Comets Go 3-for-3 on the Road

November 11, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

The Kansas City Comets registered three road victories last week to improve their overall record to 4-5 and move into third place in the Western Conference, three and one-half games behind front-running Milwaukee. The Comets, who entered the week at 1-5 overall and 1-3 on the road, posted an 18-12 win at Dallas on November 6, a 9-7 victory at Milwaukee on November 8, and a 15-10 triumph at Harrisburg on November 10. Kansas City's win at Milwaukee (7-1) marked the Wave's first loss of the season and snapped the club's 27-game regular season home winning streak.

The San Diego Sockers also enjoyed a productive week, going 2-0 with consecutive victories over Dallas in a home-and-home series vs. the Sidekicks. The Sockers recorded a 15-10 victory at Dallas on November 9 before notching an 8-4 home win over the Sidekicks on November 10. The two victories moved the Sockers (5-4) over .500 and into sole possession of second place in the Western Conference standings. San Diego now trails Milwaukee by two and one-half games while Dallas (2-8) has fallen six games off the Western Conference pace.

In the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Force climbed within one and one-half games of first-place Philadelphia with an 8-6 victory over the Kixx on November 9. Cleveland (4-3), which has gone 3-1 under interim head coach Andy Schmetzer, will get another opportunity to gain ground on Philadelphia (7-3) when the clubs meet at the First Union Spectrum on November 16.

Despite the loss to Cleveland, Philadelphia did not lose any ground to the rest of the Eastern Conference as the Kixx downed Baltimore, 12-5, a night earlier and finished the week at 1-1.

Harrisburg also went 1-1 on the week with a 14-12 (OT) victory vs. Baltimore on November 9 before falling to Kansas City by five points on November 10. The Heat (4-4) trails first-place Philadelphia by two games while Baltimore (2-7) sits four and one-half games off the pace in the Eastern Conference standings.

FARIAS RETAINS SPALDING SCORING LEAD...

San Diego forward Carlos Farias held onto the lead in the Spalding Scoring Race with nine points in two outings last week. Farias, who has posted 36 points in nine games this season, leads Kansas City's Dino Delevski by three points. Delevski (33 points) registered 10 points last week to move into second place while Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger holds third place after recording four points last week and pushing his season total to 28.

DELEVSKI AND CECCARELLI EARN WEEKLY HONORS... Offensive: Kansas City forward Dino Delevski has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending November 10. Delevski receives the award after recording four 2-point goals, two assists, and 10 points in three outings to help propel the Comets to a 3-0 record last week.

Delevski opened the week by scoring the game-winning 2-point goal and adding an assist in Kansas City's 18-12 victory at Dallas on November 6. The native of Macedonia then added a 2-point tally in the Comets' 9-7 triumph at Milwaukee on November 8 before posting two goals, an assist, and five points during Kansas City's 15-10 win at Harrisburg on November 10.

Delevski currently ranks second in the MISL in scoring with 33 points and is tied for the League lead in both total goals with 12 and 2-point goals with 10. Delevski has claimed the League's weekly honor twice this season, having also garnered the award for the seven-day period ending October 27. Others Receiving Consideration:

San Diego forward Carlos Farias posted three 2-point goals and three assists for nine points during a pair of Sockers' victories over Dallas.

Philadelphia forward Kevin Sloan registered a 3-point goal, two 2-point tallies, and an assist for eight points as the Kixx split a pair of games vs. Baltimore (12-5) and Cleveland (6-8).

Dallas forward David Doyle registered three 2-point goals, and two assists for eight points in three Sidekicks' contests last week.

Defensive:

Kansas City goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending November 10. Ceccarelli receives the award after going 3-0 with a 9.67 points against average and a .818 save percentage in three outings last week.

Ceccarelli opened the week by making 19 saves in Kansas City's 18-12 win at Dallas on November 6. The Montreal native then made 21 stops while holding Milwaukee to three goals in a 9-7 Comets road win over the Wave on November 8. Ceccarelli concluded his perfect week with a 23-save performance at Harrisburg on November 10 in a 15-10 Comets' victory.

Ceccarelli leads the MISL in saves with 127 and ranks third in save percentage at .789. The former All-League selection is also tied for third in the MISL in wins with four.

Others Receiving Consideration: Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas stopped 15 of 17 shots faced in the Kixx's 12-5 victory over Baltimore on November 8.

