Dallas, Philly Extend Streaks
December 23, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release
The Major Indoor Soccer League played a light schedule last week with just three games contested on Saturday, December 21, but that didn't stop the Dallas Sidekicks and Philadelphia Kixx from extending the League's two longest winning streaks. Dallas claimed its third consecutive victory with a 13-8 triumph at Kansas City while Philadelphia won its seventh straight game with a 14-11 win over Milwaukee.
Jeff Betts led the Sidekicks in Kansas City with a pair of goals while Sagu stopped 11 of 15 shots in the Dallas goal. The victory moved the Sidekicks to 6-11 on the season. In a rare twist of the Western Conference standings, which are based on the winning percentages of MISL clubs, the Sidekicks trail second-place San Diego by just one-half game and third-place Kansas City by one full game. The Sockers, at 7-11, own a .389 winning percentage while the Comets (5-8) possess a .385 winning percentage.
San Diego picked up a full game on first-place Milwaukee thanks to some help from Philadelphia and a 14-8 win over Baltimore (5-11). Anthony Farace enjoyed the best night of his indoor career with four 2-point goals and an assist for nine points. Nick Vorberg made 16 saves in the Sockers goal and Paul Wright posted a 2-point goal against his former team in pulling San Diego within five and one-half games of the Western Conference leading Wave.
Milwaukee (11-4) fell in Philadelphia due in large part to the efforts of Kixx forward Joel Shanker. Shanker posted a pair of 2-point goals, an assist and five points. Peter Pappas made 11 saves and Chris Handsor returned from injury to post a goal and an assist. The Kixx (14-3) improved the MISL's best overall record to 11 games above .500 while moving to a perfect 10-0 at home on the campaign.
Philadelphia leads second-place Cleveland (8-6) by four and one-half games, third-place Harrisburg (7-9) by six and one-half games and fourth-place Baltimore by eight and one-half games.
FARIAS EXTENDS SPALDING SCORING LEAD...
San Diego forward Carlos "Chile" Farias notched two assists in San Diego's win over Baltimore on December 21 to increase his season scoring total to 62 points. Farias leads the MISL in scoring and holds an 11-point advantage on Kansas City's Dino Delevski. Joe Reiniger, who missed Milwaukee's contest at Philadelphia, is third in League scoring with 49 points. Harrisburg's David Bascome is fourth with 48 points and Dallas' David Doyle is fifth with 45 points.
FARACE AND SAGU EARN WEEKLY HONORS... Offensive: San Diego forward Anthony Farace has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending December 22. Farace receives the award after posting four 2-point goals and an assist for nine points in one outing last week.
The San Diego native recorded four of the Sockers' seven goals and participated in five of his club's tallies in leading his team to a 14-8 victory over Baltimore on December 21. Farace also notched the game-winning goal in the contest.
Farace is third on the San Diego roster with 20 points on the campaign. The 22-year-old striker is tied for second on the San Diego roster with nine goals scored in 18 outings this season.
Others Receiving Consideration:
Philadelphia forward Joel Shanker recorded a pair of 2-point goals and an assist for five points in the Kixx's 14-11 victory over Milwaukee on December 21.
Milwaukee forward Brian Loftin posted a 3-point goal and a 2-point score for five points during the Wave's December 21 outing at Philadelphia.
Dallas forward Jeff Betts registered a pair of 2-point goals and four points in leading the Sidekicks to a 13-8 victory at Kansas City on December 21.
Defensive:
Dallas goalkeeper Sagu has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending December 22. Sagu receives the award after going 1-0 on the week.
The native of Sao Paulo, Brazil stopped 11 of 15 shots faced in leading the Sidekicks to a 13-8 victory at Kansas City.
Sagu claims the League's Defensive Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after surrendering just eight points on the road against the MISL's second-best offense. The win was Sagu's fifth of the season.
The 29-year-old goalkeeper leads the MISL in minutes played with 912 and ranks third in saves with 193. Sagu also ranks fourth in points against average at 10.66.
Others Receiving Consideration: San Diego goalkeeper Nick Vorberg stopped 16 of 20 shots faced in leading San Diego to a 14-8 victory over Baltimore on December 21.
Philadelphia defender Pat Morris registered seven blocks while adding an assist in the Kixx's 14-11 win over Milwaukee on December 21.
THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE...
