Kixx, Wave prepare for game three
by MISL Press Release
April 30, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Throughout the 2001-02 regular season, the Milwaukee Wave and Philadelphia Kixx proved to be the two best teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League. After 44 regular season outings, a semifinal contest, and the first two games of the 2002 Major Indoor Soccer League Championship, the clubs will meet in a third and deciding game for the right to be called MISL Champions.
Game Three of the best-of-three 2002 MISL Championship is set for Milwaukee on Friday, May 3. Game time at the Bradley Center is 7:05 CDT.
The two clubs, which finished at the top the MISL regular season standings, each claimed a home victory in the opening two games of the Championship Series. Milwaukee posted an 11-4 victory in front of a crowd of 9,402 at the Bradley Center on Friday, April 26 before Philadelphia responded with an 11-4 triumph at the First Union Center on Saturday, April 27.
Milwaukee forward Greg Howes provided the heroics in the Wave's Game One victory as the Tacoma, WA native registered three goals and six points to lead Milwaukee to the club's 24th home victory of the season. Victor Nogueira added 15 saves on 17 shots faced and Milwaukee used a 9-4 second half run to claim the opening contest of the series.
Philadelphia responded one night later to force a Game Three as veteran forward Kevin Sloan posted two goals and an assist while Peter Pappas made 16 saves on 18 shots faced. The Kixx also received a Gary DePalma 3-point goal late in the contest to seal the win. The trifecta marked DePalma's third 3-pointer of the playoffs while moving the Virginia Wesleyan product into second place among playoff scorers with nine points. Milwaukee's Sipho Sibiya leads the League in playoff scoring with 11 points.
MILWAUKEE'S TOZER NAMED MISL COACH OF THE YEAR
Milwaukee Wave head coach Keith Tozer was named the 2001-02 Major Indoor Soccer League Coach of the Year on Tuesday, April 23. Tozer guided the Wave to a League-best 34-10 regular season record, which included a 22-0 home mark. The 45-year old skipper recorded his 500th career victory with a win over Baltimore on April 12 and continues to rank as the sport of professional indoor soccer's all-time leader in coaching victories. A four-time recipient of the Coach of the Year honor, Tozer is in his 10th year as the Milwaukee head coach where he has led the Wave to League titles in 1997-98, 1999-00, and 2000-01.
WAVE'S NOGUEIRA GARNERS GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR HONORS
Milwaukee Wave goalkeeper Victor Nogueira was named the 2001-02 Major Indoor Soccer League Goalkeeper of the Year on Wednesday, April 24. The honoring of Nogueira marks the eighth time that the indoor soccer legend has received the award. The 42-year old goalkeeper posted a 27-5 record during the 2001-02 MISL regular season while registering a 9.50 points against average and a .724 save percentage. The Mozambique native led the League in wins, points against average, and save percentage while claiming MISL Defensive Player of the Month recognition for December, January, February, and April.
LEAGUE TO HOLD POST-SEASON AWARDS PRESS CONFERENCE
The Major Indoor Soccer League has scheduled a press conference at the 1st Mariner Bank on South Clinton Street in Baltimore, MD for Thursday, May 2 to announce the winners of the 2001-02 MISL Rookie of the Year and Defender of the Year Awards. The event will begin at 2:00 EDT. Due to this press conference, a change has been made to the post-season award announcement schedule. The All-MISL Teams will now be announced on Tuesday, May 7 instead of the originally scheduled date of May 2.
MISL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE/RESULTS (BY SERIES)
Series A - MISL Semifinal
Milwaukee Wave (#1 Seed) vs. Baltimore Blast (#4 Seed)
A-1 Milwaukee 18, Baltimore 12 Bradley Center Friday, April 19 7:05 p.m.
Milwaukee wins series, 1-0.
Series B - MISL Semifinal
Philadelphia Kixx (#2 Seed) vs. Kansas City Comets (#3 Seed)
B-1 Philadelphia 18, at Kansas City 13 Kemper Arena Friday, April 19 8:05 p.m.
Philadelphia wins series, 1-0.
Series C - MISL Championship
Milwaukee Wave (#1 Seed) vs. Philadelphia Kixx (#2 Seed)
C-1 Milwaukee 11, Philadelphia 4 Bradley Center Friday, April 26 7:05 p.m.
C-2 Philadelphia 11, Milwaukee 4 First Union Center Saturday, April 27 7:05 p.m.
C-3 Philadelphia at Milwaukee Bradley Center Friday, May 3 7:05 p.m.
Series tied at one game apiece.
