Chicago Riot Drops MISL Debut

November 19, 2010 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Chicago Riot News Release


BALTIMORE (Nov. 19, 2010) -- The Chicago Riot hung with the Baltimore Blast, but a pair of quick third-quarter goals and an 8-0 run paved the way for Baltimore as Chicago dropped its Major Indoor Soccer League debut, 10-6, on Friday at 1st Mariner Arena. It was the 2010-2011 season opener for both teams.

"It's one of those things where we played a good team, and they were attacking all night," Riot head coach Jeff Kraft said of Baltimore. "It's our first game, and in thinking about the score, it was really only 5-3 [not factoring in multi-point scoring]. It's disappointing anytime you lose, but we expect great things from this team."

Riot goalkeeper Jeff Richey came up with 15 saves, eclipsing the 700-save mark for his career in the first quarter. He entered the match with 697 saves and kept Chicago in the game in the first half. Richey saved six of seven shots in the first 15 minutes.

"Jeff's a first-class goalkeeper," Kraft said. "That's why we brought him here."

Rookie Edward Santeliz had two goals on the night. He became the first Riot player to score a goal, as well as give the Riot their first MISL lead within the game's first 2 minutes.

At the 1:48 mark of the first quarter, Santeliz scored off a rebound for a 2-0 lead. The Riot's Eric Lukin took a three-point shot from the left side, forcing Blast goalkeeper Sagu to dive for a save to his left. But Santeliz was there for the rebound.

"He's a little diamond in the rough," Kraft said of Santeliz. "He's a battler and he had two big goals."

Baltimore responded with a Machel Millwood goal at the 5:54 mark, rebounding Carlos Garcia's initial strike that bounced off the right frame, tying the match at 2-2

The Riot took a 4-2 lead at the 5:33 mark of the second quarter when Santeliz shot from the right side at a difficult angle and struck the ball past Sagu at the near right post.

The Blast was able to tie the match at 4-4 with 40 seconds remaining in the first half. Following a Will Kletzien foul, Baltimore's Giuliano Celenza found the back of the net off of Pat Healey's restart.

The turning point of the match was midway through the third quarter, when the Blast tallied two goals within an 18-second stretch in the period to give Baltimore an 8-4 lead. Worteh Sampson netted the go-ahead goal at 7:51 mark, and Max Ferdinand notched a goal at 8:09.

Millwood added to the lead at the 6:58 mark of the fourth quarter for a 10-4 advantage.

Riot midfielder Semir Mesanovic put an end to the Blast's scoring run with a goal with 3 seconds remaining. Fred Degand passed the ball from the left corner and found Mesanovic on the right side as he tallied a goal at the 14:57 mark.

Next up for the Riot is its home opener at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, against the Milwaukee Wave at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center in Villa Park. For tickets and more information about the Riot, visit www.ChicagoRiotSoccer.com or call 630-708-6284.



Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from November 19, 2010


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