2 Vorberg (15-17)
Dallas 4 0-2-2-0 41 4 0-2 Sagu (9-12)

Anthony Farace notched three points, including the game-winning goal as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Dallas Sidekicks, 7-4, at the San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday, October 5. Shandley Phillips opened the scoring for the home team with a 2-point goal at 10:15 of the first quarter before Farace made it a 5-0 game with a 3-point strike at the 30-second mark of the second quarter. Gianpaoulo Pedroso cut the Dallas deficit to three with a 2-point goal at 5:41 of the second and David Doyle made it a one-point game with a deuce at 7:48 of the third quarter. Jimmy Wang answered for San Diego, however, as he notched a 2-point goal at 14:46 of the third to push the Sockers to the three-point victory. Farace led all scorers with three points while Pedroso and Doyle each registered two points for Dallas. Nick Vorberg (15 saves) earned the win while Sagu (9 stops) took the loss.

TEAM CAPSULES (September 30 – October 6, 2002)

Baltimore Blast (1-0)
The Blast made its 2002-03 opener a winning one with a 14-6 victory over Cleveland. Baltimore rookie P.J. Wakefield scored two goals during his MISL debut, including one on his first professional indoor shift. Paul Wright posted three goals and six points and is currently tied for fifth in the MISL in scoring. Wright also leads the League in power play goals after scoring two in the win over the Force. Scott Hileman stopped nine of 12 shots and allowed just three goals in the win over Cleveland. Hileman's 6.00 points against average is second best in the MISL. Gino DiFlorio, playing in his first game for the Blast, posted three assists and is tied with Philadelphia's Pat Morris for the League lead in that statistical category. Baltimore leads the League in team defense, allowing six points per game while being tied for the MISL lead in team scoring at 14 points per contest. The Blast will travel to Cleveland on October 12 and Dallas on October 13 before returning home to host Milwaukee on October 19.
Leading Scorers: Wright (six points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Hileman (1-0; 6.00 paa; .750 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 10/12 at Cleveland, Sun. 10/13 at Dallas, Sat. 10/19 vs. Milwaukee

Cleveland Force (0-1)
The Force dropped a 14-6 decision at Baltimore during the club's season opener on October 5. Justin Evans, Chris Stathopoulos, and Hector Marinaro each recorded 2-point goals in the loss. Jim Larkin stopped nine of 16 shots faced while taking the loss in goal. The Force will host Baltimore on October 12 before traveling to Philadelphia on October 13. Cleveland will then return home to welcome San Diego on October 18.
Leading Scorer: Evans, Stathopoulos, Marinaro (two points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Larkin (0-1; 14.29; .563 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 10/12 vs. Baltimore, Sun. 10/13 at Philadelphia, Fri. 10/18 vs. San Diego

Dallas Sidekicks (1-1)
The Sidekicks were beaten, 7-4, at San Diego on October 5. Dallas received 2-point goals from Gianpaoulo Pedroso and David Doyle. Tatu also added an assist in the contest and is currently tied for second in the MISL in scoring with eight points. The veteran forward is also tied for second in 2-point goals and tied for third in total goals with three. Sidekicks' goalkeeper Sagu ranks third in the MISL in save percentage at .735 while ranking fourth in both points against average (10.25) and saves (25). Dallas is currently outscoring their opponents, 12-8 in the second half while being outscored 12-6 in the first half. The Sidekicks lead the MISL in shots per game at 38.5 per contest. The Sidekicks will host Harrisburg on October 12 and Baltimore on October 13 before traveling to Philadelphia on October 19.
Leading Scorer: Tatu (eight points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Sagu (0-1, 10.25 paa, .735 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 10/12 vs. Harrisburg, Sun. 10/13 vs. Baltimore, Sat. 10/19 at Philadelphia

Harrisburg Heat (0-1)
Harrisburg dropped an 11-10 decision at Philadelphia on October 5. The Heat trailed 11-4 with 3:36 gone in the fourth quarter, before using a 6-0 rally to make a game of it. Despite the loss, Heat forward David Bascome had a big game, recording four 2-point goals and eight points. Bascome leads the League in 2-point goals, is tied for the MISL lead in total goals (four), and is tied for second in points with eight. David Bascome's four goals vs. Philadelphia were the most for a Heat player in a single game since current Blast forward Gino DiFlorio posted four scores as a Heater in Harrisburg's 24-16 loss at Kansas City on March 17, 2001. Newcomers David Barbosa (2-point goal) Marco Coria (two assists), and Horacio Robledo (assist) also had solid games for the Heat. Goalkeeper Doug Petras stopped 11 of 16 shots faced and owns an 11.17 points against average. Harrisburg continues its season-opening four-game road trip with outings at San Diego on October 11 and at Dallas on October 12. The Heat will conclude the road swing with a visit to Baltimore on October 26.
Leading Scorer: Bascome (eight points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Petras (0-1; 11.17 paa; .688 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 10/11 at San Diego, Sat. 10/12 at Dallas, Sat. 10/28 at Baltimore

