Chicago falls 16-10 to Detroit
February 17, 2007 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Chicago Storm News Release
If not for four penalties Chicago should have come out with a win, however there's an old saying about "if's and buts." Saturday night the Chicago Storm dominated even strength play only to give up four power play goals to the Detroit Ignition. Those four goals were nine points on the board for Detroit; the difference between a win and the 16-10 loss that the Storm suffered. The game marked the last game of a six game road trip for Chicago who now gets ready to play Saturday, February 24th at home in the Sears Centre versus the defending Champion Baltimore Blast.
Things looked good early on for the Storm. Chicago opened up the game with stout defense and two scores in the first quarter. The first goal came off the Cleveland connection of midfielder John Ball and target man Chris Handsor. The two who once played together for the former Cleveland Force hooked up as Handsor received the ball from rookie forward Stephen Armstrong along the boards and sent a pass to the middle of the goalkeeper area where a rushing John Ball tapped in a left footer for the opening score.
Ball got involved in the second goal as well. Midfielder Matthew Stewart hounded former Storm and current Ignition captain Novi as he had the ball. Stewart poked the ball away from the Montenegrin straight to John Ball. John worked his way to the Detroit yellow line and gave it back to Stewart and the El Paso native poked in his 15th goal of the season. The goal gave Chicago a 4- 0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Then the penalty kill mayhem began. In the opening seconds of the second quarter, Chicago's Stephen Armstrong was given a two minute penalty for tripping. On the ensuing power play Detroit's Mike Apple converted from four feet out past the diving Chicago goalkeeper, Jim Larkin, cutting the Storm's lead by two.
Instead of hanging their heads, Chicago fought back and scored another even strength goal. Three minutes later, Argentinean midfielder Mariano Bollella led a three on two rush for the Storm. Eluding one tackler, Bollella past the ball to target man Mark Ughy who drew the goalkeeper to him and then past the ball across the mouth of the goal to midfielder Andy Rosenband who tapped in a right footer for his fifth goal of the season. Chicago kept the 6-2 lead going into the half.
To start the third quarter, Detroit managed to score two more goals, both on the power play. Mike Apple put in his second of the night after Chicago's Bollella was called for charging from behind and then Novi score a three- pointer from a good forty feet out after Bollella was given two minutes for tripping, giving the Ignition the lead for the first time on the night.
At the ten minute mark of the third quarter target man Jorge Valle regained the lead for the Storm. Taking a pass from Bollella, Valle stood three feet from Ignition âkeeper Sonaldo. Rather then blasting a shot, the Mexico City native lightly chipped the ball in for his sixth goal of the season, putting Chicago up 8-7.
The lead changed two more times in the third quarter. First Novi burned his former teammates with a left footed shot that went inside the far post to give Detroit their second lead of the evening, then two players fresh off injuries teamed up to give Chicago the lead once again.
Both Hungarian target man Mark Ughy and defender Randy Soderman missed much of the six game road trip due to knee injuries. Ughy played in one game prior to the nights' game but Soderman playing in his first game back lofted a high long pass to Ughy. Receiving the ball to the right of the goal and at a sharp angle, the veteran target man blasted a right footed shot that hit the far post and went into the goals for his 12th of the season. The goal gave Chicago a tenuous 10-9 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Storm battled a scoring drought as they could not manage to beat the Detroit goalkeeper. The Ignition on the other hand got a regular strength goal from Miodrag Djerisilo, a power play goal by Jamar Beasley and an open netter after Chicago pulled Larkin for the sixth attacker to finish the game 16-10.
Chicago now falls below .500 for the first time this season at 9-10 and Detroit moves to 12-9 on the year and 3-1 versus the Storm in their inaugural season. Chicago now gets ready to host the defending champion Baltimore Blast on Saturday February 24th at 1pm at the Sears Centre, for their first MISL home game in a month and a half.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 17, 2007
- Fourth Quarter Comeback Propels Philadelphia To Win - California Cougars
- Philly steals one in California with four goals in final two minutes before Donatelli's game winner - Philadelphia KiXX
- Chicago falls 16-10 to Detroit - Chicago Storm
- Detroit wins in front of sellout crowd at Compuware Sports Arena - Detroit Ignition
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