Kixx and Wave roll at home
by MISL Press Release
April 1, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
The three Major Indoor Soccer League clubs sitting at or near the top of the League standings enjoyed another successful weekend last week as the first-place Milwaukee Wave (30-10) and the second-place Philadelphia Kixx (27-13) each registered home victories while the third-place Kansas City Comets (23-16) split a pair of road dates.
Milwaukee recorded a 10-9 victory at Cleveland on March 29 before defeating the Crunch, 19-15, at home on March 30. The win at the Bradley Center moved the Wave to 19-0 at home on the season, clinched home field for Milwaukee during the first round of the 2002 MISL Playoffs, and reduced the club's magic number for home field throughout the post-season to two. Milwaukee can secure the MISL's regular season title with a victory over Philadelphia in an April 5 Bradley Center showdown with the Kixx.
Philadelphia claimed its only contest of the week with an 11-7 win over Baltimore on March 30 as Omid Namazi registered five points in the victory. The Kixx hold a magic number of two to clinch at least second place and home field for the opening round of the upcoming playoffs.
Kansas City currently sits three and-a-half games behind Philadelphia with five games to play. The Comets fell, 25-17, at Baltimore on March 29 before rebounding with a 29-17 victory at Harrisburg (10-30) on March 30. With the win vs. the Heat, Kansas City clinched at least a third-place finish in the MISL standings while staying mathematically alive in the race for the League's second seed in the post-season.
Cleveland's playoff hopes took a serious blow over the weekend as the Crunch fell twice to Milwaukee. The Crunch (13-27) trails fourth-place Baltimore (16-23) by three and-a-half games with four contests to play. Baltimore's magic number to clinch a post-season berth now stands at two.
DELEVSKI STRENGTHENS LEAD IN SPALDING SCORING RACE
Kansas City Comets forward Dino Delevski continues to fortify his position as one of the game's rising superstars. The native of Macedonia currently holds a 13-point lead over Cleveland Crunch forward and perennial League scoring leader Hector Marinaro in the SPALDING Scoring Champion competition. Delevski has posted a career-best 184 points while Marinaro has notched 171 points. Delevski, who is just 25 years of age, also leads the MISL in 2-point goals (46), 3-point goals (17), and total goals (74) while ranking third in 1-point goals with 11. Marinaro paces the League in assists with 67 while ranking second in total goals with 54.
DELEVSKI AND GREEN EARN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Offensive:
Kansas City forward Dino Delevski has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending March 31. Delevski receives the award after posting a 3-point goal, three 2-point scores, and four assists for 13 points in two outings last week.
Delevski opened his week by registering a 3-point goal, a 2-point tally, and an assist for six points during Kansas City's 25-17 loss at Baltimore on March 29. The League's leading scorer then added a pair of 2-point goals and three assists in the Comets' 29-17 victory at Harrisburg on March 30.
Delevski paces the MISL with 184 points while leading the League in 3-point goals (17), 2-point goals (46), and total goals (74). The Oklahoma City University product is third in 1-point goals with 11.
The naming of Delevski as the MISL Offensive Player of the Week marks the sixth time that the three-year veteran has received the award this season. Delevski was also honored for the seven-day periods ending December 2, January 13, March 3, March 17, and March 24.
Honorable Mention:
Milwaukee Wave forward Greg Howes registered three 3-point goals and two assists for 11 points in two outings last week. The Tacoma, WA native opened his week with a 3-point goal and three points in Milwaukee's 10-9 victory at Cleveland on March 29. The 25-year old striker then added a pair of 3-point goals and two assists for eight points in the Wave's 19-15 victory vs. the Crunch on March 30.
The two-year veteran currently ranks 15th in MISL scoring with 78 points.
Defensive:
Milwaukee Wave goalkeeper Dan Green has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending March 31. Green receives the award after posting a 10-9 victory at Cleveland on March 29.
The four-year veteran recorded a 9.00 points against average while stopping 22 of 27 shots faced for a .815 save percentage and added an assist on a Greg Howes' goal during third-quarter action.
Green is now 5-5 on the season with a 12.09 points against average. The naming of the Waukesha, WI native as the Defensive Player of the Week marks the second time this season that the goalkeeper has received the award. Green was also honored for the seven-day period ending December 9.
Honorable Mention:
Philadelphia Kixx goalkeeper Peter Pappas went 1-0 last week with an 11-7 victory vs. Baltimore on March 30. Pappas stopped 12 of 15 shots faced for a .800 save percentage.