Thursday, December 26 Kansas City at San Diego 7:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, December 28 Kansas City at Cleveland 7:05 p.m. ET
Dallas at Harrisburg 7:35 p.m. ET
Sunday, December 29 Baltimore at Harrisburg 6:05 p.m. ET MISL GAME RECAPS (December 16 â December 22, 2002)
GAMES OF 12/21/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 14 4-6-0-4 2,678 25 21 0-3 Pappas (11-16)
Milwaukee 11 2-2-4-3 33 6 2-3 Green (11-17)
Joel Shanker posted five points as the Philadelphia Kixx defeated the Milwaukee Wave, 14-11, at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, December 21. Brian Loftin opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 3:47 of the first before Goran Vasic (9:02) and Kevin Sloan (11:18) each connected on 2-point tallies to give the Kixx a 4-2 lead through one quarter of play. In the second, Chris Handsor (3:07), Shanker (6:31) and Cesidio Colasante (8:26) posted 2-pointers to push the Philadelphia lead to 10-2. Todd Dusosky concluded the second quarter scoring with a 2-point goal at 12:36 to produce a 10-4 halftime count. Pat White struck at the 12-second mark of the third and Greg Howes followed with a deuce at 2:38 to pull the Wave within two, at 10-8, through 45 minutes of play. Shawn Boney then notched a 2-pointer at the 28-second mark of the fourth quarter to put the Kixx ahead, 12-8, before Loftin struck for a 3-pointer at 11:33 to make it a 12-11 game. Shanker ended the drama with a 2-point goal against the sixth attacker at 14:49 to produce the 14-11 final. Shanker led the Kixx with a pair of 2-pointers and an assist while Loftin posted a 3-pointer and a deuce for five points to pace Milwaukee. Peter Pappas (11 saves) got the win in the Philadelphia goal while Dan Green (11 stops) took the loss for Milwaukee.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Dallas 13 0-2-4-7 4,178 17 6 1-1 Sagu (11-15)
KANSAS CITY 8 4-0-4-0 28 2 1-3 Ceccarelli (5-10)
Jeff Betts scored a pair of goals as the Dallas Sidekicks downed the Kansas City Comets, 13-8, at Kemper Arena on Saturday, December 21. Nino DaSilva (13:11) and Nick Corneli (14:09) posted consecutive 2-point goals to give the Comets a 4-0 lead through first quarter action. In the second, David Doyle struck for a 2-point penalty kick goal to record the stanza's only points as Kansas City led, 4-2, at the half. Dino Delevski (5:07) and Corneli (7:26) pushed the Comets lead to 8-2 with back-to-back 2-pointers in the third before Betts (9:25) and Frank Filo (14:35) countered for the Sidekicks, closing Dallas to within two at 8-6. In the fourth, Betts (10:24) and Patrick Shamu (13:47) struck for deuces before Antonio Sutton added a 3-point goal vs. the sixth attacker to produce the 13-8 final. Betts led the Dallas offense with a pair of 2-point goals and four points. Corneli paced Kansas City with two 2-pointers and four points. Sagu (11 stops) earned the win while Paolo Ceccarelli (five stops) took the loss.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
SAN DIEGO 14 6-2-2-4 3,880 28 5 0-0 Vorberg (16-20)
Baltimore 8 0-0-2-6 27 0 0-1 Phillips (15-21)
Anthony Farace posted nine points as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Baltimore Blast, 14-8, at the San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday, December 21. Paul Wright opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 1:19 of the first quarter and Farace registered deuces at 7:46 and 10:57 to push the Sockers ahead, 6-0. Aaron Susi then posted the second quarter's only goal, a 2-pointer, at 10:00 to give San Diego an 8-0 halftime lead. In the third, Farace connected at 6:09 to make it 10-0 before Danny Santoro got Baltimore on the board with a 2-pointer at 10:27. Tarik Walker added a deuce at 2:57 of the fourth and Denison Cabral followed with a 2-pointer at 7:52 to make it a 10-6 game, but Farace responded with a 2-point tally at 9:12 to push the Sockers back on top by six at 12-6. Robbie Aristodemo (14:00) and P.J. Wakefield (14:28) exchanged 2-pointers to conclude the scoring. Farace (four 2-pointers, assist) led San Diego with nine points while Santoro and Cabral each posted a 2-point goal and an assist for three points to pace the Blast. Nick Vorberg (16 saves) got the win while Brett Phillips (15 stops) took the loss.