MISL GAME RECAPS
GAMES OF 04/26/2002 (Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) MILWAUKEE 11 0-2-4-5 9,402 28 2 0-1 Nogueira (15-17) Philadelphia 4 0-0-2-2 41 4 1-1 Pappas (12-18)
Victor Nogueira made 15 saves as the Milwaukee Wave defeated the Philadelphia Kixx, 11-4, in Game One of the 2002 MISL Championship in front of 9,402 fans at the Bradley Center on Friday, April 26. Following a scoreless first quarter, Greg Howes opened the scoring and gave the Wave a 2-0 lead with a 2-point goal at 2:05 of the second frame. While Howes' score was the only one of the first half, Milwaukee extended its lead to 4-0 when Glenn Carbonara beat Peter Pappas for a 2-pointer at 2:34 of the third quarter. Omid Namazi got Philadelphia on the board with a 2-point power play goal at 10:48, but Howes answered just 11 seconds later with a deuce of his own to make the sore, 6-2 in favor of the Wave. Michael King (3:54) and Howes (8:29) each added 2-point goals in the fourth before Brian Loftin converted a 1-point shootout tally at 9:42 to produce an 11-2 advantage for the home club. Goran Vasic added a late sixth-attacker goal at 14:04 for the Kixx, but it was too little too late as Milwaukee claimed Game One of the Championship Series with the seven-point victory. Howes led all scorers with six points on three 2-point scores. Namazi paced Philadelphia with a 2-point goal and an assist for three points. Nogueira got the win while Pappas took the loss following a 12-save performance.
GAMES OF 04/27/2002 (Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF) PHILADELPHIA 11 0-2-2-7 3,216 25 0 0-2 Pappas (16-18) Milwaukee 4 0-2-2-0 24 4 0-0 Nogueira (15-19)
Kevin Sloan scored a pair of goals as the Philadelphia Kixx evened the 2002 MISL Championship at a game apiece following an 11-4 victory over the Philadelphia Kixx at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, April 27. For the second time in as many games, the two teams played through a scoreless first quarter before the home team registered the first goal of the contest as Sloan beat Victor Nogueira for a 2-point tally at 3:07 of the second frame. Sipho Sibiya answered for Milwaukee, however, at 4:23 of the second as the teams hit the locker room tied at two. In the third, Sibiya gave the Wave the club's first lead with his second deuce of the contest at 4:27 as the visitors jumped in front, 4-2. Back came the Kixx, though, as Chris Handsor connected on a 2-pointer at 7:20 of the stanza to tie the score at four heading into the final quarter. Sloan then scored what would be the game-winner at 5:48 of the fourth before Joe Scigliano added a 2-point tally at 11:37 to make the score, 8-4 in favor of the home team. Gary DePalma concluded the scoring and stamped the Kixx's ticket to Game Three of the 2002 MISL Championship with a 3-point strike from mid-field to produce the 11-4 final. Sloan led all scorers with a pair of 2-point goals and an assist for five points while Sibiya paced Milwaukee with a pair of 2-pointers for four points. Peter Pappas (16 saves) got the win while Nogueira (15 stops) took the loss.
MISL NOTES
- The MISL has drawn 29,597 fans to four playoff contests for an average post-season crowd of 7,399; Milwaukee leads the League in playoff attendance with an average crowd of 9,678
- Milwaukee's crowd of 9,953 for a MISL Semifinal contest vs. Baltimore on April 19 was the largest non-final playoff attendance and the 11th biggest overall playoff crowd in League history
- In 10 meetings (regular season and playoffs) during the 2001-02 campaign, the Milwaukee-Philadelphia series has drawn 70,508 fans for an average attendance of 7,051 per game
- Milwaukee's Sipho Sibiya leads the MISL in playoff scoring with 11 points; Sibiya also leads the League in playoffs total goals with five
- Milwaukee's Victor Nogueira leads the MISL in playoff points against average at 8.15; Nogueira also paces the League in playoff save percentage with 48 saves on 60 shots faced (.800)
- Milwaukee and Philadelphia are a combined 1-5 (20%) on the power play during the MISL Playoffs
- Home teams are 3-1 during the 2002 MISL Playoffs; the higher seed is also 3-1 during this time
QUOTE CORNER
"Howesy is probably the true striker of the ball, both right foot and left foot, in this league...you can't show him one way, because he'll take off the other way...and he's probably been our hottest player the last month or month and a half."
- Milwaukee head coach Keith Tozer on Wave forward Greg Howes following Milwaukee's 11-4 victory in Game One of the 2002 MISL Championship on April 26; Howes scored three goals in the contest
"I gave up a terrible goal, probably the worst goal I've given up all year...and to do it in this game...I picked the wrong night to give up a goal like that...it sort of nullifies any other save I made."
- Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas on a goal scored by Milwaukee's Glenn Carbonara during the Wave's 11-4 win in Game One of the MISL Championship; Pappas made 12 saves in the game
"For me this is what it's all about...do or die, the last game...tonight they did it, congratulations to them, but we've got other plans next Friday."
- Milwaukee forward Brian Loftin following Philadelphia's 11-4 triumph in Game Two of the 2002 MISL Championship on April 27; Game Three of the series is scheduled for Friday, May 3
"Last year we stayed on the floor and saw them celebrate on our floor, and it wasn't a good feeling...we didn't want to let that happen again...we want to try to do the same thing they did to us on next Friday."
- Philadelphia head coach Omid Namazi following the Kixx's 11-4 victory in Game Two of the 2002 MISL Championship; Milwaukee claimed the 2000-01 NPSL Championship in Philadelphia on May 11, 2001
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 30, 2002
- MISL championship down to one game - OSC Original by Steve De Rose
- Kixx, Wave prepare for game three - OSC Original by MISL Press Release
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