Kansas City Comets (0-1)
The Comets suffered a 15-13 opening night loss at Milwaukee on October 5. Kansas City trailed 11-5 in the third quarter before rallying to tie the score at 11; however, a pair of late Milwaukee goals were the difference at the Comets dropped the two-point decision. Alex Zotinca posted a goal and two assists for four points in the loss while newcomer Nick Corneli added a 3-point goal and reigning League MVP Dino Delevski chipped in two assists. Vlatko Andonovski, who had replaced Brian Bowes in goal late in the fourth quarter, took the loss in net for the Kansas City. Bowes stopped 18 of 25 shots faced during 47:22 of action. Kansas City will welcome Milwaukee on October 12 and San Diego on October 19 before traveling to Baltimore on October 25.
Leading Scorers: Zotinca (four points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Bowes (0-0; 11.40 paa; .720 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 10/12 vs. Milwaukee, Sat. 10/19 vs. San Diego, Fri. 10/25 at Baltimore

Milwaukee Wave (2-0)
The Wave improved to 2-0 with a 15-13 win vs. Kansas City on October 5. Greg Howes posted three goals and six points in the win. Howes leads the MISL in scoring with nine points and is tied for the League lead in total goals with four. Joe Reiniger is tied for second in scoring with eight points while Marcelo Fontana is tied for seventh with five points and Brian Loftin is tied for 11th with four points. Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira posted his second win of the season. Nogueira leads the MISL in victories with two and in minutes played with 120 while being tied for the League lead in saves with 29. The Wave are tied for the League lead in team scoring at 14 point per contest. Milwaukee travels to Kansas City on October 12 and Baltimore on October 19 before returning home to host Philadelphia on October 25.
Leading Scorers: Howes (nine points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Nogueira (2-0; 8.50 paa; .784 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 10/12 at Kansas City, Sat. 10/19 at Baltimore, Fri. 10/25 vs. Philadelphia

Philadelphia Kixx (1-1)
The Kixx evened their record at 1-1 with an 11-10 victory over the Harrisburg Heat on October 5. Peter Pappas made 11 saves to earn the win while Don D'Ambra's 3-point goal in the fourth quarter was the game-winner. Chris Handsor is currently tied for fifth in League scoring with six points while Pat Morris is tied for the MISL lead in assists with three. Philadelphia is outscoring opponents 13-6 during first half play while being outscored 18-11 in second half action. The Kixx host Cleveland on October 13 and Dallas on October 19 before traveling to Milwaukee on October 25.
Leading Scorer: Handsor (six points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Pappas (1-1; 11.19 paa, .703 save percentage)
Up Next: Sun 10/13 vs. Cleveland, Sat. 10/19 vs. Dallas, Fri. 10/25 at Milwaukee

San Diego (1-1)
The Sockers got in the win column by way of a 7-4 victory vs. Dallas on October 5. Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg enjoyed his second consecutive solid outing, allowing just two goals in the contest. Vorberg leads the MISL in points against average (5.19), and save percentage (.853) while being tied for the League lead in saves with 29. Anthony Farace posted San Diego's first 3-point goal in club history on a tally that turned out to be the game-winning score against the Sidekicks. Shandley Phillips and Jimmy Wang also added goals for the Sockers while Carlos "Chile" Farias added an assist to push his point total on the season to three. Recently acquired Aaron Susi also added an assist for San Diego, which avenged an opening night loss to Milwaukee with the victory. The Sockers are currently tied for second in the MISL on team defense, allowing just 8.5 points per game. San Diego will host Harrisburg on October 11 before traveling to Cleveland on October 18 and Kansas City on October 19.
Leading Scorer: Farace, Farias (three points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Vorberg (1-1: 5.19 paa; .853 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 10/11 vs. Harrisburg, Fri. 10/18 at Cleveland, Sat. 10/19 at Kansas City

LEAGUE NOTES...

- Home teams are 5-1 on the season, good for an .833 winning percentage while the teams that score the first goal in a contest are also 5-1 on the campaign

- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will kick out the first ball at the Philadelphia Kixx's game vs. Cleveland on October 13; McNabb is appearing in conjunction with the Donovan McNabb Foundation, which promotes diabetes awareness and prevention

- Through six games, 59 goals have been scored during MISL action; 53 of those goals (89.8%) were 2-point tallies while six (10.2%) were 3-point scores

- For the latest news, notes, and information on the Major Indoor Soccer League, visit the official internet home of the MISL at www.MISL.net, or call toll-free 1-866-MISLNET

QUOTE CORNER...

"I just wanted to go in and help, get my confidence up and I ended up scoring a goal which really helped...I used to have season tickets when I was younger, grew up watching Billy Ronson and Tim Wittman, so it was real exciting for me and especially having my family here to watch."

- Baltimore forward P.J. Wakefield after scoring two goals in his first MISL game during Baltimore's 14-6 victory over Cleveland on October 5

"I thought we played with passion, intensity, heart and brains...our guys had very, very good composure...at this part of the year, you're not looking for good-looking points; you're just looking for wins."

- Milwaukee head coach Keith Tozer following the Wave's 15-13 victory over Kansas City on October 5

"I still don't think this team is on the same page...it's nice to get the win, but we're a little disappointed with the way we played."

- Philadelphia defender Glenn Carbonara following the Kixx's 11-10 victory over Harrisburg on October 5

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from October 7, 2002

• Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
• Blast, Wave Take Early Leads - MISL 2
• Force Weekly - Cleveland Force

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