KiXX Join Wave in Playoffs
Published on February 10, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release
With a 22-2 win over the Dallas Sidekicks on Saturday night, the Philadelphia KiXX joined the Milwaukee Wave as the only teams thus far to clinch a berth in the 2003 MISL Playoffs.
It was a good night all-around in the City of Brotherly Love: the win marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the KiXX, and allowed the team to remain undefeated (14-0) at home this season. Goalkeeper Peter Pappas held the Sidekicks scoreless for the first 47 minutes of the game, allowing only Patrick Shamu's fourth-quarter 2pg. And Philadelphia veteran Kevin Sloan truly captured the spotlight: on Kevin Sloan Bobblehead Night at the Spectrum, the 37-year-old used a fourth-quarter shootout tally to become the 12th man in League history to score 1,000 career points.
Meanwhile, the Harrisburg Heat recorded its first road victories since October 26, defeating San Diego 21-10 on Thursday and downing Kansas City 13-6 on Saturday, to pull into third place in the Eastern Conference, percentage points ahead of the Baltimore Blast. Heat forward David Bascome and goalkeeper Chris Damico joined Sloan in celebrating personal milestones on Saturday night, as Bascome scored the 900th point of his career and Damico notched career win #100.
Baltimore defeated Cleveland 13-8 on Saturday night at The Convo, improving to 7-6 since Bobby McAvan took over as head coach. It was the second loss of the week for the Force, who fell to 12-14 on the season. As a result, Cleveland, Harrisburg, and Baltimore are all within one game of each other as this week opens.
In the West, Dallas (7-20) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 16-13 win in Kansas City on Friday night before Saturday's loss in Philadelphia. The Comets (12-14) and San Diego (11-18) both lost two games last week. Kansas City continues to struggle at home, dropping to 3-9 this season at Kemper Arena.
The Milwaukee Wave continued a dominant season, defeating Cleveland 10-8 in a Wednesday morning game at The Convo and defeating San Diego 17-9 at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. The Wave improved to 22-5 overall, 10-2 at home, and 12-3 on the road. Milwaukee leads the League in offense and defense, as well as power play efficiency and penalty killing.
A relatively calm week in the League will begin when Philadelphia visits San Diego on Thursday night (7:05 p.m. Pacific). No MISL games will take place on Friday, but all eight teams are in action on Saturday, highlighted by Philadelphia at Kansas City and Harrisburg at Milwaukee, both beginning at 8:05 p.m. Central.
GREG HOWES, PETER PAPPAS NAMED PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Offensive:
Milwaukee Wave forward Greg Howes has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending February 10. Howes scored four 2pgs and added an assist for nine points in two Wave wins last week.
The 25-year-old Howes scored five points (two 2pgs, assist) in Milwaukee's 10-8 overtime victory in Cleveland on Wednesday morning, including a helper on Sipho Sibiya's 2pg at 2:57 of the fourth which tied the game at 8-8. Howes added four more points (two 2pgs) in the Wave's 17-9 win over San Diego at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon.
The native of Tacoma, WA, has now taken over the team scoring lead with 81 points, third in the League. Howes is tied for second in the MISL with 33 total goals and is third with 29 2pgs, and leads the circuit with seven game-winning goals. Howes also won weekly honors on November 17, 2002.
Others Receiving Consideration:
San Diego's Paul Wright scored eight points (three 2pgs, two assists) and blocked three shots in two Sockers losses last week.
Harrisburg's Mike Henning scored eight points (four 2pgs) as the Heat went 2-0 on the road; Henning entered the week with two goals and five points on the season.
Philadelphia's Kevin Sloan scored five points (a pair of two-point shootout goals, assist) against Dallas on Saturday night. His fourth-quarter shootout conversion made him the 12th man in League history to score 1,000 career points.
Defensive:
Philadelphia KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending February 9. Pappas saved 14 of 15 shots as the KiXX defeated the Dallas Sidekicks 22-2 at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday night.
The 30-year-old netminder held the Sidekicks scoreless for the first 47 minutes of the contest, allowing only Patrick Shamu's 2pg at 2:35 of the fourth quarter. Pappas also contributed two assists as Philadelphia improved to a perfect 14-0 at home this season.
For the season, Pappas is second in the League with a 9.11 points against average, and ranks second with 16 wins (16-4 overall record). That Toronto native was also named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week on November 3, 2002.
Others Receiving Consideration:
Milwaukee Wave goalkeeper Victor Nogueira went 2-0 with an 8.36 points against average last week.
