Heat Ends 2002 With Road Defeat

December 31, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Harrisburg Heat News Release


Harrisburg, PA - The Harrisburg Heat fought valiantly back from an 8-0 first-half deficit but came up short in a 19-8 loss to the Kansas City Comets at Kemper Arena on New Year's Eve. With the loss, Harrisburg drops back under .500, at 9-10 for the season. Goalkeeper Doug Petras gets the loss in his final game in a Heat uniform - he finishes his final season with a 7-7 mark and 98 career wins in Purple and Black.

The Heat, which laid out a fantastic defensive effort in an 11-2 win over Baltimore on Sunday at the Farm Show, was held in check by a stingy Comets side in the first half of this outing. Harrisburg did not score until there were ten seconds left in the first half, on a Matt Tanzini deuce; prior to that, Kansas City had meticulously built an 8-0 lead thanks to first-quarter 2gps from Nick Corneli (7:36) and Nino DaSilva (13:10), and a pair of second-quarter doubles from Nate Houser (4:00 and 6:02). The Comets held that advantage at the half.

As has been the case all year, the Heat was animated coming out of the locker room - an early flurry of chances ultimately yielded David Barbosa's 2pg from deep in the right corner at 2:48 to make it 8-4. Martin Hernandez's giveaway at 3:34 led to an easy goal for K.C.'s Goran Hunjak, and the Comets lead was back to six at 10-4, but the Heat regained the momentum before the quarter was out. Marco Coria half-volleyed a 2pg past Comets keeper Paolo Ceccarelli at 4:49 to make it 10-6, and at 11:39, Heat veteran Mike Henning scored his first goal (and points) of the year when he nodded home an Ato Leone cross to make it 10-8 going into the final stanza.

Kansas City tightened up the defense once again, keeping the Heat off the board early in the fourth. Dino Delevski made it 12-8 when his redirection whizzed past Petras at 10:13 for 2pg, and the wheels fell off the Heat rally bus almost immediately. Martin Hernandez entered the game as the sixth attacker but gave the ball away to Nino DaSilva on the ensuing kickoff, and DaSilva gratefully lofted a 3pg into an empty net for a 3pg and a 15-8 lead. At 12:05, Nate Houser found the empty net as well, for a 2pg and a 17-8 Comets advantage, and with Petras back in net at 13:52, Goran Hunjak put home a breakaway for the final 19-8 score.

NOTES: Harrisburg is now 0-2 against the Comets this year...The win was Kansas City's first at home this season...The Heat went 0-2 on the power play in the contest...Harrisburg made the trip without backup goalkeeper Raul Salas, forward Ze Roberto, and defender Oswaldo Medina...The Heat hosts these same Kansas City Comets this Saturday, January 4 at the Farm Show Arena. Game time is 7:35 p.m.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from December 31, 2002


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