Cleveland goalkeeper Jim Larkin allowed just three goals in the Force's 8-6 win over Philadelphia on November 9.

San Diego goalkeeper Nick Vorberg surrendered just four points during the Sockers' 8-4 triumph over Dallas on November 10.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE...

Friday, November 15 Milwaukee at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
Saturday, November 16 San Diego at Milwaukee 1:05 p.m. CT
Cleveland at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. ET MISL GAME RECAPS (November 4 – November 10, 2002)

GAMES OF 11/06/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Kansas City 18 4-2-9-3 11,078 27 2 0-0 Ceccarelli (19-25)
DALLAS 12 4-4-0-4 35 0 1-1 Sagu (12-19)

Nate Houser notched a 3-point goal and added an assist as the Kansas City Comets defeated the Dallas Sidekicks, 18-12, in front of a "School Day" crowd of 11,078 at Reunion Arena on Wednesday, November 6. Comets defender Nick Corneli opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 6:03 of the first quarter before Nino DaSilva added a deuce at 7:48 to give Kansas City a 4-0 lead. After Giampaulo Pedroso got the Sidekicks on the board with a 2-pointer at 13:02, Patrick Shamu registered back-to-back goals at 13:28 of the first and 3:05 of the second to give Dallas its first lead at 6-4. Chad James then tied the score at six with a 2-point goal at 6:16, but David Doyle concluded the first half scoring with a deuce at 13:23, giving the Sidekicks an 8-6 advantage at the half. Unfortunately for the home team, the third quarter belonged to the visitors as the Comets went on a 9-0 run to take control of the game. Brian Soell (4:24), Davis (3-pointer, 6:10), Dino Delevski (8:33), and Vlatko Andonovski (11:12) each lit the lamp to give Kansas City a 15-8 lead through 45 minutes of play. In the fourth, Nick Stavrou posted a 2-pointer at 2:31 before Nate Houser (3-pointer at 12:03) and Tatu (14:49) exchanged tallies to produce the 18-12 final. Houser led the Comets offense with four points while Shamu (two 2-point goals) and Tatu (2-point goal, two assists) paced the Sidekicks with four points. Paolo Ceccarelli (19 saves) earned the win in goal while Sagu (12 stops) took the loss.

GAMES OF 11/08/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Philadelphia 12 0-9-0-3 5,656 25 0 1-1 Pappas (15-17)
BALTIMORE 5 2-0-0-3 29 12 0-0 Hileman (12-15)

Kevin Sloan registered six points as the Philadelphia Kixx defeated the Baltimore Blast, 12-5, in front of a crowd of 5,656 at the 1st Mariner Arena on Friday, November 8. Baltimore took a 2-0 lead on the only goal of the first quarter, compliments of Paul Wright (3:58), but Philadelphia used a 9-0 second quarter to take control of the contest. Joel Shanker (1:12), Goran Vasic (2:53), and Sloan (2-pointer at 7:37, 3-pointer at 14:56) each scored to give the Kixx a seven-point halftime advantage. Following a scoreless third quarter, Sean Bowers, playing in his first game as Baltimore's player/coach, notched a 3-point goal at 6:36 of the fourth to bring the Blast within four at 9-5. That would be as close as the home team would get, though, as Gary DePalma ended the scoring with a 3-point goal at 14:19 to give Philadelphia the seven-point victory. Sloan (3-point goal, 2-point goal, assist) led all scorers with six points while Bowers paced Baltimore with a 3-point goal and three points. Peter Pappas (15 saves) earned the win in goal for the Kixx while Scott Hileman (12 stops) took the loss for Baltimore.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Kansas City 9 2-0-4-3 6,406 23 14 0-1 Ceccarelli (21-24)
MILWAUKEE 7 3-2-2-0 37 7 1-2 Nogueira (9-13)

