Comets, Sockers Split Pair

January 20, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

The Kansas City Comets and San Diego Sockers faced off twice in two days, splitting a pair of electrifying Western Conference outings to highlight last week's MISL action, while Conference leaders Milwaukee and Philadelphia both expanded their winning streaks with superior defensive efforts.

The Comets recorded a 17-13 win over the Sockers at Kemper Arena on Friday night behind Dino Delevski's four-goal, nine-point performance. But San Diego responded on Saturday night as Mariano Bollella matched Delevski's output with nine points of his own in a 16-14 Sockers win. Fans certainly got their money's worth: the two games featured a total of 26 minutes in penalties and eight power play opportunities, not to mention 60 total points and 29 goals. Neither team was able to make a move on first-place Milwaukee, as the Wave combined a steadfast defense and a four-goal night from Greg Howes to take a 13-4 decision over Cleveland at The Convo on Saturday.

At the First Union Spectrum, the KiXX defense held the cross-state rival Harrisburg Heat in check for the bulk of a 10-6 Philadelphia win. The KiXX led 10-2 until late in the fourth en route to their 10th straight win overall and their 12th consecutive home victory; Philadelphia remains the only team in the MISL with a flawless home record.

Dino Delevski became the first player in the MISL to hit 100 points for the year with 15 points over two games, and San Diego's duo of Mariano Bollella (11 points) and Carlos Farias (10 points) did some lamp-lighting of their own. But goalkeepers got plenty of help over the weekend: all told, MISL teams averaged 13 blocks over four games. Kansas City's Jeff Davis led the block party with 14 rejections, including eight on Friday night to tie a team record, while other familiar backline stalwarts such as San Diego's Gaston Pernia (seven blocks in two games) and Harrisburg's Genoni Martinez (seven blocks against the KiXX on Saturday) did their fair share to hinder opposing offenses. Even Milwaukee forward Greg Howes got into the act, adding four blocks to his four goals in the Wave's win over Cleveland.

The MISL will be humming this weekend, with seven games on the slate. Baltimore, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Milwaukee all play two games in two days (Friday and Saturday), while Dallas snaps back into action after a week off.

DELEVSKI, DAVIS HONORED AS COMETS SWEEP WEEKLY AWARDS: Offensive:

Prolific Kansas City Comets forward Dino Delevski has been the named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending January 19, marking the fifth time that Delevski has captured weekly honors this season. The 26-year-old scored 15 points (six 2pgs, three assists) in Kansas City's two games over the weekend to become the first player in the MISL this season to hit the century mark – he currently leads the League with 101 points.

The reigning MISL Most Valuable Player scored nine points (four 2pgs, assist), including the game-winner at 13:41 of the third, in the Comets' 17-13 win over the San Diego Sockers on Friday night at Kemper Arena. Delevski added six more points (two 2pgs, two assists) in Kansas City's 16-14 loss to San Diego on Saturday.

No player in the League has been hotter over recent weeks than Delevski: the native of Skopje, Macedonia has scored 38 points over his last five games. He has now registered at least one point in all 20 games he has played this season, and is just 23 points away from reaching the 500-point plateau for his career.

Others Receiving Consideration:

San Diego midfielder Mariano Bollella posted 11 points (four 2pgs, three assists) in the Sockers' two games over the weekend. The 31-year-old assisted on two scores in San Diego's 17-13 loss to Kansas City on Friday, then exploded for a season-high nine points (four 2pgs, assist, game-winner) in the Sockers' 16-14 victory over the Comets on Saturday. Bollella has now scored 35 points in 17 games this year.

Sockers forward Carlos "Chile" Farias scored 10 points in his team's two games against the Comets, giving him 78 points (second in the League) for the year. The 26-year-old striker scored a pair of 2pgs and assisted on two others on Friday night, and notched a 2pg and two assists on Saturday.

Milwaukee Wave forward Greg Howes scored four of his team's six goals in a 13-4 Wave victory over the Cleveland Force on Saturday at The Convo. Howes, who has scored 14 points over his last three games, finished the night with eight points and a game-high four blocked shots. He has registered 62 points (fifth in the MISL) this season.

Defensive:

Kansas City Comets defender Jeff Davis has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending January 19. Davis blocked 14 shots and assisted on a goal in two games this past weekend.

The 31-year-old rejected eight shots in Kansas City's 17-13 win over San Diego on Friday night, tying the team single-game record he set this past November 29 against Dallas. Davis blocked another six shots against the Sockers the next night.

