KiXX earn two individual awards, four All-League, and two All-Rookie selections
April 7, 2007 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA - The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced today that Philadelphia KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas and defender Genoni Martinez have been selected as the 2006-2007 MISL Goalkeeper-of-the-Year and Defender-of-the-Year respectively. Pappas and Martinez are joined by KiXX player/coach and leading point-scorer Don D'Ambra and captain Pat Morris on the All-MISL First-Team. KiXX first-year players and Temple University graduates Tony Donatelli and Pat Hannigan were also named to the MISL All-Rookie team. The six were selected following a week-long balloting process that polled media and team personnel from throughout the six-team League.
One of only two players (Don D'Ambra) to have been with the KiXX since the club's inception, Pappas has been named the top goalkeeper in the MISL for the fourth-time. The Toronto, Ontartio native was named the MISL Goalkeeper-of-the-Year for the two consecutive seasons in 2003-04, 04-05 and the NPSL Co-Goalkeeper of the Year with Milwaukee's Victor Noguiera in 2000-01. Pappas has been named to an All-League team eight times, while also being named to the 1996-97 All-Rookie squad. Pappas has received Player-of-the-Week honors 25 times and Player-of-the-Month honors 12 times, most recently this season for the months of December and January. The 11-year veteran leads the team in every goalkeeping category including games played (345), games started (336), minutes played (21,373), shots faced (6,854), saves (4,961), points against average (9.33) and wins (211). This season alone, Pappas leads all MISL goalkeepers in shots faced (502), saves (351) wins (15), and minutes played (1747) while playing in all 30 of Philadelphia's games. Overall, the Keeper-of-the-Year went 15-12 with a 10.82 PAA in 2006-07.
Martinez has become the first player in MISL history to be named Defender-of-the-Year for the fourth time. Martinez has been named Player-of-the-Week 10 times during his 12-year career, while being named to an MISL All-League team seven times. The Mexico City native ranks third in active players with 436 career blocks, behind teammate and perennial All-star Pat Morris (441). After coming to the KiXX this past summer as the first-round pick in the 2006 dispersal draft, Martinez has become the fifth leading scorer in the MISL with 73 points, while leading the League in three-point goals with eight. The four-time Defender-of-the-Year leads the KiXX defense in points (73), goals (22), and the entire club in assists (21) this season.
Martinez and Morris have been named the starting defenders on the last five consecutive All-MISL first-team squads and have won the last five consecutive Defender-of-the-Year awards between them. Morris has been named to the All-MISL first-team five times, and was selected as the MISL Defender-of-the-Year in 2004-05. The Philadelphia native leads the KiXX in blocks this season with 35. D'Ambra has been named to the third All-MISL team of his 13-year career and leads the club this season in goals (32), points (85), and power-play goals (8). The player/coach is first all-time in team history in regular season games played (390), points (792), and goals (350).
Tony Donatelli and Pat Hannigan have been named to the MISL All-Rookie team, the club's last two first-round draft picks. Donatelli ranks third on the club with 17 goals, and is just one of three KiXX players to compete in all 30 games this season. Hannigan played in four games this season as backup to Pappas in net, going 0-0 with a 13.48 PAA.
Philadelphia will face the Chicago Storm in the first round of the MISL Playoffs next weekend, April 13 and 14. The KiXX will travel to Chicago to take on the Storm on Friday the 13th at 8:00pm ET, before returning home to host game two of the semifinal round. A tied series after two games results in a sudden death "Golden Goal" overtime, where winner takes all. Game time on Saturday, April 14 at the Wachovia Spectrum is set for 7:05pm, with lower level tickets just $15.
The 2007 Nemours Philadelphia KiXX Summer Kamp program, offered to boys and girls ages four to 14, opens in late June and runs through the end of August at approximately 40 locations throughout the Tri-State area. In addition to professional instruction from members of the Philadelphia KiXX, each participant in the summer camp program receives a certificate of participation, an official camp t-shirt and soccer ball, a voucher to the 2007-08 KiXX home opener, and a second free ticket to another 2007-08 KiXX home game. For more information or to obtain a 2007 Philadelphia KiXX Summer Kamp brochure, complete with the site schedule, contact the club's Executive Office at 1-888-888-KIXX (5499) or register online at www.kixxonline.com.
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 7, 2007
- Wave Enter Playoffs On High After Crushing Chicago - Milwaukee Wave
- KiXX earn two individual awards, four All-League, and two All-Rookie selections - Philadelphia KiXX
- Jamar Beasley Named League's Most Valuable Player - Detroit Ignition
- Chicago Storm Take Second Place - Chicago Storm
- Armstrong Earns Storm's First MISL Rookie of the Year Award - Chicago Storm
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