KiXX takes to the road to battle the Force in Cleveland November 26
November 22, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, November 22, 2004 –The Philadelphia KiXX, who concluded a four-game homestand with a 6-5 victory versus the Monterrey Tigres on November 20, takes to the road to battle Eastern Division foe, the Cleveland Force, on Friday, November 26. Game-time at the Convocation Center at CSU is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET. The club returns to the Wachovia Spectrum on Friday, December 3 to entertain the San Diego Sockers. The first 1,500 fans, 14 and older, to enter the gates will receive a complimentary 2004-05 Philadelphia KiXX Dance Team Calendar. The contest is slated to kick-off at 7:05 pm ET, with the doors opening at 6:00 pm ET.
This WeekÂ’s Itinerary:
Monday, November 22, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Tuesday, November 23, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, November 24, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, November 25, Off Day
Friday, November 26, KiXX @ Cleveland Force, Convocation Center at CSU, 7:05 pm ET
Saturday, November 27, Off Day
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Jeremy Aldrich Knee Probable
Edgar Bartolomeu Knee Questionable
Shawn Boney Groin Probable
Jeff Moore Foot Questionable
Ptah Myers Foot Questionable
KiXX vs. Force:
2004-05 Series: 1-0 (home 0-0, away 1-0)
Overall: 32-23 (home 17-10, away 15-13)
This is the second of eight meetings between Philadelphia and the Cleveland Force this season Â… the KiXX defeated Cleveland, 11-8, at the Convo in the teamÂ’s season opener on October 28 Â… Philadelphia native Pat Morris led all scorers with four points (three goals, assist) and blocked three shots on the defensive end of the floor Â… for his efforts, Morris was named the MISLÂ’s Defensive Player of the Week Â… former KiXX members Gary DePalma and Chris Handsor each notched a pair of points for the Force; DePalma, who was acquired in a three-team trade that also involved the St. Louis Steamers and the Milwaukee Wave, registered a pair of assists, while Handsor, who was added via a trade with the Baltimore Blast, recorded two goals Â… Omid Namazi, former KiXX player/coach, resigned as ClevelandÂ’s head coach after signing as player midway through the 2003-04 campaign Â… Namazi then finished the season as the clubÂ’s player/coach Â… all three (DePalma, Handsor, Namazi) were members of PhiladelphiaÂ’s championship team in 2001-02 Â… the Force also added all-star defender Wendell Regis via a trade with Baltimore Â… last season, the clubs split the six total meetings, with each team winning the series, two-games-to-one on their home turf.
Home, Sweet Home: The Philadelphia KiXX concluded a four-game homestand with a 6-5 victory versus the Monterrey Tigres on November 20 to finish the series with a 3-1 record Â… in addition to the Tigres, the club defeated the Baltimore Blast (11/6) and the San Diego Sockers (11/13) Â… the lone blemish was a 7-4 loss to the expansion Chicago Storm on November 14.
Veterans Step Up: Veterans Don DÂ’Ambra and Kevin Sloan entered the teamÂ’s November 20 contest with seven points between them Â… the duo stepped up their performance just as their team, riddled with injuries, needed them the most Â… DÂ’Ambra notched a pair of goals in the contest on a team-high six shots, while Sloan also chipped in two goals, including the game winner on a penalty kick at 13:22 of the fourth quarter Â… DÂ’Ambra, a Philadelphia native, currently ranks tied for third on the team with seven points on five goals and two assists Â… Sloan has now recorded four points on three goals and one assist.
Pappas Honored Twice in One Day: The MISL announced today that KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas has been named the LeagueÂ’s Goalkeeper of the Week for the seven-day period ending November 21 Â… the native of Toronto, Ontario is also scheduled to receive the Philadelphia KiXX of the Year award from the March of Dimes at tonightÂ’s charity dinner Â… the nine-year veteran received the MISLÂ’s weekly accolade after recording 18 saves on 23 chances en route to a 6-5 victory versus the Monterrey Tigres on November 20 Â… with the win, the six-time all-star remains perfect, 3-0, this season and ranks tied for first among MISL netminders in goals against average (4.00) Â… the accolade is fourth for this KiXX this season; defender Pat Morris was honored as the MISL Defensive Player-of-the-Week twice (seven-day periods ending October 24 and November 7) and forward John Barry Nusum received the LeagueÂ’s Offensive Player-of-the-Week accolade for the period ending November 7.
ScorinÂ’ Goran: KiXX forward Goran Vasic connected with teammate John Barry Nusum in the second quarter to extend his point streak to six games and his assist streak to a season-high five games Â… the 32-year-old native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia currently ranks tied for third on the team with seven points on one goal and a club-high six assists Â… Vasic led Philadelphia in both points (48) and assists (34) last season.