Davis has now assumed the team lead with 42 blocks on the year, a total that ranks him third in the MISL. This is the first time the native of St. Louis has won weekly accolades this season.

Others Receiving Consideration:

Milwaukee Wave goalkeeper Victor Nogueira saved 13 of 15 shots in a 13-4 Wave win at Cleveland on January 18.

Philadelphia KiXX backstop Peter Pappas stopped 10 of 12 shots as he extended his personal win streak to 10 games in a 10-6 triumph over Harrisburg on January 18.

Harrisburg Heat defender Genoni Martinez blocked seven shots (a team and personal season-high) and scored a 2pg in the Heat's loss in Philadelphia on Saturday night.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE:

Friday, January 24 Kansas City at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
Philadelphia at Cleveland 7:35 p.m. ET
San Diego at Milwaukee 7:05 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 25 Kansas City at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. ET
San Diego at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
Cleveland at Harrisburg 7:35 p.m. ET
Milwaukee at Dallas 7:05 p.m. CT

MISL GAME RECAPS (January 13 - January 19, 2003)

Games of 1/17/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
KANSAS CITY 17 2-6-6-3 4,605 40 9 1-2 Ceccarelli (15-21)
San Diego 13 2-5-6-0 32 9 0-2 Vorberg (17-24)

Dino Delevski's 2pg at 13:41 of the third quarter made it 14-13 and put the Comets up for good in a game that saw four lead changes. San Diego led 7-2 early in the second and held three separate one-point leads in the second half, but Delevski's four-goal, nine-point effort propelled Kansas City to victory in front of 4,605 fans at Kemper Arena. Nick Corneli (two 2pgs, assist) and Nino DaSilva (3pg, 2pg) posted five points apiece for K.C.; DaSilva's 3pg at 14:38 of the fourth against Sockers sixth attacker Robbie Aristodemo iced the win. Carlos "Chile" Farias led San Diego with six points (two 2pgs, two assists). Comets defender Jeff Davis tied a team single-game record with eight blocks in the game. Nick Vorberg stopped 17 of 24 shots for San Diego in the loss, and Paolo Ceccarelli made 15 saves on 21 shots for the win.

Games of 01/18/2003 (Home CAPS)
SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 10 0-4-2-4 2,934 39 6 0-2 Pappas (10-12)
Harrisburg 6 0-2-0-4 25 2 0-3 Salas (14-19)

Philadelphia's League-leading defense carried the night against the Heat on Saturday at the First Union Spectrum, as 22 of Harrisburg's 25 shots were either blocked by KiXX defenders or saved by starting keeper Peter Pappas (10 saves in the win) or backup Stuart Dobson (one save while Pappas served a fourth-quarter penalty). The KiXX scored the first two goals of the game to take a 4-0 lead before Harrisburg's Horacio Robledo bagged a 2pg with 28 seconds left in the half; Philly then scored three unanswered goals to assume a 10-2 advantage. A pair of 2pgs from the Heat late in the fourth created the final score. Philadelphia's Goran Vasic scored a 2pg and assisted on three others for five points, and Chris Handsor added two 2pgs, including the game-winner. The Heat blocked a season-high 19 shots in the contest, led by Genoni Martinez's seven rejections (also a season best). Raul Salas took the loss for Harrisburg with 14 saves.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Milwaukee 13 2-5-2-4 4,903 26 11 1-3 Nogueira (13-15)
CLEVELAND 4 2-0-0-2 32 14 0-3 Larkin (12-17)

The Wave won their fourth straight and improved to 16-5 on the year, outscoring the host Force 11-2 after an even first quarter. Victor Nogueira saved 13 of 15 shots and the Wave defense blocked 17 others in holding Cleveland to their lowest point total of the season. Greg Howes scored four of Milwaukee's six goals and finished the night with eight points, and Joe Reiniger's 3pg at 13:16 of the second stood as the game-winner. Howes also blocked a game-high four shots. John Ball and Anthony Maher scored the Cleveland goals. Jim Larkin turned away 12 shots in taking the loss as Cleveland, playing without leading scorer Hector Marinaro, lost only their second game of the year at The Convo.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
San Diego 16 2-4-6-4 5,715 40 7 1-3 Horvath (17-24)
KANSAS CITY 14 0-6-2-6 35 16 0-1 Ceccarelli (13-20)