Baltimore Blast backstop Brett Phillips turned away 15 of 19 shots in a 13-8 Baltimore win at Cleveland on Saturday night.
Harrisburg Heat defender Genoni Martinez scored five points (3pg, 2pg) and blocked seven shots in two Heat wins last week.
THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE:
Thursday, February 13 Philadelphia at San Diego 7:05 p.m. PT
Saturday, February 15 San Diego at Cleveland 7:05 p.m. ET
Dallas at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
Philadelphia at Kansas City 8:05 p.m. CT
Harrisburg at Milwaukee 8:05 p.m. CT
MISL GAME RECAPS (February 3 â February 9, 2003)
Games of 2/5/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Milwaukee 10 (OT) 2-0-4-2-2 8,743 32 6 0-0 Nogueira (7-11)
CLEVELAND 8 0-6-0-2-0 21 5 1-3 Orf (15-20)
Joe Reiniger's 2pg at 7:03 of overtime gave Milwaukee a 10-8 win over host Cleveland in front of a School Day crowd of 8,743 at The Convo on Wednesday. Chris Stathopoulos gave Cleveland an 8-6 lead with a 2pg at 2:00 of the fourth, but Sipho Sibiya responded for the Wave just 57 seconds later with a 2pg to tie the contest, and neither team scored again in regulation. The Force managed only three shots in the fourth quarter, all of which were blocked by Wave defenders. Stathopoulos finished with a pair of 2pgs for Cleveland. Milwaukee's Greg Howes led all scorers with five points (two 2pgs, assist). Nogueira finished with seven saves, and Force veteran Otto Orf saved 15 of 20 shots in his first start of the season.
Games of 2/6/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Harrisburg 21 0-4-9-8 2,540 30 7 0-1 Salas (8-13)
SAN DIEGO 10 2-4-4-0 23 4 0-2 Vorberg (5-9)
Down 6-4 at the half, Harrisburg exploded for 17 second-half points en route to a 21-10 victory over the Sockers at San Diego Sports Arena on Thursday night. Mike Henning and Ato Leone both scored a pair of goals to lead the Heat to a season-high point total, and the team's first road victory since October 26. Raul Salas recorded his first win with the Heat, finishing with eight saves in goal. Paul Wright scored five points and Carlos Farias bagged four points for the Sockers. D.J. Horvath (eight saves) started in goal, and was replaced by Nick Vorberg (five saves) in the third quarter. Genoni Martinez, Matt Tanzini (the game-winner), Marco Coria, Kevin Burk, and David Bascome scored the Heat's other goals.
Games of 2/7/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Dallas 16 6-4-4-2 5,108 22 7 1-2 Llamas (19-25)
KANSAS CITY 13 2-4-2-5 41 4 0-1 Ceccarelli (6-13)
Nino DaSilva's 2pg at 11:29 of the fourth capped a 7-0 Kansas City run and brought the Comets within one point (14-13), but visiting Dallas kept K.C. off the board the rest of the way and sealed the win with a 2pg from Antonio Sutton with just three seconds left at Kemper Arena on Friday night. The win was only the Sidekicks' second on the road this season; the first also came against the Comets. Tied at 6-6 midway through the second quarter, the Sidekicks went on an 8-0 run, spurred by two goals from David Doyle, who finished with six points on the night. Doyle accounted for the game-winner at 6:39 of the third. Sagu started the game in goal for Dallas, but left the game after 2:46 with an injury; Jesse Llamas replaced him and saved 19 of 25 shots for his first career win. The Comets outshot Dallas 41-22 in the contest, but were stifled by Llamas' solid performance and 14 Sidekicks blocks.