TEAM CAPSULES (December 16 â December 22, 2002)
Baltimore Blast (5-11)
The Blast fell, 14-8, in San Diego on December 21. Denison Cabral notched three points in the contest and is tied for 10th in MISL scoring with 35 points. Cabral is tied for second in the League with three restart goals and ranks fourth in shots taken with 95. Rookie P.J. Wakefield posted a goal in the game at San Diego and continues to lead MISL rookies in scoring with 27 points. Sean Bowers ranks second in the League with 38 blocks while Jason Dieter is fifth with 28 denials. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman is sixth in points against average at 11.60. The Blast is averaging 10.6 points per game and allowing 12.8 points per contest. Baltimore's power play is working at 22.2% while the penalty kill has posted a 45.8% success rate. The club is 1-2 under new head coach Bobby McAvan. Baltimore ranks second in the MISL with 10 restart goals scored. The Blast is 3-5 at home and 2-6 on the road while going 3-6 vs. Eastern Conference opponents and 2-5 vs. Western Conference foes. Baltimore will travel to Harrisburg on December 29 before hosting Cleveland on January 4. The Blast will then head to Milwaukee on January 5.
Leading Scorer: Cabral (35 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Hileman (3-8; 11.60 paa; .705 save percentage)
Up Next: Sun. 12/29 at Harrisburg, Sat. 1/4 vs. Cleveland, Sun. 1/5 at Milwaukee
Cleveland Force (8-6)
The Force was idle last week. Hector Marinaro is tied for 10th in League scoring with 35 points while Giuliano Oliviero is 16th with 31 points. John Ball is tied for second in sixth attacker goals with three while D.J. Newsom is fourth in blocks with 31. Goalkeeper Jim Larkin leads the MISL in saves with 221 while ranking third in both wins with eight and minutes with 827. Larkin is fourth in save percentage at .742 and seventh in points against average at 11.61. The Force is scoring 11.4 points per game and surrendering 11.6 points per contest. Cleveland ranks second in the MISL on the power play at 50% while the club is sixth on the penalty kill at 54.2%. Cleveland joins Philadelphia as one of two MISL clubs with a perfect home record. The Force is 4-0 at the Convo. Cleveland is 4-6 on the road while going 3-4 vs. Eastern Conference opponents and 5-2 vs. Western Conference foes. The Force will host Kansas City on December 28 before welcoming Dallas on January 3. Cleveland will then travel to Baltimore on January 4.
Leading Scorer: Marinaro (35 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Larkin (8-6; 11.61 paa; .742 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 12/28 vs. Kansas City, Fri. 1/3 vs. Dallas, Sat. 1/4 at Baltimore
Dallas Sidekicks (6-11)
The Sidekicks extended the club's winning streak to three games with a 13-8 victory at Kansas City on December 21. David Doyle posted two points in the contest and now ranks fifth in League scoring with 45 points. Doyle ranks third in power play goals with six and fifth in both 2-point goals (14) and total goals (17). Tatu is tied for sixth in scoring with 39 points and is tied for second in assists with 15. Nick Stavrou is 12th in MISL scoring with 34 points while Patrick Shamu is 13th with 33 points. Sagu continued his hot play in the Dallas goal last week, surrendering just eight points. He leads the MISL in minutes played with 912 and ranks third in saves with 193. Sagu ranks fourth in points against average at 10.66. The Sidekicks are 5-6 at home and 1-5 on the road this season. Dallas' win over Kansas City marked the club's first vs. a Western Conference foe this season (1-8). The Sidekicks are 5-3 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. The Dallas power play is third best in the MISL at 48% while the team's penalty kill is fourth best at 55.2%. The Sidekicks are averaging 10.4 points per contest while surrendering 11.1 points per game. Dallas continues the club's current road swing with a December 28 contest at Harrisburg, a December 31 date at Milwaukee and a January 3 outing at Cleveland.