The Sockers avenged their loss of the night before, riding a nine-point night from Mariano Bollella to a 16-14 win over the Comets at Kemper Arena. Bollella's unassisted 2pg at 9:37 of the fourth, his final tally of the night, put the Sockers up 16-12 and served as the game-winner. Kansas City's Dino Delevski wrapped up another extraordinary weekend with six points (two 2pgs, two assists) – his 2pg at 3:42 of the second tied the game at 6-6 before the Sockers took a 12-6 lead with three straight 2pgs. Delevski's output put him over the 100-point mark for the season. San Diego led 14-8 after three quarters, but that lead began to dissolve when Bill Sedgewick (6:19) and Goran Hunjak (9:13) registered 2pgs to make it 14-12. Bollella's decisive deuce came just 24 seconds after Hunjak's score and ended the brief Comets rally. Comets sixth attacker Alex Zotinca added a 2pg with just a minute left to play to make it 16-14, but Sockers keeper D.J. Horvath withstood the late flurry; he finished with 17 saves in the win. Paolo Ceccarelli made 13 stops in the loss. San Diego improved to 3-2 against the Comets this season.

TEAM CAPSULES (January 13 – January 19, 2003)

BALTIMORE BLAST (7-14)
The Blast was idle last week. Baltimore enters this week one game behind the Harrisburg Heat for third place in the Eastern Conference, and will play a pair of home games against Western Conference rivals this weekend: Kansas City comes to town on Friday, January 24, and San Diego visits 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday, January 25. Denison Cabral leads the team with 39 points on the year; he is tied for 20th in the League. Defender Sean Bowers is fourth in the League with 40 blocks. Keeper Scott Hileman is fifth in the League with an 11.06 points against average. The Blast is last in the League on the power play (29.6%), and seventh out of eight teams in penalty killing (52.9%). Baltimore will play four straight games, and five out of their next six, at 1st Mariner Arena.

Up Next: Friday 1/24 vs. Kansas City; Saturday 1/25 vs. San Diego; Friday 1/31 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 2/1 vs. Milwaukee

CLEVELAND FORCE (10-10)
Cleveland fell to Milwaukee 13-4 on Saturday night, marking only the second loss in eight home games for the Force this year. John Ball and Anthony Maher scored the Force goals, and Jim Larkin made 12 saves in goal. Leading scorer Hector Marinaro (46 points, tied for 11th in the League) did not play on Saturday – his scoring streak remains intact at 57 straight games. Giuliano Oliviero is 13th in the MISL with 45 points on the year. Defender D.J. Newsom ranks fifth in the League with 36 blocks. Jim Larkin has started in goal for all 20 of Cleveland's games; Larkin is eighth in the League with a 12.13 PAA, fourth with 10 wins, second with 1,147 minutes played, and second with 283 saves. Defender Nevio Pizzolitto leads the League with 45 penalty minutes. Cleveland will play eight of its next 10 games at The Convo.

Up Next: Friday 1/24 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 1/25 at Harrisburg; Friday 1/31 vs. San Diego; Sunday 2/2 vs. Kansas City

DALLAS SIDEKICKS (6-17)
The Sidekicks were idle last week, and enter the week at 6-17, four games behind third-place San Diego in the Western Conference. Dallas will have a chance to snap their six-game losing streak this Saturday, February 1, when Milwaukee visits Reunion Arena. Leading scorer David Doyle ranks seventh in the League with 59 points; Doyle is tied for third in the League with five power play goals on the year. Player/coach Tatu is ninth in the League with 50 points and ranks third with 22 assists. Nick Stavrou enters the week 14th in the League with 44 points. Dallas backstop Sagu is sixth in the MISL with an 11.43 points against average. He leads the circuit in minutes played (1,217) and has the third-most saves in the League (256). The Sidekicks will face Western Conference opponents in their next three games: the Wave visit Dallas on Saturday, the San Diego Sockers come to town on February 1, and the Sidekicks travel to Kansas City on February 7.