The six-year veteran currently ranks second in the MISL in points against average (10.59), wins (22), and minutes played (1,875). Pappas is tied for third in save percentage at .716.
THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE (all times local)
Thursday, April 4: Baltimore at Kansas City 7:05 p.m. Friday, April 5: Philadelphia at Milwaukee 7:05 p.m. Saturday, April 6: Harrisburg at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. Sunday, April 7: Baltimore at Milwaukee 1:05 p.m. Cleveland at Kansas City 1:35 p.m. Harrisburg at Philadelphia 5:05 p.m.
MISL GAME RECAPS
GAMES OF 03/29/2002 (Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) BALTIMORE 25 6-4-4-11 3,092 45 4 0-1 Hileman (11-19) Kansas City 17 6-4-0-7 37 7 1-2 Bowes (17-27)
Danny Kelly scored eight points as the Baltimore Blast defeated the Philadelphia Kixx, 25-17, at the Baltimore Arena on Friday, March 29. Baltimore's Tarik Walker (48 seconds, 11:01) and Kansas City's Brian Hinkey (5:45, 9:09) each notched a pair of 2-point goals before Ato Leone (11:55) and Denison Cabral (14:03) produced a 6-6 score through one quarter of play. In the second, Dino Delevski (41 seconds) bagged a deuce before Iain Fraser (9:11) connected on a 3-point score to give the Blast a 9-8 lead. After Jeff Davis put the Comets on top, 10-9, with a 2-pointer at 13:50, Cabral (1-point goal, 13:50) tied the score at 10 with a successful shootout attempt. Sean Bowers then opened the second half scoring with a 2-point goal at 10:52 of the third before Giuliano Celenza made it 14-10 in favor of the home team with a deuce at 12:42. Vlatko Andonovski cut the lead in half with a 2-pointer at 59 seconds of the fourth, but Fraser (4:15) and Bowers (6:27) each tallied 2-point scores to extend the Baltimore advantage to 18-12. Following a Dorin Zotinca deuce at 8:09, Danny Kelly (2-point goal) and Dino Delevski (3-pointer) exchanged scores. Kelly then connected on a 2-point goal at 10:23 and a 3-point strike at 12:58 to produce the 25-17 final. Kelly led all scorers with a 3-point goal, two 2-point tallies, and an assist. Delevski paced Kansas City with a 3-point goal, a 2-point tally, and an assist for six points. Scott Hileman (11 saves) got the win while Brian Bowes (17 saves) took the loss.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) Milwaukee 10 0-2-3-5 5,510 31 0 0-0 Green (22-27) CLEVELAND 9 2-2-3-2 39 0 0-0 Larkin (16-20)
Dan Green made 22 saves as the Milwaukee Wave defeated the Cleveland Crunch, 10-9, at the CSU Convocation Center on Friday, March 29. Hector Marinaro opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 3:43 of the first quarter before Todd Dusosky tied the score with a deuce at 6:15 of the second frame. Giuliano Oliviero then gave the home team a 4-2 lead at the half with a 2-pointer at 12:25 of the second. In the third, Marinaro made the score 5-2 with a shootout tally at 12:58 before Greg Howes notched a 3-pointer at 13:04 to tie the score at five. Oliviero then reclaimed the lead for the Crunch with his second deuce at 13:17 to end the third quarter scoring. Dusosky bagged his second 2-pointer at 7:10 to tie the score at seven before Martin Dugas drilled a 3-pointer at 10:18 to give the Wave a 10-7 advantage. Marinaro notched a 2-pointer at 11:18, but Cleveland would not get any closer as Milwaukee registered the 10-9 victory. Dusosky led the Wave in scoring with a pair of 2-point goals and four points. Marinaro paced the Crunch with two 2-point goals and a 1-point shootout goal for five points. Green got the win while Jim Larkin (16 saves) took the loss.