Paolo Ceccarelli made 22 saves as the Kansas City Comets defeated the Milwaukee Wave, 9-7, in front of a crowd of 6,406 at the Bradley Center on Friday, November 8. The Kansas City victory marked Milwaukee's first loss of the season and snapped the Wave's 27-game regular season home winning streak; however, that mark appeared safe early on as the home team held a 5-2 halftime advantage. Lovelace Ackah opened the scoring and gave Milwaukee a 3-0 lead on a 3-point goal at 2:14 of the first. After Chad James got the Comets on the board and closed the first quarter scoring with a 2-point tally at 7:23, Brian Loftin notched the second frame's only goal with a 2-pointer at 3:42 of the quarter. In the third, Vlatko Andonovski posted a deuce at 3:04 and Dino Delevski gave Kansas City its first lead with a 2-pointer at 9:06. Joe Reiniger then concluded the third quarter scoring and re-claimed the lead for the Wave with a 2-pointer at 14:49 of the stanza. Alex Zotinca and the Comets would have the final say, however, as the defender unleashed a 3-point strike at 3:42 of the fourth that gave Kansas City a 9-6 lead that the club would not relinquish. Zotinca led the Comets in scoring with three points while Reiniger (2-point goal, two assists) paced Milwaukee with four points. Ceccarelli earned the win in the Kansas City goal while Victor Nogueira (nine saves) took the loss for the Wave.

GAMES OF 11/09/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
CLEVELAND 8 0-0-6-2 5,566 27 4 2-4 Larkin (12-15)
Philadelphia 6 0-2-0-4 34 18 0-2 Dobson (12-16)

Jim Larkin allowed just three goals as the Cleveland Force downed the Philadelphia Kixx, 8-6, in front of a crowd of 5,566 at the Convo on Saturday, November 9. Following a scoreless first quarter, Philadelphia's Kevin Sloan scored the only goal of the second frame with a 2-pointer at 1:21 to give the Kixx a 2-0 halftime lead. In the third, Hector Marinaro (3:43) started a 6-0 Cleveland run that continued with 2-point goals from Giuliano Oliviero (5:31) and Chris Stathopoulos (7:40). Les Lunsford then opened the fourth quarter with a deuce at 4:03, which was followed by a 2-point goal from Don D'Ambra at 5:16 that tied the score at six. That set the stage for rookie Anthony Maher, who took a D.J. Newsom feed and notched the game-winning 2-point goal at 14:28. Marinaro led the Force in scoring with a 2-point goal, an assist, and three points. Sloan, Lunsford, and D'Ambra each notched two points for Philadelphia. Larkin (12 saves) earned the win in the Cleveland goal while Stuart Dobson (12 stops) took the loss for the Kixx.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
HARRISBURG 14 (OT) 4-2-6-0-2 5,130 32 4 2-4 Petras (23-29)
Baltimore 12 2-0-2-8-0 35 8 0-2 Hileman (13-20)

Ze Roberto scored the game-winning 2-point goal with 8:26 gone in overtime as the Harrisburg Heat defeated the Baltimore Blast, 14-12, in front of 5,130 fans at the PA State Farm Show Arena on Saturday, November 9. Harrisburg built an early 4-0 lead behind 2-point goals from Marco Coria (2:30) and Genoni Martinez (8:50) before Billy Nelson (13:29) struck for Baltimore to make it a 4-2 contest. In the second, David Bascome (3:59) scored the quarter's only goal before Giuliano Celenza opened the third frame with a 2-pointer at the 31-second mark to cut the Heat lead to 6-4. Bascome answered with a deuce at 6:30 and Marco Lopez (8:21) and Martinez (14:41) followed with 2-pointers to give Harrisburg a 12-4 lead through 45 minutes of play. The Blast then went on an 8-0 run to force the extra session as Dewan Bader (3:20), Celenza (8:08), and Lee Tschantret (11:24) each bagged 2-point goals before Celenza scored his third 2-pointer of the night at 11:24 to knot the score at 12. That set the stage for Ze Roberto's heroics in overtime as the Heat moved to 4-3 on the season with the two-point victory. Bascome led Harrisburg in scoring with a pair of 2-point goals and an assist for five points while Celenza paced the Blast with six points. Doug Petras (23 saves) earned the win in goal for the Heat while Scott Hileman (13 stops) took the loss for Baltimore.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
San Diego 15 5-4-0-6 10,024 25 9 1-1 Horvath (15-20)
Dallas 10 2-0-4-4 34 2 2-2 Sagu (11-17)