Leading Scorer: Doyle (45 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Sagu (5-10, 10.66 paa, .717 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 12/28 at Harrisburg, Tues. 12/31 at Milwaukee, Fri. 1/3 at Cleveland
Harrisburg Heat (7-9)
The Heat enjoyed an off-week before preparing for a two-game homestand this weekend. David Bascome ranks fourth in MISL scoring with 48 points. Bascome leads the League in power play goals with nine as well as 2-point goals and total goals with 22. The forward paces the MISL in first goals with five and is tied for second in restart goals with three. Genoni Martinez leads MISL defenders and is tied for eighth overall in League scoring with 37 points. Martinez is tied for second in restart goals with three and ranks third in blocks with 35. Marco Lopez is tied for 14th in League scoring with 32 points while Marco Coria is tied for 19th with 29 points. Ato Leone is fourth in assists with 13. Goalkeeper Doug Petras is second in the MISL with 195 saves while ranking fifth in minutes played with 792. Petras is fifth in points against average at 11.28. Harrisburg's penalty kill unit is the second best in the League at 71.4% while the club ranks fourth with the man advantage at 41.9%. The Heat leads the MISL in restart goals with 12 and sixth attacker tallies with eight. Harrisburg will host Dallas on December 28 and Baltimore on December 29 before traveling to Kansas City on December 31.
Leading Scorer: Bascome (48 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Petras (5-6; 11.28 paa; .733 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 12/28 vs. Dallas, Sun. 12/29 vs. Baltimore, Tues. 12/31 at Kansas City
Kansas City Comets (5-8)
The Comets dropped a 13-8 decision to Dallas on December 21. Dino Delevski registered three points in the game and is now second in the MISL in scoring with 51 points. Delevski is tied for second in the League with 16 2-point goals and is knotted for third in total goals with 19. Nino DaSilva is tied for 14th in scoring with 32 points. Paolo Ceccarelli is leading the MISL in save percentage at .759 and ranks fourth in saves with 173. Ceccarelli is eighth in points against average at 11.94. The Comets are 5-3 on the road, but 0-5 at home this season. Kansas City sports the MISL's second best offense at 13 points per game while surrendering 14.5 points per contest. The Comets are 3-5 vs. Western Conference foes and 2-3 vs. Eastern Conference opponents. Kansas City will travel to San Diego on December 26 and Cleveland on December 28 before hosting Harrisburg on December 31.
Leading Scorer: Delevski (51 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Ceccarelli (5-3; 11.94 paa; .759 save percentage)
Up Next: Thurs. 12/26 at San Diego, Sat. 12/28 at Cleveland, Tues. 12/31 vs. Harrisburg
Milwaukee Wave (11-4)
The Wave fell, 14-11, at Philadelphia on December 21. Joe Reiniger did not play due to injury, but remains third in MISL scoring with 49 points. Reiniger ranks second in power play goals with seven and 3-point goals with four. Reiniger is tied for third in total goals with 19 and ranks fourth in 2-point goals with 15. Reiniger paces the League with five restart goals. Greg Howes is tied for eighth in League scoring with 37 points while Todd Dusosky is tied for 17th with 30 points. Howes is tied for the MISL lead with four game-winning goals while Dusosky leads the League with 16 assists. Victor Nogueira is the MISL leader in points against average at 7.94 and is tied for the League lead with 11 victories. Nogueira ranks third in save percentage at .751 and is fourth in minutes played with 793. The Wave has the MISL's best offense (14.1 points per game) and defense (9.0 points per contest). Milwaukee leads the League on the power play (60%) and penalty kill (77.3%). The Wave is 5-2 at home and a League best 6-2 on the road. Milwaukee will host Dallas on December 31 before traveling to San Diego on January 2. The Wave will then entertain Baltimore on January 5.
Leading Scorer: Reiniger (49 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Nogueira (11-2; 7.94 paa; .751 save percentage)
Up Next: Tues. 12/31 vs. Dallas, Thurs. 1/2 at San Diego, Su. 1/5 vs. Baltimore
Philadelphia Kixx (14-3)
The Kixx won their seventh straight contest with a 14-11 victory over Milwaukee on December 21. Philadelphia is now 11-2 under Don D'Ambra and has gone 9-1 in the club's last 10 games. Joel Shanker posted five points in the win over the Wave and is tied for sixth in League scoring with 39 points. Don D'Ambra is tied for 19th with 29 points and is knotted for the League lead in game-winning goals with four. Kevin Sloan is tied for second in first goals with three. Peter Pappas is tied for the MISL lead in victories with 11 and ranks second in minutes played with 842. Pappas is third in points against average at 9.04 and ranks fifth in both saves (166) and save percentage (.735). Philadelphia is a perfect 10-0 at home and 4-3 on the road. The Kixx are 8-1 vs. Eastern Conference opponents and 6-2 vs. Western Conference foes. Philadelphia owns the League's second best defense, allowing 9.1 points per game while having the third best offense, scoring 11.8 points per contest. The Kixx will host Dallas on January 4 before heading to Baltimore on January 11. Philadelphia will then entertain Harrisburg on January 19.
