Heat Responds to Playoff Intensity

Published on January 25, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Harrisburg Heat News Release


Harrisburg, PA - Marco Coria and Ato Leone both scored six points as the Harrisburg Heat downed the Cleveland Force 17-10 at the Farm Show Arena on Saturday night in a game with plenty of postseason implications. Ze Roberto also contributed a pair of goals to a Heat side that snapped a five-game losing streak and improved to 10-14 on the season, just two games behind Cleveland (11-11) for second place in the MISL's Eastern Conference. Harrisburg also ties the season series with the Force at 2-2, with two games remaining. Goalkeeper Chris Damico recorded his first win with the Heat, finishing with 10 saves. Cleveland's Jim Larkin took the loss with 15 stops.

Lee Edgerton put the Force up 4-0 early with a pair of blue-collar 2pgs, at 4:23 and 7:54, before Leone stepped to the fore: the 31-year old playmaker was involved in the Heat's first three scores, assisting on Roberto's first 2pg at 11:30 and recording deuces of his own at 3:45 and 7:45 of the second to make it 6-4, Heat. Genoni Martinez made it 9-4 when he screamed a 3pg through a crowd at 9:19.

Cleveland's Chris Stathopoulos ended the Heat run with a 2pg at 11:46, but Harrisburg regained the momentum as the half wound down when Coria stepped just inside the three-point arc and toe-poked a rocket past Larkin with just one second left on the clock. The Heat led 11-6 at the break.

The Force scored the only points of the third (a 2pg from Anthony Maher at 11:45) to make it 11-8 heading into the fourth, but the Heat's Ze Roberto ended Cleveland's rally aspirations with a 2pg 22 seconds into the quarter. Coria followed that with a two-point power play tally at 6:34 to make it 15-8, and just 30 seconds later the Force posted its final points of the evening on a 2pg from Nevio Pizzolitto to make it 15-10.

With Justin Evans on as the sixth attacker, Harrisburg absorbed several late lunges before Matt Tanzini forced a turnover outside his own yellow line, streaked the length of the field, and rolled a 2pg past Evans inside the far post at 14:40 to wrap up the Harrisburg win.

NOTES: The nine points scored by Harrisburg in the second quarter is a single-quarter season high...The Heat will conclude its current three-game homestand with a pair of games next weekend: on Friday, January 31, the Philadelphia KiXX come to town, and the Milwaukee Wave visits on Saturday, February 1. Kickoff for both games is 7:35 p.m.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 25, 2003


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