Carlos Farias posted seven points as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Dallas Sidekicks, 15-10, in front of a crowd of 10,024 at Reunion Arena on Saturday, November 9. Dallas took an early 2-0 lead on a Patrick Shamu 2-pointer at 5:43 before San Diego went on a 9-0 run to take control of the contest. Shawn Beyer (11:56) and Alejandro Cardenas (3-pointer, 15:00) notched first quarter scores to put the Sockers ahead, 5-2, before Beyer (12:04) and Farias (14:18) scored in the second to give San Diego a 9-2 halftime lead. David Doyle (3:29) and Antonio Sutton (8:29) posted 2-pointers for the Sidekicks to cut the lead to 9-6 through three quarters of action, but Robbie Aristodemo (7:03) opened the fourth quarter with a deuce to push the Sockers lead to 11-6. Following a Doyle 2-pointer at 8:48, Farias bagged back-to-back 2-point goals at 10:00 and 13:00 to put the game out of reach. Nick Stavrou added a sixth-attacker 2-point tally at 14:47 for Dallas to produce the 15-10 final. Farias led all scorers with three 2-point goals, an assist, and seven points. Doyle (two 2-point goals, an assist, and five points) paced the Sidekicks. D.J. Horvath (15) earned the win in the San Diego goal while Sagu (11 stops) took the loss for Dallas.

GAMES OF 11/10/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Kansas City 15 0-0-10-5 2,527 45 11 1-2 Ceccarelli (23-28)
HARRISBURG 10 6-0-0-4 40 4 0-3 Petras (30-36)

Dino Delevski and Nino DaSilva each posted five points as the Kansas City Comets downed the Harrisburg Heat, 15-10, at the PA State Farm Show Arena on Sunday, November 10. Harrisburg took an early 6-0 lead as Marco Lopez (4:13) opened the scoring with a 2-point goal that was followed by a David Barbosa strike at 9:45. Lopez then notched his second 2-pointer of the game at 12:02 to give the Heat a six-point cushion. Following a scoreless second quarter, Kansas City went on a 10-0 third quarter run to take a 10-6 lead. Nikola Vignjevic (3:23), Bill Sedgewick (4:01), Delevski (4:55, 13:43), and DaSilva (6:57) each recorded 2-pointers to push the Comets ahead by four. In the fourth, Nate Houser made it a 12-6 game with a deuce at 1:46 before Lopez notched his third 2-pointer of the night at 2:49. That would be as close as the home team would get, however, as DaSilva added a late 3-pointer at 12:38 before Ato Leone concluded the scoring with a deuce at 13:17. DaSilva and Delevski paced Kansas City with five points apiece while Lopez led all scorers with six points. Paolo Ceccarelli (23 saves) earned the win while Doug Petras (30 stops) took the loss.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
SAN DIEGO 8 4-2-0-2 6,052 22 7 0-2 Vorberg (13-15)
Dallas 4 2-0-2-0 24 17 0-1 Sagu (6-9)

Gaston Pernia scored a pair of goals as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Dallas Sidekicks, 8-4, in front of a crowd of 6,052 at the San Diego Sports Arena on Sunday, November 10. Shandley Phillips opened the scoring for the Sockers with a 2-point goal at 1:14 of the first quarter. After Nick Stavrou tied the game at two with a deuce at 2:51, Shawn Beyer pushed San Diego in front for good with a 2-pointer at 14:04. Pernia then notched the second quarter's only goal at 13:34 to give the Sockers a 6-2 halftime lead. In the third, Antonio Sutton struck for the Sidekicks at 3:13 to make it a 6-4 game, but Pernia would register the game's final goal at 14:04 of the fourth to produce the 8-6 final. Pernia led the Sockers with a pair of 2-point goals and four points while Stavrou and Sutton each posted a 2-point goal and two points to pace Dallas. Nick Vorberg (13 saves) earned the win in goal for San Diego while Sagu (six stops) took the loss for Dallas.

DALLAS ENJOYS BIG WEEK AT THE GATE...

The Dallas Sidekicks welcomed 21,102 fans to two home dates last week for an average attendance of 10,551 for the week. The Sidekicks' "School Day Game" on November 6 drew a crowd of 11,078 while the club's November 9 contest vs. San Diego attracted a crowd of 10,024. The MISL welcomed a total of 52,439 fans to eight outings last week for an average attendance of 6,555. The League has attracted 187,814 fans to 35 outings on the season for an average attendance of 5,366.