Leading Scorer: Shanker (39 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Pappas (10-2; 9.04 paa, .735 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 1/4 vs. Dallas, Sat. 1/11 at Baltimore, Sun. 1/19 vs. Harrisburg
San Diego (7-11)
The Sockers downed Baltimore, 14-8, on December 21. Carlos Farias posted two points in the contest and leads the MISL in scoring with 62 points. Farias ranks second in the League with 21 total goals and is tied for second in both 2-point goals with 16 and assists with 15. Farias paces the MISL in 3-point goals with five. Alejandro Cardenas is tied for 17th in scoring with 30 points while Gaston Pernia leads the League with 42 blocks. Nick Vorberg ranks second in the MISL with an 8.83 points against average and a .757 save percentage. San Diego is scoring 10.1 points per game and allowing 11.8 points per contest. The Sockers' penalty kill is the League's third best at 60%. San Diego has scored the third most sixth attacker goals (six) in the League this season. The Sockers have also scored the third most 3-point goals with 13 on the season. San Diego is 4-5 at home and 3-6 on the road while going 5-3 vs. Western Conference opponents and 2-8 vs. Eastern Conference foes. The Sockers will host Kansas City on December 26, Milwaukee on January 2 and Dallas on January 12.
Leading Scorer: Farias (62 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Vorberg (4-6; 8.83 paa; .757 save percentage)
Up Next: Thurs. 12/26 vs. Kansas City, Thurs. 1/2 vs. Milwaukee, Sun. 1/12 vs. Dallas
LEAGUE NOTES...
- The MISL has moved the start time for the January 3 Dallas at Cleveland game to 5:05 p.m. ET; the move was made to accommodate Force fans who wish to watch the Ohio State University play the University of Miami for the collegiate football national championship
- The MISL held its 2002 Amateur Draft on Tuesday, December 17; 40 amateur players were selected during the five-round event; Harrisburg chose Messiah College (PA) midfielder Hayden Woodworth with the draft's first pick
- Todd and Troy Dusosky of the Milwaukee Wave have combined for 735 career points through play on December 22; the duo of Randy and Rudy Pikuzinski hold the all-time scoring record between brothers with 2,222 career points
- The Philadelphia Kixx welcomed the club's one-millionth fan on December 21; Todd Gerstemeier of Collegeville, PA, who was the lucky fan, was given a plaque as well as a pair of Kixx season tickets for the 2003-04 season to commemorate the milestone
- Milwaukee's 11-4 record matches the best 15-game start in club history; the 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 2001-02 Wave sides each started at 11-4
- Milwaukee defender Lovelace Ackah has played in 120 consecutive games; the Wave team record for consecutive games played (regular season and playoffs) was set by Steve Morris with 161
- Baltimore forward Gino DiFlorio has amassed 496 career assists and needs just four more dishes to become the seventh player in indoor soccer history to collect 500 career assists
QUOTE CORNER...
"As a Baltimore native I am honored to accept this position...I am going to work hard and believe my 17 years of professional indoor experience will serve the team well."
- Baltimore assistant coach Tim Wittman; the Baltimore native and former Blast standout was named the team's new assistant coach on December 18
"It's good to be home...first, and foremost, I'm going to remember all the championships we won...but, then I'll think about how we can do it again...I want to fit into the team and then let my soccer skills take it from there...I'm confident I can help this team."
- San Diego forward Paul Wright on returning to San Diego as a member of the Sockers; Wright scored a goal in his home debut for the Sockers during San Diego's 14-8 victory over Baltimore on December 21
"No juice boxes, no toys...while it will be a tough day, those at the development camps will have the chance to have fun and get creative."
- Harrisburg forward David Bascome following the Heat's announcement that the club is merging the team's summer camp program with the Bascome Pro Soccer School; Bascome was commenting on the differences between his program and typical summer camps
• Discuss this story on the Major Indoor Soccer League 2 message board...
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from December 23, 2002
- Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
- Dallas, Philly Extend Streaks - MISL 2
- Sockers Select Four In MISL Amateur Draft - San Diego Sockers
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