76ers Set to Honor KiXX Assistant: Philadelphia KiXX Assistant Coach Adam Bruckner is scheduled to receive the Philadelphia 76ers Hometown Heroes Award this Wednesday, November 24 when the Sixers welcome the Boston Celtics to the Wachovia Center Â… Bruckner dedicates countless hours to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Philadelphia, assisting the homeless and speaking to various youth groups Â… through the mission, the native of Greendale, Wisconsin has initiated and continues to operate a homeless outreach program that includes a weekly meal and assistant in obtaining proper identification Â… Bruckner was honored by the MISL as the first MISL Humanitarian of the Year recipient last season.
Offense Diminishing: Philadelphia notched a season-high 11 goals in the teamÂ’s season-opener versus the Cleveland Force on October 23 Â… since that contest, the teamÂ’s offensive production has slowly diminished; the KiXX have scored 8, 6, 4, 4, 6 in their last five outings respectively Â… prior to the KiXX-Storm contest on November 14, Philadelphia led the MISL in goals per game, but the average has quickly dropped to fifth in the nine-team League at 5.7 ... the team concluded last season with a 5.4 goals per game average (5th MISL).
Leading the Way: Midfielder Ze Roberto and newcomer John Barry Nusum are both off to a fast start this season Â… Nusum registered a pair of points (goal, assist) versus Monterrey on November 20 to assume the top spot on the team (tied 2nd MISL) with 11 points, while Roberto trails close behind (2nd team, tied 9th MISL) with nine Â… Roberto, a native of Belem, Brazil, has registered five goals and four assists, while Nusum has notched a team-high eight goals and three assists Â… the native of Devonshire, Bermuda has recorded at least one goal in five of the teamÂ’s six games this season Â… in 33 games last season, Roberto finished with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists Â… defender Pat Morris joins the duo on the MISL Leaderboard, tied 13th, with eight points Â… the Philadelphia native also ranks tied for first in the League with 12 blocks.
2004-05 Dance Team Calendar Set to Debut: The 2004-05 Philadelphia KiXX Dance Team Calendar is scheduled to debut on Friday, December 3 when the team returns to the City of Brotherly Love to entertain the San Diego Sockers Â… the first 1,500 patrons (14 and older) will receive a complimentary 16-month calendar that features each KiXX dance member in their finest swimsuit attire Â… all photos for this seasonÂ’s issue were taken aboard the Battleship New Jersey, which is docked on the Camden Waterfront Â… game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is 7:05 pm ET, with doors opening at 6:00 pm ET.
Storm 7, KiXX 4 (11/14): The Philadelphia KiXX defeated the visiting Monterrey Tigres, 6-5, at the Wachovia Spectrum on November 20. Philadelphia bolted out of the gates, connecting on three unanswered goals less than three minutes into the first quarter. Player/Coach Don DÂ’Ambra led the attack with an unassisted breakaway goal just eight seconds into the action. Newcomer Gary Brooks followed with the first score of his professional career on an assist from fellow rookie John Barry Nusum at 1:35. DÂ’Ambra then notched his second tally of the evening on a dish from Damien Pottinger at 2:03 of the period. Monterrey ended the scoring drought with a pair of goals just 14 seconds apart. Tigres defender Rodrigo Oliva knocked in a pass from teammate Marco Coria at 13:29, and then Victor Quiroz registered an unassisted goal at 13:43. Nusum extended the clubÂ’s lead to two, on a feed from forward Goran Vasic at the 2:20 mark of the second stanza. With the assist, Vasic extended his point streak to six games and his assist streak to five. Kevin Sloan then buried a left-footer on a pass from Brooks across the field at 9:43 of the quarter. The Tigres cut the deficit to one, 5-4, with a pair of unanswered goals in the third period; Octavio Perez struck first with a restart goal from Genoni Martinez at 1:48, followed by a notch from Alejandro Moreno at 12:13 of the quarter. Monterrey knotted the game, 5-5, as Perez notched his second tally of the contest at 12:07 of the fourth period, but Sloan regained the clubÂ’s one-point, 6-5, advantage with a penalty-kick goal at 13:22; the KiXX received the penalty kick after Marco Lopez was called for a two-minute tripping violation in the box. Philadelphia held on to earn a 6-5 victory. Peter Pappas (3-0) earned the victory between the posts for Philadelphia, turning away 18 saves on 23 chances, while Aurelio Portes (0-3) took the loss for the Tigres, stopping 12 of the 18 shots he faced.
KiXX RECORD:
Overall: 5-1
Home: 3-1
Road: 2-0
vs. Eastern Division Opponents: 3-0
vs. Central Division Opponents: 0-1
vs. Western Division Opponents: 2-0
PREVIOUS RESULTS:
11/20 vs. Monterrey Tigres – W, 6-5
THIS WEEKÂ’S GAMES:
11/26 @ Cleveland Force – 7:05 pm
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- SockersÂ’ defender named MISL Defensive Player of the Week - San Diego Sockers
- Force kicks back into action - Cleveland Force
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