TEAM CAPSULES (November 4 – November 10, 2002)

Baltimore Blast (2-7)
The Blast dropped its first two games under new head coach Sean Bowers with a 12-5 loss vs. Philadelphia on November 8 and a 14-12 (OT) defeat at Harrisburg on November 9. Paul Wright posted two points in the outing vs. the Kixx and ranks sixth in the MISL in scoring with 24 points. Wright is also tied for fourth in assists with eight. Lee Tschantret and P.J. Wakefield are tied for 18th in scoring with 18 points. Jason Dieter is second in blocks with 22 while Bowers is fourth with 17. Denison Cabral is tied for the League lead in restart goals with three. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman is fourth in both minutes played with 481 and points against average at 10.09. Hileman ranks fifth in saves with 102. The Blast is tied for the MISL lead in restart goals with five and is tied for third in 2-pointers scored with 42. Baltimore will host Milwaukee on November 15 and San Diego on November 23 before traveling to Harrisburg on November 30.
Leading Scorers: Wright (24 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Hileman (2-6; 10.09 paa; .729 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/15 vs. Milwaukee, Sat. 11/23 vs. San Diego, Sat. 11/30 at Harrisburg

Cleveland Force (4-3)
The Force won the club's only contest of the week by way of an 8-6 victory over Philadelphia. Rookie Anthony Maher scored the game-winning goal with 32 seconds remaining to move the Force into sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference. Goalkeeper Jim Larkin continued his strong play in goal, allowing just three goals while winning his fourth game of the season. Larkin is ranked third in the MISL in saves with 108 and is fifth in both points against average (10.24) and save percentage (.761). On offense, Cleveland continues to be led by Hector Marinaro. Marinaro is tied for 13th in MISL scoring with 20 points. Marinaro is also tied for third in game-winning goals with two while John Ball is tied for second in the League in sixth-attacker goals with two. The Force defense continues to tighten and is now ranked third in the MISL, allowing 10.1 points per game. Cleveland special teams are also on the rise as the Force power play (45.5%) and penalty kill (63.6%) are both ranked third in the MISL. Cleveland has an opportunity to gain more ground on the first-place Kixx when the Force travels to Philadelphia on November 16. Cleveland will then welcome Harrisburg on November 22 before heading to Kansas City on November 30.
Leading Scorer: Marinaro (20 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Larkin (4-3; 10.24 paa; .761 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/16 at Philadelphia, Fri. 11/22 vs. Harrisburg, Sat. 11/30 at Kansas City

Dallas Sidekicks (2-8)
The Sidekicks dropped three games last week with an 18-12 loss to Kansas City on November 6 and a pair of defeats vs. San Diego by way of a 15-10 home loss on November 9 and an 8-4 road setback on November 10. David Doyle led the Dallas offense last week with eight points and is tied for ninth in scoring with 22 points. Player/coach Tatu and forward Patrick Shamu lead the Sidekicks and are tied for seventh in League scoring with 23 points. Tatu is also tied for second in assists with nine. Antonio Sutton is tied for 13th in MISL scoring with 20 points while Brad Flanagan is fifth in the League in blocks with 16. Goalkeeper Sagu leads the MISL in minutes played with 494 and is fourth in saves with 106. The Sidekicks will open a three-game homestand by hosting Harrisburg on November 24. Dallas will then welcome Kansas City on November 29 and Milwaukee on November 30.
Leading Scorer: Shamu, Tatu (23 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Sagu (1-7, 12.14 paa, .693 save percentage)
Up Next: Sun. 11/24 vs. Harrisburg, Fri. 11/29 vs. Kansas City, Sat. 11/30 vs. Milwaukee

Harrisburg Heat (4-4)
The Heat went 1-1 last week with a 14-12 (OT) victory vs. Baltimore on November 9 and a 15-10 loss to Kansas City on November 10. Doug Petras made 53 saves in the two games and now ranks second in the MISL with 114 saves on the season. Petras leads the MISL in save percentage at .792 and ranks sixth in points against average at 10.54. Marco Coria posted four points last week and is tied for ninth in MISL scoring with 22 points. Coria is also tied for second in the League in assists with nine. David Bascome is 17th in League scoring with 19 points and is second in power play goals with five. The Heat penalty kill surrendered its first goal of the season on November 10 vs. Kansas City, but the unit remains the MISL's best at 87.5%. The Harrisburg power play is ranked fourth at 44.4%. The Heat will not take the field again until November 22 when the club travels to Cleveland. Harrisburg will then play at Dallas on November 24 before entertaining Baltimore on November 30.
Leading Scorer: Coria (22 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Petras (3-2; 10.54 paa; .792 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/22 at Cleveland, Sun. 11/24 at Dallas, Sat. 11/30 vs. Baltimore

