PASL Harrisburg Heat

Heat Game Notes

Published on November 29, 2013 under Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
Harrisburg Heat News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME

The Heat play their third of 10 home games this season in the Equine Arena at the State Farm Show Complex & Expo Center. This one comes against the Cincinnati Saints. The Saints (2-2) are coming off a 6-4 home victory last Saturday against Illinois. The Heat (1-3) have lost three straight, a skid that began with an 11-3 loss on Nov. 10 at Cleveland.

THE SERIES

First of three meetings this season between the Heat and Saints. The Heat went 0-3 last season against the Cincinnati Kings, the Saints' predecessors in the Professional Arena Soccer League.

FIRING UP THE HEAT

The Heat return their top three scorers from last season - forward Tom Mellor (33 points), and midfielders Tyler Witmer (30) and David Schofield (23). The three combined for 51 of the team's 106 goals and 35 of their 88 assists last season. Through four games this season, the trio has teamed up for 10 of the Heat's 23 goals and 10 of their 19 assists.

THEN AND NOW

Kenneth Fultz, a second-year midfielder out of Harrisburg's Central Dauphin High, already has six goals and two assists in four games after picking up only three points in 11 games last season for the Heat on two goals and an assist. Fultz's team-leading six goals this season have come in back-to-back, three-goal games against Detroit on Nov. 16 and last Saturday against Cleveland.

AT WIT'S END

Tyler Witmer, a second-year midfielder out of Conrad Weiser High in Berks County and Temple University, was held without a goal for the first time this season in last Saturday's 10-7 loss to Cleveland. Witmer, who has four goals in four games, led the Heat last season with 20 goals. Witmer and David Schofield, the midfielder out of Preston, England, are the only players to appear in each of the Heat's 20 regular-season games since Harrisburg returned to pro indoor soccer last season.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

Three blocks against Cleveland last Saturday gave defender Brad Kerstetter a franchise-leading 15 in his season-plus with the Heat. Midfielder Tyler Witmer is second with 12 career blocks.

SPANNING THE 717

Fourteen of the Heat's 17 players live in an extended area from Lancaster to Chambersburg. Five players - forward Kenneth Fultz, goalkeeper Justin Johnson, defender Connor Malone, forward Tom Mellor and midfielder David Schofield - live in Harrisburg with three others - goalkeeper Sam Bishop, forward Lester Felician and midfielder Danny Thompson - residing in Mechanicsburg.

Two more - defender David Qaisi and midfielder Kevin Wolfe - live in Lancaster. The other five live nearby in Chambersburg (midfielder Geoff Pezon), Halifax (defender Brad Kerstetter), Hummelstown (forward Mitchell Walters) and Lemoyne (defender Craig Tyrrell). Living outside the 717 are defender Zach Sell (Baltimore), forward Val Teixeira (Towson, Md.) and midfielder Tyler Witmer (Wernersville, Pa.)

SAY WHAT?

A quick pronunciation guide to the local lads:

Lester Felician

Feh-lease-e-an

Tom Mellor

MELL-or

Geoff Pezon

PEA-zahn

David Qaisi

KAY-see

David Schofield SKO-field

Val Teixeira

TEX-era

Craig Tyrrell

TIE-rel




Professional Arena Soccer League Stories from November 29, 2013


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