Up Next: Saturday 1/25 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/1 vs. San Diego; Friday 2/7 at Kansas City; Saturday 2/8 at Philadelphia

HARRISBURG HEAT (9-14)
Harrisburg's losing streak stretched to five games with a 10-6 loss in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Horacio Robledo, Chris Morman, and Genoni Martinez scored the Heat goals, and Raul Salas stopped 14 shots in goal. Salas is now 0-6 with a 12.61 PAA for the season. Martinez remains the MISL's highest-scoring defender with 55 points (eighth overall), and ranks second in the League with 50 blocks. Harrisburg blocked a team season-high 19 shots against the KiXX on Saturday, led by Martinez with seven. David Bascome went scoreless in Philly, but continues to lead the team with 61 points (sixth in the League). Bascome is second in the League with 27 2pgs on the year, and tied for second with 27 total goals. Ato Leone's 42 points place him 15th in the MISL, and he ranks fifth with 19 assists. Marco "Chikis" Lopez, who did not play against the KiXX, is 16th with 41 points, and Marco Coria is tied for 17th with 40 points. The Heat is now 2-9 on the road and 4-8 against Eastern Conference rivals. Harrisburg will play its next three games at home, against Cleveland on January 25, Milwaukee on January 31, and Philadelphia on February 1.

Up Next: Saturday 1/25 vs. Cleveland; Friday 1/31 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/1 vs. Philadelphia; Thursday 2/6 at San Diego

KANSAS CITY COMETS (11-10)
Kansas City split a pair of games with the San Diego Sockers at Kemper Arena this past weekend, winning 17-13 on Friday night and dropping a 16-14 decision on Saturday. Dino Delevski scored 15 points in those two games (nine points on Friday, six points on Saturday) to become the first player in the MISL this season to reach the 100-point mark; he leads the League with 101 points entering the week. Delevski has now scored in all 20 games he has played this season, and has recorded 38 points over his last five games. He leads the League with 35 total goals, seven 3pgs, and 28 2pgs, and is second with 24 assists. Jeff Davis blocked 14 shots over the weekend, including eight on Friday night, tying the team single-game record he set this past November 29 against Dallas. Davis is now third in the League with 42 blocks this season. Nino DaSilva ranks fourth in the League with 64 points, and is fourth with 22 2pgs and tied for third in power play goals (5). Nate Houser is tied for 17th with 40 points on the year. Paolo Ceccarelli saved 28 of 41 shots over the weekend, and ranks seventh in the League with an 11.65 PAA. Ceccarelli leads the League with 315 saves and a .763 save percentage, and is third with 11 wins and fourth with 1,055 minutes played. The Comets now embark on a three-game road swing that will take them to Baltimore (January 24), Philadelphia (January 25), and Cleveland (February 2).

Up Next: Friday 1/24 at Baltimore; Saturday 1/25 at Philadelphia; Sunday 2/2 at Cleveland; Friday 2/7 vs. Dallas

MILWAUKEE WAVE (16-5)
The Wave put the defensive clamps on Cleveland in a 13-4 win at The Convo on Saturday night. Milwaukee has now won four straight and leads the Western Conference by five full games over Kansas City. Greg Howes scored four of the Wave's six goals against the Force, and now ranks fifth in the MISL with 62 points on the year. He is tied for fourth in the League with 26 total goals, and his 23 2pgs are the third-most in the circuit. Howes, who also blocked a game-high four shots on Saturday, has scored 14 points over his last three games. Joe Reiniger continues to lead the Wave in scoring with 70 points (third in the League). Reiniger is tied for second overall with 27 total goals and is tied for first with seven 3pgs. Todd Dusosky's 28 assists are the most in the MISL. By stopping 13 of 15 shots against the Force, Victor Nogueira lowered his League-best points against average to 7.85. Nogueira leads the League with 15 victories this year, ranks second in save percentage (.759), and is fifth with 211 saves. Milwaukee leads the League in both power play efficiency (58.1%) and penalty killing (70.7%), and is second offensively (14.4 points per game) and defensively (9.2 points per game). Wave head coach Keith Tozer recorded his 300th win (regular season and playoffs) as Milwaukee's skipper on Saturday. Tozer has now posted a 271-152 regular season record and a 29-17 postseason mark in his 11 years with the team.