Kansas City Comets (4-5)
The Comets produced three impressive road victories last week to move back into contention in the Western Conference. Kansas City posted an 18-12 victory at Dallas on November 6, a 9-7 win at Milwaukee on November 8, and a 15-10 triumph at Harrisburg on November 10. Goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli made 63 saves during the week while posting a 9.67 points against average to record all three wins in the Kansas City net. Ceccarelli now leads the MISL in saves with 127 and ranks third in save percentage at .789. Dino Delevski posted 10 points last week to move into second place on the Spalding scoring chart with 33 points. Delevski is also tied for the League lead in both total goals with 12 and 2-point goals with 10. Nino DaSilva is ranked fourth in MISL scoring with 27 points while Nate Houser is fifth with 25 points. Houser is tied for the League lead in 2-point goals with 10 while being tied for third in total goals with 11. DaSilva is fifth in total goals with 10. Kansas City's offense is the League's second best unit at 13.4 points per game while the club's power play is tied for first at 57.1%. The Comets will conclude their current seven-game road swing with a November 29 outing at Dallas. Kansas City will then host Cleveland on November 30 and Philadelphia on December 14.
Leading Scorers: Delevski (33 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Ceccarelli (4-1; 12.12 paa; .789 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/29 at Dallas, Sat. 11/30 vs. Cleveland, Sat. 12/14 vs. Philadelphia

Milwaukee Wave (7-1)
The Wave proved mortal last week with a 9-7 loss to Kansas City on November 8. The loss snapped Milwaukee's 27-game regular season home winning streak. Joe Reiniger posted four points in the contest and is third in League scoring with 28 points. Reiniger is also the League leader in power play goals with six. The forward is also tied for first in restart goals with three and tied for third in total goals with 11. Greg Howes is tied for 11th in MISL scoring with 21 points and is tied for third in total goals with 11. Victor Nogueira suffered a rare loss vs. Kansas City but remains the League leader in wins with seven. Nogueira also ranks second in both minutes played (490) and points against average (7.59). Milwaukee's offense and defense are both ranked number one in the MISL as the Wave offense has averaged 14.5 points per game while the defense has surrendered 7.8 points per contest. Milwaukee will travel to Baltimore November 15 before returning home to host San Diego on November 16. The Wave will then head to Dallas on November 30.
Leading Scorers: Reiniger (28 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Nogueira (7-1; 7.59 paa; .775 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/15 at Baltimore, Sat. 11/16 vs. San Diego, Sat. 11/30 at Dallas

Philadelphia Kixx (7-3)
The Kixx split a pair of games with a 12-5 victory at Baltimore and an 8-6 loss at Cleveland. Joel Shanker posted three points in the two outings and is tied for 11th in League scoring with 21 points. Gary DePalma is tied for 13th in MISL scoring with 20 points while Don D'Ambra is tied for 18th with 18 points. D'Ambra is also tied for the League lead in game-winning goals with three while defender Glenn Carbonara is third in blocks with 18. Goalkeeper Peter Pappas allowed just two goals in earning the win vs. Baltimore and now ranks second in the MISL in victories with six. Pappas also ranks third in both minutes (484) and points against average (9.04). The Kixx defense is the League's second best unit, allowing 9.3 points per game while the club's offense is ranked third at 11.1 points per contest. Philadelphia will open a four-game homestand by hosting Cleveland on November 16. The Kixx will then entertain San Diego on November 20 (School Day Game) and November 30.
Leading Scorer: Shanker (21 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Pappas (6-2; 9.04 paa, .731 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/16 vs. Cleveland, Wed. 11/20 vs. San Diego, Sat. 11/30 vs. San Diego