Games of 2/8/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
MILWAUKEE 17 11-2-4-9 8,304 26 7 1-2 Vorberg (19-27)
Sockers 9 4-0-2-3 40 4 0-1 Nogueira (12-16)
San Diego held a 4-2 lead late in the fourth, but the Wave proceeded to go on a 13-0 run to take a 15-4 lead and never look back in a 17-9 win at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. Paul Wright, Matt Johnson, Chris Fimbres, and Mariano Bollella scored the San Diego goals against Victor Nogueira, who finished with 12 saves in the win. Six different Wave players scored goals, led by Pat White with a 3pg and a 2pg for five points. White scored the 100th goal of his career in the contest. Greg Howes scored two 2pgs and Sipho Sibiya assisted on two scores for Milwaukee, as the Wave improved to 10-2 this season at the Bradley Center.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Baltimore 13 4-7-0-2 4,341 31 4 1-1 Phillips (15-19)
CLEVELAND 8 2-2-4-0 45 7 1-2 Larkin (5-10)
Baltimore's seven-point second quarter was key in the Blast's 13-8 win over Cleveland on Saturday at The Convo, but more importantly, the Blast blocked a season-high 26 shots to give Brett Phillips (15 saves) all the help he needed in goal. Braeden Cloutier's first goal in a Force uniform, a 2pg at 11:16 of the third, brought Cleveland to within 11-8 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Blast's Giuliano Celenza accounted for the only scoring of the final stanza with a 2pg at 10:55. Lee Tschantret scored a pair of goals and Tarik Walker assisted on three goals for the Blast. John Ball led Cleveland with four points (2pg, two assists). Jim Larkin played the first half in net for the Force, saving five shots, before being replaced by Otto Orf, who saved seven of nine shots after intermission.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 22 6-8-4-4 6,680 24 4 0-0 Pappas (14-15)
Dallas 2 0-0-0-2 46 7 3-3 Llamas (10-20)
Peter Pappas held a shutout for the first 47 minutes of the game and Kevin Sloan scored his 1,000th career point as the KiXX clinched a playoff berth with a 22-2 triumph over Dallas on Saturday night. The win represents the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the KiXX, who improved to a perfect 14-0 at the First Union Spectrum this season. KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra recorded a hat trick and six points for Philly, and Patrick Shamu scored Dallas' only goal at 2:35 of the final stanza. Sloan became the 12th player in League history to hit the 1,000-point mark with his second shootout goal of the evening, at 2:15 of the fourth quarter â on Kevin Sloan Bobblehead Night at the Spectrum.
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Harrisburg 13 5-2-4-2 5,887 24 2 1-3 Damico (12-15)
KANSAS CITY 6 2-2-0-2 33 6 1-1 Ceccarelli (12-18)
Harrisburg held the League's best offense to three goals and ended a nine-game losing streak against Kansas City in a 13-6 win over the Comets at Kemper Arena on Saturday. Heat goalkeeper Chris Damico made 12 saves to become the 11th keeper in League history to win 100 games, and with a 2pg, Harrisburg veteran David Bascome became the 17th man to hit the 900-point mark for his career. Comets striker Dino Delevski was held scoreless for the first time this season, ending his scoring streak at 26 regular season games. Paolo Ceccarelli made 12 saves in the loss, and Jeff Davis, Nick Corneli, and Nate Houser accounted for the Comets' scores. Mike Henning and Matt Tanzini scored two goals and four points apiece as the Heat won its second road game of the week.
TEAM CAPSULES (February 3 â February 9, 2003)
BALTIMORE BLAST (11-15)
The Blast defeated the Cleveland Force 13-8 at The Convo in Cleveland on Saturday night, but the club has slipped back into last place in the Eastern Conference, percentage points behind Harrisburg (which won twice last week). Lee Tschantret and P.J. Wakefield both scored four points against the Force, and Brett Phillips saved 15 of 19 shots for the win in goal. A 7-0 run in the second quarter, punctuated by Craig Scheer's game-winning 3pg at 7:03, propelled the Blast to victory. Baltimore's defense blocked a season-high 26 shots in the contest, led by Wendell Regis (six blocks) and Sean Bowers (five). Bowers is third in the MISL with 52 blocks this season. Leading scorer Denison Cabral ranks 19th in the League with 47 points. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman ranks fourth in the MISL with a 10.85 points against average; over the past several weeks, he and Phillips have stood out as the club has improved to third in the League defensively (11.7 points allowed per game). With Saturday's win, the Blast improved to 7-6 under head coach Bobby McAvan.