GAMES OF 03/30/2002 (Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) MILWAUKEE 19 2-8-6-3 7,348 27 4 0-0 Nogueira (14-19) Cleveland 15 4-3-2-6 47 5 2-2 Larkin (13-22)
Greg Howes netted eight points as the Milwaukee Wave downed the Cleveland Crunch, 19-15, in front of a crowd of 7,348 at the Bradley Center on Saturday, March 30. Steve Butcher opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 4:01 before Todd Dusosky tied the score with a deuce at 7:41. Lee Edgerton then gave Cleveland a 4-2 lead with a 2-pointer at 12:45. Dusosky knotted the score with his second 2-pointer at the 25-second mark of the second frame before Bill Sedgewick nailed a 3-point goal at 1:40 to give the Crunch a 7-4 advantage. Brian Loftin started the Milwaukee comeback with a 1-point shootout goal at 3:59 before Howes (3-pointer, 4:06) and Martin Dugas (2-pointer, 4:59) tacked on goals to give the Wave a 10-7 halftime lead. In the third, Edgerton struck again with a deuce at 1:42 before Sipho Sibiya (8:06), Loftin (9:25), and Lovelace Ackah (10:09) each registered 2-point goals as Milwaukee led, 16-9 , through 45 minutes of play. Giuliano Oliviero (8:35) and Hector Marinaro (9:30) rallied the Crunch to 16-13, but Howes' 3-pointer at 10:38 put the game out of reach prior to Marinaro completing the scoring with a deuce at the 11-minute mark. Howes led all scorers with two 3-point goals and two assists. Marinaro paced Cleveland with two 2-point goals and two assists for six points. Victor Nogueira (14 saves) got the win while Jim Larkin (13 saves) took the loss.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) PHILADELPHIA 11 5-4-0-2 5,618 25 11 0-0 Pappas (12-15) Baltimore 7 0-2-0-5 23 7 1-2 Mounban (11-15)
Omid Namazi tallied five points as the Philadelphia Kixx defeated the Baltimore Blast, 11-7, at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, March 30. Philadelphia built a 9-0 lead as Gary DePalma (2-point goal, 7:30) and Namazi (3-point goal, 11:11) registered first quarter scores before Kevin Sloan (3:14, 8:41) recorded a pair of second quarter goals. Danny Kelly (9:19) got Baltimore on the board with a deuce prior to the half as the Kixx led, 9-2, at the break. After a scoreless third quarter, Sean Bowers (3-pointer) struck at 3:07 of the fourth before Lee Tschantret (2-pointer) followed at 14:39 to bring the Blast within two at 9-7. Chris Handsor ended the drama, however, with a deuce at 14:52 to that produced the 11-7 Philadelphia victory. Namazi led the Kixx offense with a 3-point goal and two assists while Bowers (3-point goal), and Kelly (2-point goal, assist) paced Baltimore with three points apiece. Peter Pappas (12 saves) got the win while Karim Mounban (11 saves) took the loss.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) Kansas City 29 4-5-12-8 3,782 38 6 0-0 Damico (13-20) HARRISBURG 17 7-4-2-4 33 0 0-1 Petras (15-29)
Dino Delevski scored a pair of goals and added three assists as the Kansas City Comets defeated the Harrisburg Heat, 29-17, at the PA State Farm Show Arena on Saturday, March 30. Ato Leone opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 8:00 of the first quarter before Matt Knowles connected at 8:32. Nino DaSilva (11:21) and Knowles (13:42) tied the score at four before Matt Tanzini (14:29) gave the Heat a 7-4 lead with a 3-point strike. Nick Corneli (52 seconds) added to the Heat lead before Vlatko Andonovski (1:41) made it a 9-6 game. Eric Kvello then bagged a deuce at 6:58 before Alex Zotinca nailed a 3-pointer at 8:13 of the second as Harrisburg led, 11-9, at the half. Kansas City would then go on a 12-2 third quarter run to take control of the game. DaSilva (3:22), Andy Cyrus (3:52), Brian Hinkey (4:39), and Andonovski (9:11) each notched 2-pointers to put the Comets up, 17-11. After Nick Corneli registered a 2-point goal at 9:32, Delevski (11:09) and Jamie Harding (12:26) tacked on deuces to produce a 21-13 lead for Kansas City through three quarters. In the fourth, Dorin Zotinca (5:01, 5:29, 13:01) registered the natural hat-trick, before Delevski connected at 13:39 to make the score, 29-13. Joey Murtagh added a pair of late 2-pointers at 13:53 and 14:33 to produce the 29-17 final. Delevski led all scorers with seven points while Corneli paced Harrisburg with a pair of 2-pointers and an assist for five points. Chris Damico (13 saves) got the win while Doug Petras (15 stops) took the loss.
