Cougars Jakubek, Sutton, and Ball Sweep MISL Weekly Honors
Published on March 6, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
Dominik Jakubek, California Cougars
Dominik Jakubek made the first consecutive starts of his MISL career and came away with a weekend result that few may have envisioned. The 26-year-old Lodi, Calif. native, who began the week with just 102 minutes of Major Indoor Soccer League experience, stepped in for veteran Jim Larkin, who was out with a back injury suffered on Feb. 24, and helped deliver the expansion California Cougars (6-18) a weekend to remember, first defeating current MISL standings leader St. Louis, 8-5, on Friday at Stockton Arena, then toppling defending the MISL Regular Season and Championship Series Champion Milwaukee Wave, 9-7, on Sunday at Milwaukee's U.S. Cellular Arena. In earning the first two wins of his professional career, Jakubek and the Cougars also edged the two 2006 MISL All-Star goalkeepers, in Brett Phillips of the Steamers and Nick Vorberg of the Wave. Jakubek saved 19 of 24 shots on goal on Friday and rebounded from a troublesome start on Sunday to save 10 of 17, and hold the Wave scoreless for the game's final 33 minutes. Now a veteran of seven MISL games and four starts, Jakubek improved to 2-2 with an also improving 6.76 goals against average and a 68.8 save percentage (80 shots on goal, 55 saves). Jakubek who played collegiate soccer at San Joaquin Delta College, Sonoma State, and had a record-setting year at Chico State, also trained in Poland, before joining the Cougars prior to their inaugural Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Antonio Sutton, California Cougars
Antonio Sutton has been a central figure on the Cougars' backline this season, however on Sunday, the Fayetteville, N.C. native regained his long-established proclivity for finding the goal, scoring two, including the game-winner, and assisting on two more, as the California Cougars overcame a 7-3 deficit in the second quarter to defeat the Milwaukee Wave, 9-7, at Milwaukee's U.S. Cellular Arena, the home of the MISL's defending champions. Sutton led all MISL defenders this weekend with his four points - which equaled 40 percent of his season's points total - but he was especially valuable in the fourth quarter on Sunday, when he and forward Aaron Susi combined for the final two goals in the Cougars' first win over Milwaukee in five tries. Sutton's decisive game-winner, which came 3:07 into the fourth quarter was the first strike, off of a cross from Susi. He then assisted Susi at the 6:38 mark for an insurance goal as the Cougars capped their 2-0 weekend, defeating top MISL sides in St. Louis and Milwaukee. Sutton, who is second on the team in blocks to fellow defender Bill Sedgewick, with 17, had not had a multi-goal game this season, and the two assists in one game also tied a season-high. He began his League career with a brief stint with the Philadelphia KiXX in the 1998-99 season. His professional indoor career also includes a successful tenure with the Sacramento Knights (1998-2001) of the now-defunct WISL. Sutton, now a 32-year-old defender, has four goals, six assists and 17 blocks in 21 appearances this season. In 125 regular season League games, Sutton has career totals of 61 goals, 23 assists, and 102 blocks.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
John Ball, California Cougars
John Ball completes the Cougars deserving sweep of the MISL Player of the Week awards for his play this past weekend. Like Sutton did among defenders, Ball was the weekend's leader in points among offensive players, as his team has now two-straight, defeating St. Louis (8-5) and Milwaukee (9-7), and continued his own personal hot streak as well. The MISL's second-leading scorer in February, Ball was the offensive star of Friday's (one goal, four assists) March opener, much like Sutton was a standout on Sunday. A First-Team All-MISL selection in 2004-05, who finished second to Milwaukee's Greg Howes in the Spalding Scoring race with 61 points, Ball seems to have settled in with California following a 10-year stay in Cleveland and an early-season stop in Chicago. Now eighth in the MISL in scoring (28 points) after a relatively slow start, Ball has at least one point in each of the Cougars six wins, and highlighted his productivity with Friday's 8-5 victory over the St. Louis Steamers, when he assisted on Vicente Figueroa's goal to open the scoring in the game and followed that with assists to midfielders Craig Scheer, and Ronnie Ekelund. The 33-year-old native of Hartford, Conn., scored the game-winning goal with 1:07 elapsed in the final quarter and added one more assist with one to midfielder Brian Farber. He added another assist on Sunday. Ball has 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 20 games this season. Of that total, 17 of Ball's points have come in his last eight games. Ball has 196 goals, 146 assists and 393 blocks in 339 career regular season games.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 6, 2006
- Cougars Jakubek, Sutton, and Ball Sweep MISL Weekly Honors - MISL 2
- Steamers weekly - St. Louis Steamers
- KiXX splits weekend set with Baltimore; heads west to battle first-placed Steamers - Philadelphia KiXX
- Osborne takes "starring" role - Milwaukee Wave
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