For The Record: Home: 8-7 Road: 3-8 vs. Eastern Conference: 6-8 vs. Western Conference: 5-7
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 vs. Dallas; Friday 2/21 at Kansas City; Sunday 2/23 at Milwaukee; Wednesday 2/26 at Philadelphia
CLEVELAND FORCE (12-14)
The Force lost both its games last week, falling to 12-14 and holding on to second place in the Eastern Conference by a mere game over both Harrisburg (12-16) and Baltimore (11-15). Cleveland fell 10-8 in overtime to Milwaukee in a School Day Game at The Convo last Wednesday, and dropped a 13-8 decision to Baltimore at home on Saturday. Joe Reiniger's 2pg at 7:03 of overtime sent the Force to defeat on Wednesday, and overshadowed a solid performance by goalkeeper Otto Orf (15 saves on 20 shots) in his first start of the season. Chris Stathopoulos scored a pair of goals in the game. On Saturday, a 7-0 second-quarter run by the Blast proved Cleveland's undoing. John Ball scored four points (2pg, two assists), and finished the week with seven points in two games. Braeden Cloutier (playing his first game for the Force) scored a 2pg at 10:55 of the third to bring the hosts to within 11-8, but Cleveland came no closer. Jim Larkin played the first half in goal for the Force and finished with five saves on 10 shots; Orf saved seven of eight shots in the second half. Leading scorer Giuliano Oliviero ranks 12th in the MISL with 57 points, and teammate Chris Stathopoulos is tied for 15th with 59 points. Defender D.J. Newsom is fifth overall with 47 blocks. Larkin leads the League in minutes played (1,412), ranks second in saves (452), and is eighth with a 12.49 points against average. Cleveland fell to 8-5 at home on the season, and will play three of their next four games at The Convo.
For The Record: Home: 8-5 Road: 4-9 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-7 vs. Western Conference: 7-7
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 vs. San Diego; Sunday 2/16 at Dallas; Friday 2/21 vs. Harrisburg; Sunday 2/23 vs. Dallas
DALLAS SIDEKICKS (7-20)
The Sidekicks split a pair of games last week and enter this week 7-20, three games behind San Diego for third place in the Western Conference. In the MISL's only Friday night game, Dallas pulled away from Kansas City with an 8-0 run through the late second and early third quarters en route to a 16-13 win at Kemper Arena. Nino DaSilva's 2pg at 11:29 of the fourth brought the Comets to within 14-13, but the Sidekicks held K.C. off the board the rest of the way and sealed the win with Antonio Sutton's with three seconds left. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Sidekicks. Dallas has won only two road games this season; both wins have come at Kemper Arena. David Doyle scored six points (two 2pgs, two assists), and bagged the game-winner at 6:39 of the third. Jesse Llamas, who replaced injured starter Sagu in the first quarter, recorded his first career win with 19 saves on 25 shots. Dallas then fell 22-2 to Philadelphia at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday. Patrick Shamu scored the Sidekicks' only goal of the game, at 2:35 of the fourth quarter. Llamas made 10 saves in the loss. Doyle is seventh in the League with 57 points. Tatu is tied for 13th with 54 points, and is tied for fourth in the League with 24 assists. Nick Stavrou also appears on the scoring leaderboard with 48 points, 18th overall. Sagu is fifth in the League with an 11.02 PAA and is third in both minutes played (1,339) and saves (280). The Sidekicks will play three of their next four games against Eastern Conference teams; Dallas is 5-8 against teams from the East, as opposed to 2-12 versus Western Conference rivals.
For The Record: Home: 5-8 Road: 2-12 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-8 vs. Western Conference: 2-12
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 at Baltimore; Sunday 2/16 vs. Cleveland; Sunday 2/23 at Cleveland; Friday 2/28 vs. Philadelphia
HARRISBURG HEAT (12-16)
The Heat won two straight road games last week to improve to 12-16, percentage points ahead of Baltimore for third place in the Eastern Conference. Harrisburg scored 17 second-half points en route to their best offensive production of the season in a 21-10 win over San Diego on Thursday night. It was the team's first road win since October 26 in Baltimore. On Saturday, the Heat held the League's best offense to three goals in a 13-6 win over the Kansas City Comets at Kemper Arena, breaking a nine-game losing streak against Kansas City. Mike Henning led the team with eight points on four 2pgs last week; Henning entered last week with two goals and five points on the season. Matt Tanzini scored seven points (3pg, two 2pgs), and Ato Leone six (two 2pgs, two assists) in the two games. David Bascome scored his 900th career point on Saturday in K.C., becoming the 17th man in League history to hit the mark. Bascome ranks fifth in the League with 72 points on the season; he leads the League with 13 power play goals, is fourth with 32 total goals, and is second with 31 2pgs. Genoni Martinez remains the highest-scoring defender in the League with 66 points (eighth overall), and leads the League with 68 blocks. Leone is tied for ninth with 60 points, and ranks third in the MISL with 25 assists. Marco Coria is tied for 13th with 54 points. Goalkeeper Chris Damico made 12 saves against the Comets to become the 11th keeper in League history with 100 career wins. The Heat has four games remaining on its current road trip before returning home to face Milwaukee on Wednesday, March 5.