TEAM CAPSULES
Baltimore Blast (16-23)
The Blast went 1-1 last week with a 25-17 victory vs. Kansas City on March 29 and an 11-7 loss at Philadelphia on March 30. Denison Cabral posted four points over the weekend and ranks fourth in MISL scoring with 111 points. Cabral is tied for second in the League in 2-point goals with 37 and tied for third in total goals with 48. Paul Wright is seventh in League scoring with 98 points and is tied for third in assists with 36. Sean Bowers registered nine points last week and is now tied for 11th in scoring with 88 points. Bowers also ranks second in both 3-point goals with 13 and blocks with 80. Tarik Walker is tied for 16th in scoring with 76 points. Scott Hileman went 1-0 last week and is now 14-19 overall. Hileman leads the MISL in minutes (2,008), saves (510), and save percentage (.728). Baltimore's penalty kill unit is tops in the League at 20-32 (62.5%) while the power play unit is ranked second at 24-41 (58.5%). Baltimore's magic number to clinch the MISL's fourth and final playoff berth is two. The Blast will play three of the club's final five games on the road, however, one of the team's home dates welcomes Cleveland to town on April 13.
Leading Scorers: Cabral (111 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Hileman (14-19; 12.19 paa; .728 save percentage)
Up Next: Thurs. 4/4 at Kansas City, Sat. 4/6 vs. Harrisburg, Sun. 4/7 at Milwaukee
Cleveland Crunch (13-27)
The Crunch dropped both ends of a home-and-home series with Milwaukee with a 10-9 home loss to the Wave on March 29 and a 19-15 setback at the Bradley Center on March 30. Hector Marinaro posted 11 points in the two outings and ranks second in the MISL in scoring with 171 points. Marinaro paces the League in assists with 67 while raking second in total goals with 54. John Ball is tied for 18th in scoring with 74 points. Giuliano Oliviero is 20th in scoring with 73 points. Kiley Couch leads the MISL in blocks with 83. Jim Larkin took both losses in goal for the Crunch, but is tied for third in the MISL in save percentage at .716. Otto Orf has been lost for the season due to injury. Cleveland now trails fourth-place Baltimore by three and-a-half games in the MISL standings with four games to play. The Crunch will play those contests on the road with two dates at Kansas City and stops in Baltimore and Harrisburg as well.
Leading Scorer: Marinaro (171points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Orf (8-13; 13.29 paa; .714 save percentage)
Up Next: Sun. 4/7 at Kansas City, Fri. 4/12 at Kansas City, Sat. 4/13 at Baltimore
Harrisburg Heat (10-30)
The Heat dropped a 29-17 decision to the Kansas City Comets on March 30 in the team's only action of the week. In doing so, Harrisburg set a franchise mark for most points allowed in a contest while hitting the 30-loss mark for the first time in club history. Leading scorer David Bascome continues to be sidelined due to injury. Bascome is tied for 11th in MISL scoring with 88 points. Matt Tanzini continues to produce. The second-year player posted a 3-point goal in the contest vs. the Comets and now has 11 goals and 29 points in his last nine games. Nick Corneli added five points and ranks second on the club in scoring with 61 points. Doug Petras is second in the MISL in saves with 478 and fifth in minutes played with 1,775. The Heat will play at Baltimore and Philadelphia this week before returning to the Farm Show Arena next week for a pair of home dates to conclude the season.
Leading Scorer: Bascome (88 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Petras (9-20; 14.09 paa; .707 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 4/6 at Baltimore, Sun. 4/7 at Philadelphia, Sat. 4/13 vs. Philadelphia
Kansas City Comets (23-16)
The Comets went 1-1 last week with a 25-17 loss at Baltimore on March 29 and a 29-17 win at Harrisburg on March 30. Dino Delevski continues to score in bunches, adding 13 points last week to raise his League-leading total to 184. Delevski also paces the MISL in 3-point goals (17), 2-point goals (46), and total goals (74). Nino DaSilva is now sixth in League scoring with 100 points while Wes Wade is eighth with 95 points. Wade is also second in assists with 37. Alex Zotinca is 14th in scoring with 84 points. Chris Damico is third in minutes (1,849), wins (20), and saves (466). The Kansas City power play is the MISL's best at 23-36 (63.9%) while the Comets penalty kill unit is second at 23-37 (62.2%). Kansas City has clinched at least third place while trailing second-place Philadelphia by three and-a-half games. The Comets offense, which notched 46 points in two games last week and 78 points in the club's last four outings, is now the League's most potent, averaging 15.2 points per game.
Kansas City will play four of the club's final five games in the friendly confines of Kemper Arena where the club is currently 17-1 on the season.
