KiXX Defeat Cleveland, 11-8, in 2004-05 Season Opener
Published on October 23, 2004 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Cleveland, OH, October 23, 2004 â The Philadelphia KiXX defeated the Cleveland Force, 11-8, in front of 6,148 in the clubs' 2004-05 season opener at the Convocation Center at CSU. Defender Edgar Bartolomeu registered the game winner with the first of his two goals of the night on a header from teammate Pat Morris at 3:17 of the fourth quarter. Stuart Dobson (1-0) earned the victory in net for Philadelphia, stopping 18 of the 26 shots he faced, while Jim Larkin (0-1) took the loss for the Force with 12 saves on 22 shots.
Midfielder Les Lunsford deposited a give-and-go pass off the boards from teammate Ze Roberto past Larkin and into the back of the net to give Philadelphia a 1-0 advantage at 4:49 of the opening quarter. Less than a minute later (5:28), Force forward Myles Stoddard knotted the score at 1-1 on a dish from John Ball. KiXX newcomer Ptah Myers concluded the first-period scoring with his first career goal on a feed from Shawn Boney at 10:57. Philadelphia held the 2-1 lead entering the second quarter.
A mere 49 seconds into the second stanza, Belgrade, Yugoslavia native Goran Vasic knocked in a pass from player/coach Don D'Ambra to extend the club's advantage to two, 3-1. Boney then registered a goal of his own on a Morris assist at 1:44 of the quarter. Both defenses tightened, as the three-goal, 4- 1, KiXX advantage held after one full half of action.
Former KiXX members Chris Handsor and Gary DePalma connected to pull the Force within two, 4-2, at 1:34 of the third quarter. Just over a minute later (2:46), Morris blasted an unassisted left-footer past Larkin to again give the KiXX a three-goal lead, 5-2, but Cleveland forward Sipho Sibiya quickly responded with a restart goal from Ball at 3:32. Antonio Sutton then pulled the Force within one, 5-4, with a strike from teammate Chris Dore at 5:31, but Roberto answered right back to regain Philadelphia's two-goal lead, 6-4, at 5:44. Cleveland then rattled off three unanswered goals to pull ahead by one, 7-6, but Morris ended Philadelphia's scoring drought with his second unassisted notch of the evening at 14:20 of the period. Justin Evans struck first for the Force at 7:57, followed by scores from Dore and Handsor (second of the contest). The score remained knotted at 7-7 entering the final quarter of play.
Sibiya opened the fourth with his second goal of the contest less than a minute (:59) into period, but Philadelphia responded with four unanswered tallied to earn an 11-8 victory. Bartolomeu registered first with a header from Morris at 3:17, before D'Ambra hammered home a pass from Kevin Sloan at 4:01 of the stanza. John Barry Nusum extended the team's advantage to two, 10-8, with a power-play goal, the first of his career, from D'Ambra at 10:12; the KiXX received the one-man advantage after Evans was ejected. Bartolomeu rounded out the scoring with his second goal of the quarter to seal Philadelphia's victory, 11-8.
Notes: KiXX newcomers Ptah Myers and John Barry Nusum each recorded a goal in the first indoor action of their careers. With the victory, Philadelphia improves to 6-3 all-time in their season opener.
The KiXX will next travel to Baltimore to battle the two-time defending MISL Champion Baltimore Blast on Friday, November 5. Game-time at the 1st Mariner Arena is slated for 7:35 pm ET. The club then returns to the Wachovia Spectrum to kick-off their 2004-05 home schedule versus the Blast on Saturday, November 6. The first 5,000 fans to walk through the gates will receive a 2004-05 Philadelphia KiXX Magnetic Schedule, courtesy of Jake's Dog House. Game-time for the team's home-opener is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET.
The Philadelphia KiXX are a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League, a single- entity organization that features a coast-to-coast presence across the United States. The club will enter its ninth season of play in 2004-05 at the Wachovia Spectrum located in Philadelphia, PA.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from October 23, 2004
- KiXX Defeat Cleveland, 11-8, in 2004-05 Season Opener - Philadelphia KiXX
- Force Falls To Philadelphia In Home Opener - Cleveland Force
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