For The Record: Home: 8-7 Road: 4-9 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-9 vs. Western Conference: 7-7
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 at Milwaukee; Friday 2/21 at Cleveland; Sunday 2/23 at Philadelphia; Saturday 3/1 at Baltimore
KANSAS CITY COMETS (12-14)
The Comets dropped a pair of home games last week, 16-13 to Dallas on Friday and 13-6 to Harrisburg on Saturday, to fall to a League-worst 3-9 at home this season. The Comets hold a three-game lead over the fourth-place Sidekicks in the Western Conference. Nino DaSilva's 2pg at 11:29 of the fourth brought K.C. to within 14-13 against Dallas, but the team could not manage any more points as the clock wound down. On Saturday, Dino Delevski was held scoreless for the first time this season (ending his scoring streak at 26 regular season games) and the Comets scored only once after halftime against the Heat. Delevski remains the MISL's leading scorer with 118 points, leads the League with 41 total goals and 33 2pgs, is tied for the League lead with eight 3pgs, and is second with 28 assists. Nino DaSilva is sixth in the League with 71 points and is fifth with 24 2pgs. Nick Corneli led the team with seven points over the week (two 2pgs, three assists), and is now tied for 15th in the League with 49 points on the season. Defender Jeff Davis is fourth in the League with 50 blocks. Goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli took both losses last week; he is now seventh in the League with an 11.95 PAA, second with 1,345 minutes played, second with a .746 save percentage, and leads the MISL with 379 saves. The Comets' next thee games are all at home, beginning with Philadelphia this Saturday.
For The Record: Home: 3-9 Road: 9-5 vs. Eastern Conference: 7-6 vs. Western Conference: 5-8
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 vs. Philadelphia; Friday 2/21 vs. Baltimore; Saturday 2/22 vs. Milwaukee; Friday 2/28 at San Diego
MILWAUKEE WAVE (22-5)
Milwaukee's winning streak reached 10 games with a pair of victories last week, 10-8 in overtime against the Force in Cleveland on Wednesday, and 17-9 over San Diego at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. Joe Reiniger scored the game-winner at 7:03 of O.T. in Wednesday's School Day Game at The Convo, and Greg Howes added five points (two 2pgs, assist). Six different Wave players scored goals in the Wave's victory on Saturday, led by Pat White's five points (3pg, 2pg). White scored the 100th goal of his career in the contest as Milwaukee improved to 10-2 at home this season. Victor Nogueira won both games in goal last week; Nogueira continues to lead the League in points against average (7.52), wins (19), and save percentage (.767). Howes scored nine points last week to take over the team lead in scoring with 81, good for third in the League. Howes is tied for second in the MISL with 33 total goals and is third with 29 2pgs; Howes also leads the circuit with seven game-winning goals. Joe Reiniger ranks fourth in the League with 80 points, is fifth in the MISL with 30 total goals, and is tied for the League lead with eight 3pgs. The Wave leads the League in offense (14.4 points scored per game) and defense (8.8 points allowed per game), and is also first on the power play (55.3%) and penalty killing (71.7%). The Wave will play six of its final nine games at home, beginning this Saturday with Harrisburg.
For The Record: Home: 10-2 Road: 12-3 vs. Eastern Conference: 9-3 vs. Western Conference: 13-2
Up Next: Saturday 2/15 vs. Harrisburg; Saturday 2/22 at Kansas City; Sunday 2/23 vs. Baltimore; Saturday 3/1 vs. Milwaukee
PHILADELPHIA KIXX (20-5)
The KiXX downed Dallas 22-2 at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday night, joining Milwaukee as the only teams thus far to clinch a berth in the 2003 MISL Playoffs. The win marked the largest margin of victory in franchise history for the KiXX, and allowed the team to remain undefeated at home (14-0) this season. With a fourth-quarter shootout goal, Kevin Sloan became the 12th player in League history to score 1,000 career points. Coincidentally, Saturday was also Kevin Sloan Bobblehead Night at the Spectrum. Peter Pappas held the Sidekicks scoreless for the first 47 minutes of the game, allowing only Patrick Shamu's 2pg at 2:35 of the fourth quarter. KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra bagged a hat trick on the night, including the 200th 2pg of his career. Leading scorer Joel Shanker ranks 11th in the League with 59 points. Pappas ranks second in the League with a 9.11 points against average and 16 wins. The KiXX will play two straight road games before opening a brief two-game homestand; following that, the KiXX will hit the road for five straight games from March 1-16.