Leading Scorers: Delevski (184 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Damico (20-12; 13.43 paa; .699 save percentage)
Up Next: Thurs. 4/4 vs. Baltimore, Sun. 4/7 vs. Cleveland, Fri. 4/12 vs. Cleveland
Milwaukee Wave (30-10)
The Wave kept on rolling last week with a 10-9 victory at Cleveland on March 29 and a 19-15 win over the Crunch on March 30. Joe Reiniger recorded an assist and one point before suffering an injury in Cleveland and ranks third in MISL scoring with 131 points. Reiniger leads the League in shootout percentage at 12-16 (.750) and is tied for third in total goals (48) and assists (36). Brian Loftin continues to have a career-year and ranks fifth in scoring with 102 points. Michael King is tied for ninth in MISL scoring with 89 points while Todd Dusosky is 13th with 85 points. Greg Howes is 15th with 78 points. Victor Nogueira went 1-0 last week and is now 25-5 on the season. Nogueira leads the MISL in wins and points against average (9.60) while ranking second in save percentage at .720. The Wave is now 19-0 at home and 11-10 on the road for the season. Milwaukee's win at Cleveland clinched home field for the first round of the playoffs while the Wave's magic number to clinch home field throughout the post-season is two. Milwaukee will play three of the club's final four contests at home.
Leading Scorers: Reiniger (131 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Nogueira (25-5; 9.60 paa; .720 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 4/5 vs. Philadelphia, Sun. 4/7 vs. Baltimore, Fri. 4/12 vs. Baltimore
Philadelphia Kixx (27-13)
The Kixx recorded an 11-7 victory over Baltimore on March 30 in the team's only action last week. Philadelphia set a club record with its 27th win of the season with the triumph over the Blast. Chris Handsor notched three points and is tied for ninth in scoring with 89 points. Joel Shanker is tied for 16th with 76 points. Peter Pappas ranks second in wins (22), minutes (1,875), and points against average (10.59) while being tied for third in save percentage at .716. Philadelphia's magic number to clinch home field for the first round of the playoffs is two. The Kixx trail first-place Milwaukee by three games with four games to play, however, Philadelphia will travel to Milwaukee for an April 5 showdown with the Wave. The Kixx will play a pair of road dates and a pair of home matches over the team's final four outings of the 2001-02 season.
Leading Scorer: Handsor (89 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Pappas (22-10; 10.59 paa; .716 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 4/5 at Milwaukee, Sun. 4/7 vs. Harrisburg, Sat. 4/13 at Harrisburg
MISL NOTES
- The MISL roster freeze date was Thursday, March 28; teams are prohibited from making any roster transactions until after the completion of the 2002 MISL Championship
- The Cleveland Crunch held the club's Fan Appreciation Night on March 29 and distributed over $60,000 worth of prizes while giving away over 300 T-shirts
- Milwaukee's Todd Dusosky played in his 250th career game while teammates Martin Dugas and Sipho Sibiya each played in their 200th career games on March 30 vs. Cleveland
- Baltimore's Sean Bowers moved into eighth place on the League's all-time 3-point goals list with 49 after scoring a 3-pointer vs. Philadelphia on March 30
- Kansas City forward Dino Delevski posted 67 points in 11 games during the month of March for a 6.1 points per game average
- The 29 points scored by Kansas City at Harrisburg on March 30 was a club regular-season record
- Comets forward Dino Delevski established a Kansas City club record for points in a season on March 29; Delevski now has 184 points on the season
- Home teams went 3-2 last week to improve to 78-41 (.655 win percentage) on the season
- The Milwaukee Wave eclipsed the 120,000 mark in attendance on the year with a crowd of 7,348 on March 30; Milwaukee leads the MISL with an average attendance of 6,328 per game
QUOTE CORNER
"This was huge...Cleveland is right on our tail...but if we keep winning, we get in the playoffs."
- Baltimore midfielder Danny Kelly following the Blast's 25-17 win over Kansas City on March 29
"I'm proud of our guys...it was one of our better efforts for 60 minutes, but they played well too...every loss is tough, whether you're trying for the playoffs or not."
- Cleveland head coach Mike Pilger after the Crunch's 10-9 loss to Milwaukee on March 29
"I tip my hat to Cleveland...that's a darn good team and they put a lot of pressure on us...but we were able to make some adjustments and I was pleased with the way our players responded...they made us earn it."
- Milwaukee head coach Keith Tozer following the Wave's 19-15 win over Cleveland on March 30
"We always kid him that he needs to downshift...he's always in eighth gear...in warm-ups, in the game, but that's a great situation to be in."
- Harrisburg midfielder Danny Barber referring to Heat defender/midfielder Matt Tanzini who has posted 11 goals and 29 points in his last nine games after recording three goals and 15 points in his first 28 games
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 1, 2002
- Kixx and Wave roll at home - OSC Original by MISL Press Release
- Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