San Diego (5-4)
The Sockers won a pair of games vs. Dallas last week to move over .500 and into second place in the Western Conference. San Diego downed the Sidekicks, 15-10, in Dallas on November 9 and 8-4 at home on November 10. Carlos Farias continues to score in bunches, adding nine points last week to retain the Spalding scoring lead with 36 points on the season. Farias also leads the MISL in assists with 10 and is tied for the League lead in both total goals (12) and 2-point goals (10). Alejandro Cardenas is tied for 13th in scoring with 20 points while Gaston Pernia leads the MISL in blocks with 28. Nick Vorberg continues to make the most of his playing time, allowing just two goals vs. Dallas on November 10 to lower his League-best points against average to 7.10. Vorberg is also ranked second in save percentage at .790. The two wins over Dallas moved San Diego to 5-1 on the season vs. Western Conference foes. The Sockers offense is ranked just seventh in the MISL at 9.9 points per game, but the club's restart unit is tied for the MISL lead in goals scored with five. San Diego will begin a five-game road swing with dates at Milwaukee (November 16), Philadelphia (November 20), and Baltimore (November 23).
Leading Scorer: Farias (36 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Vorberg (3-2; 7.10 paa; .790 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/16 at Milwaukee, Wed. 11/20 at Philadelphia, Sat. 11/23 at Baltimore

QUOTE CORNER...

"When you're playing out here with these guys who have been playing forever, they're going to cause some trouble...Andy (Schmetzer) just tells me to get in there and be a scrappy player and cause trouble for the goalie."

- Cleveland rookie forward Anthony Maher following his game-winning goal in the Force's 8-6 win over Philadelphia on November 9

"It's awesome for a goalie when the team defense plays well in front of you...it cuts down their angles and makes their shot selection a lot tougher."

- San Diego goalkeeper Nick Vorberg following the Sockers' 8-4 win over Dallas on November 10

"We're coming off a seven-game road trip, over five weeks...if we can do that at 4-3, I'm okay with that."

- Kansas City head coach Zoran Savic following the Comets' 15-10 win at Harrisburg on November 10; Kansas City won three consecutive road games last week to improve to 4-3 on the road for the season

"We had a lot of guys who didn't have particularly good games...I kind of forgot how it felt (losing at home), but maybe it gets some pressure off us...everybody expects us to win every game at home...what are you going to do?"

- Milwaukee head coach Keith Tozer following the Wave's 9-7 loss to Kansas City on November 9; the loss marked Milwaukee's first regular season loss at the Bradley Center since March 17, 2001

LEAGUE NOTES...

- Baltimore named defender Sean Bowers as the team's new head coach on November 7; Bowers replaces Kevin Healey, who was named Executive Vice President of Arena Ventures, a company involved with the management of the 1st Mariner Arena; Healey will continue to serve as the Blast's General Manager

- Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger recorded his 1,300th career point on November 8 vs. Kansas City; Reiniger (1,303 career points) is ranked sixth on the League all-time scoring list and needs just three points to move past former Detroit star Dennis Brose (1,305) for fifth place on the all-time list

- Cleveland forward Hector Marinaro extended his scoring streak to 49 games last week with three points vs. Philadelphia on November 9; Marinaro has posted at least one point in 81 of his last 82 games and 188 of his last 191 outings

- Force defender Kiley Couch extended his consecutive games played streak to 51; Couch has appeared in every game since joining Cleveland prior to the 2001-02 season

- 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

TRENDS, TRENDS, TRENDS...

- Home teams are just 19-16 (.543 winning percentage) on the season; home teams went 85-47 during the 2001-02 campaign for a .644 winning percentage

- Teams that have scored the first goal in a game have gone on to win 21 of 32 contests thus far this season (.656 winning percentage)

- The Kansas City Comets allowed just 9.67 points per game during three road wins last week after surrendering an average of 17.3 points per game in the club's previous six outings

- Cleveland and San Diego both sport winning records, despite being outscored a combined 171-147 on the season

- There have been 365 total goals scored through the first 35 games of the season; 46 of those goals have been 3-pointers (12.6%) while 319 have been 2-pointers (87.4%)

- Teams are just two for eight on shootout attempts this year, which equates to a 25% success rate; teams went a combined 71 for 138 on the shootout last season for a .51% success rate

- League power play efficiency stands at 43% (52 for 121); in comparison, the 2001-02 season yielded a power play efficiency of 47.4% (110 for 232)

- Through 14 inter-conference contests, the season series between Eastern and Western Conference clubs is tied with each conference winning seven games

• Discuss this story on the Major Indoor Soccer League 2 message board...

Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from November 11, 2002

• Comets Go 3-for-3 on the Road - MISL 2
• This Week with the Force - Cleveland Force
• Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat

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