Up Next: Friday 1/24 vs. San Diego; Saturday 1/25 at Dallas; Friday 1/31 at Harrisburg; Saturday 2/1 at Baltimore

PHILADELPHIA KIXX (17-3)
Philadelphia improved their League-best record to 17-3 and extended their winning streak to 10 games (the longest such streak in the League this year) with a 10-6 win over Harrisburg at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday. The KiXX are the only team in the MISL to remain undefeated (12-0) at home. Goran Vasic was involved in four of Philly's five goals against the Heat, finishing with a 2pg and three assists for five points. Peter Pappas saved 10 of 12 shots to extend his personal winning streak to 10 games and lower his PAA to 8.68 on the season, the second-lowest in the League. Pappas ranks second in the MISL with 13 wins and fifth with a .735 save percentage. Despite owning the League's third-best offense (11.7 points per game), the KiXX feature only one player (Joel Shanker, tied for 11th with 46 points) among the MISL's top 20 scorers. Shanker extended his scoring streak to 14 games with an assist on Saturday night. Philadelphia is now 10-1 against Eastern Conference rivals this season, the best intra-conference record in the League.

Up Next: Friday 1/24 at Cleveland; Saturday 1/25 vs. Kansas City; Friday 1/31 at Baltimore; Saturday 2/1 at Harrisburg

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS (10-13)
The Sockers fell 17-13 to the Comets in Kansas City on Friday night, but returned to Kemper Arena on Saturday and logged a 16-14 win. Carlos Farias scored six points (two 2pgs, two assists) on Friday and added four more (2pg, two assists) on Saturday, and enters the week with 78 points on the year (second in the League). Farias is tied for third in the MISL with five 3pgs and is fifth with 21 2pgs; he also ranks fourth with 21 assists. Mariano Bollella also enjoyed a prolific weekend, assisting on two goals on Friday and notching a game-high nine points (four 2pgs, assist) on Saturday. Bollella's 2pg at 9:37 of the fourth served as the game-winner in Saturday's triumph. Nick Vorberg saved 17 of 24 shots on Friday, taking the loss, and D.J. Horvath made 17 saves for the win on Saturday. Vorberg ranks third in the League with a 9.39 PAA and a .748 save percentage. Defender Gaston Pernia has blocked the most shots (53) in the MISL. The Sockers are now 8-5 against Western Conference rivals this season.

Up Next: Friday 1/24 at Milwaukee; Saturday 1/25 at Baltimore; Friday 1/31 at Cleveland; Saturday 2/1 at Dallas

LEAGUE NOTES:

- Kansas City's Dino Delevski has now scored at least a point in all 20 games he has played this season. The 26-year-old has scored 38 points over his last five games, and needs only 23 more points to hit 500 for his career - Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas won his 10th straight decision on Saturday against Harrisburg. The League record for consecutive wins by a goalkeeper is 18, set by Canton's Bill Naumovski in 1985-86

- Cleveland forward Hector Marinaro did not play in Saturday's 13-4 loss to Milwaukee; his scoring streak remains intact at 57 consecutive games

- Comets defender Jeff Davis blocked a total of 14 shots in two games last weekend. Davis tied a team single-game record with eight blocks in Friday's 17-13 win over San Diego; he originally set the record this past November 29 against Dallas

- Philadelphia (12-0) remains undefeated at home this season. Entering this season, only one team in MISL history has gone a full season without a home loss: the 2001-02 Milwaukee Wave went 22-0 at the Bradley Center

QUOTE CORNER:

"We had plenty of opportunities. San Diego came with a lot more intensity in the beginning of the game. We didn't match their intensity from the first whistle on. We had some unlucky bounces, but give San Diego credit. They came in here and beat us."

- Kansas City Comets coach Zoran Savic, after his team's 16-14 loss to San Diego on Saturday

"I feel much better because yesterday we played with the same intensity (and lost). It felt good to score the goals, especially because we won. "

- San Diego Sockers midfielder Mariano Bollella, after his four-goal, nine-point performance in a 16-14 win against Kansas City on Saturday; the Sockers had lost 17-13 to the Comets the previous night.

DELEVSKI HITS THE CENTURY MARK, EXTENDS SCORING LEAD:

Dino Delevski of the Kansas City Comets continued his torrid play of recent weeks with 15 points in two games over the weekend, becoming the first player in the MISL this year to hit the 100-point mark. He enters the week with 101 points on the year, 23 ahead of San Diego's Carlos Farias (78) and 31 in front of Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger (70) in this season's Spalding Scoring Race. The 26-year-old Delevski, who scored 210 points last season on the way to his first MISL Most Valuable Player Award, needs only 23 more points to hit 500 for his young career.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 20, 2003

• Comets, Sockers Split Pair - MISL 2
• Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
• Force Weekly - Cleveland Force
• Sockers High-Energy Appeal Heads To Las Vegas - San Diego Sockers

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