For The Record: Home: 14-0 Road: 6-5 vs. Eastern Conference: 11-3 vs. Western Conference: 9-2
Up Next: Thursday 2/13 at San Diego; Saturday 2/15 at Kansas City; Sunday 2/23 vs. Harrisburg; Wednesday 2/26 vs. Balt.
SAN DIEGO SOCKERS (11-18)
The Sockers dropped two games last week, falling 21-10 to Harrisburg at home on Thursday and dropping a 17-9 decision in Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon. San Diego enters the week at 11-18, two and one-half games behind second-place Kansas City in the Western Conference. Carlos "Chile" Farias is on the verge of becoming the second player in the MISL to crack the century mark this season: he ranks second in the League with 97 points, is tied for second with 33 2pgs, ranks third with seven 3pgs, and is tied for fourth with 24 assists. Midfielder Mariano Bollella is tied for 15th in the League with 49 points. Defender Gaston Pernia is second in the League with 62 blocks. Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg ranks sixth in the MISL with an 11.12 points against average. The Sockers will be at home for five of their final seven games, beginning this Thursday night against Philadelphia.
For The Record: Home: 6-7 Road: 5-11 vs. Eastern Conference: 2-11 vs. Western Conference: 9-7
Up Next: Thursday 2/13 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 2/15 at Cleveland; Friday 2/28 vs. Kansas City; Saturday 3/1 vs. Philly
LEAGUE NOTES:
- The Eastern and Western Conference Teams for the 2003 MISL All-Star Game were announced last week; the League's midseason classic will be played on Sunday, March 9 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee (kickoff is 1:30 p.m. Central Time). For complete All-Star rosters, visit the League's official website, www.misl.net - All-Star coaches will be officially announced next Tuesday, February 18, and will be determined by the won-lost percentage of MISL teams through play on Sunday, February 16. Philadelphia player/coach Don D'Ambra was voted into the game as a player and has chosen to play for, not coach, the Eastern Conference side, meaning that the coach of the second-place team in the East through Sunday will guide the All-Star unit
- Kevin Sloan used a fourth-quarter shootout goal against Dallas on Saturday night to become the 12th player in League history to score 1,000 career points; Saturday was Kevin Sloan Bobblehead Night at the First Union Spectrum
- Harrisburg Heat forward David Bascome became the 17th player in League history to score 900 career points on Saturday night in Kansas City
- Heat keeper Chris Damico won his 100th career game on Saturday against the Comets (his former team); Damico is the 11th keeper in League history with 100 career wins
- MISL teams drew a total of 46,418 fans to eight games last week for an average of 5,802 per game; the League's average attendance for the season is now 5,117 over 107 total games
QUOTE CORNER:
"This win sets the tone for what we want to do. It shows we can win on the road, against our longtime rival and in a building that has not often been kind to us."
- Baltimore Blast head coach Bobby McAvan, after his team's 13-8 win over Cleveland on Saturday night at The Convo
"We still have some growing to do as a team. It's indoor soccer. If you don't put a team away, they're going to keep coming at you."
- San Diego Sockers forward Paul Wright, after his team's 21-10 loss to Harrisburg on Thursday
"I'm staying neutral. I just came looking for some good soccer."
- Ron Newman, legendary ex-coach of the San Diego Sockers, prior to San Diego's game with Harrisburg on Thursday; the coaches of both teams, Erich Geyer of Harrisburg and Brian Quinn of the Sockers, played under Newman
DELEVSKI'S SCORING STREAK ENDS, FARIAS PULLS SLIGHTLY CLOSER...
Kansas City's dynamic Dino Delevski scored only two points in two games last week and was held scoreless for the first time all season on Saturday night, and San Diego's Carlos "Chile" Farias took advantage of his opportunity to pull a bit closer in this season's Spalding Scoring Race with four points over the week. Delevski still holds a commanding lead in the race with 118 points, but Farias (97 points) is now on the verge of becoming the second man in the MISL to crack the century mark this season, 21 points behind Delevski. Milwaukee's high-scoring duo of Greg Howes (81 points) and Joe Reiniger (80) follow Farias.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 10, 2003
- Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
- KiXX Join Wave in Playoffs - MISL 2
- Sidekicks Sign TV Deal with KFWD Through End of 2003-04 Season - Dallas Sidekicks
- Falling Numbers - Cleveland Force
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
