KiXX Weekly Update
Published on January 30, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
KiXX RECORD:
Overall: 4-9
Home: 3-4
Road: 1-5
PREVIOUS RESULTS:
1/28 vs. Chicago Storm - L, 3-4
1/29 @ Chicago Storm - L, 6-8
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
2/4 vs. California Cougars - 7:05 pm ET
MISL STANDINGS (through games of 1/29)
TEAM W L PCT GB STREAK
Milwaukee Wave 13 3 .813 --- Won 4
St. Louis Steamers 12 4 .750 1.0 Won 1
Baltimore Blast 9 6 .600 3.5 Lost 1
Chicago Storm 7 9 .438 6.0 Won 2
Philadelphia KiXX 4 9 .308 7.5 Lost 4
California Cougars 1 15 .063 12.0 Lost 4
Philadelphia, PA, January 30, 2006 - The Philadelphia KiXX (4-9) look to snap a season-high four-game skid versus the expansion California Cougars (1-15) on Saturday, February 4. Philadelphia has earned a victory in each of the club's three previous meetings this season; 7-6 on November 12, 10-5 on December 3 and 8-5 on January 16. The first 2,500 fans, 14 and under, to enter the gates on February 4 will receive a 2005-06 Philadelphia KiXX Poster, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is slated for 7:05 pm ET with the doors opening at 6:00 pm ET.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, January 30, Off Day
Tuesday, January 31, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, February 1, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, February 2, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, February 3, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, February 4, KiXX vs. California Cougars, Wachovia Spectrum, 7:05 pm
Sunday, February 5, Off Day
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Vlakto Andonovski Calf Out
Don D'Ambra Hamstring Questionable
Pat Morris Foot Questionable
Steve Wacker Ankle Questionable
KiXX vs. Cougars
2005-06 Series: 3-0 (home 2-0, away 1-0) Overall: 3-0 (home 2-0, away 1-0)
Philadelphia and the Cougars met for the first time in franchise history at the Wachovia Spectrum on November 12 with the KiXX prevailing, 7-6 in overtime, thanks to a game-winning goal from defender Ptah Myers at 3:26 of the extra stanza ... forward Shawn Boney led Philadelphia with three points, accompanied by two points from local standout Pat Morris, and eight other players with one ... Ricardino, Ronnie Ekelund and Bernie Lilavois paced California with two points apiece ... the KiXX ran away with the second contest, 10-5, on December 3, connecting on five unanswered goals in the third and fourth quarters ... veterans Goran Vasic and Drew Kopp each notched three points, while Ekelund, Antonio Sutton, Aaron Susi and Anthony Maher all tallied a pair of points for the Cougars ... in the most recent meeting on January 16, Philadelphia earned a 8-5 win in the club's first trip to the Stockton Arena in franchise history ... player/coach Don D'Ambra led all scorers with four points, while player/assistant coach Kevin Sloan chipped in three ... California has made several transactions in the past few weeks, including a trade with the KiXX that sent forward Gary Brooks to the Cougars in exchange for all-star defender Vlatko Andonovski ... Brooks tallied a pair of goals versus his former teammates on January 16, while Andonovski has been sidelined since that meeting with a calf injury ... the Cougars also acquired veteran forward John Ball from the Chicago Storm in exchange for South Jersey native Anthony Maher ... led by Head Coach Troy Dayak, the expansion team kicked-off their inaugural season with a 9-4 loss to the Blast in Baltimore on November 11 and then earned the first victory versus the Chicago Storm on January 7 ... Dayak, who appeared for the United States at the U-16, U-20, U-23 levels while earning 11 caps for the senior national team, also competed with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer (MLS) for eight seasons.
Late-Game Meltdown: Philadelphia dropped a home-and-home series versus the Chicago Storm this past weekend, 4-3 and 8-6 respectively ... the KiXX held at least a two-goal lead on each occasion only to see it diminish and then slip away ... the club lead 3-1 midway through the second quarter at home on January 28, but failed to record another point as the Storm found the back of the net for three unanswered goals to earn the victory ... in the series conclusion on January 29, Philadelphia bolted to a 4-0 lead and held a 4-2 advantage at the half ... Chicago, once again, battled back to take a 6-5 advantage at 10:46 of the fourth quarter ... with veteran midfielder Gary DePalma serving as sixth attacker, the KiXX knotted the game at 6-6 on a goal from reigning MISL Rookie of the Year John Nusum at 13:04, but the Storm's Mark Ughy responded with the game-winning tally just nine seconds later ... the meltdown marked the team's first loss of the season (1-3) when leading after three full quarters of play.
Injury Riddle: Philadelphia continues to battle injuries up and down their roster this season ... newcomer and all-star defender Vlatko Andonovski appeared in only two games with the team before being forced out of commission with a hamstring injury ... the Skopje, Macedonia native has missed the club's last four outings and is expected to remain sidelined for up to three more weeks ... also in the backline, Philadelphia native Pat Morris returned to play on January 28 after missing the last three outings with a foot injury ... he did not travel with the team for the match-up in Chicago on January 29 and is listed as questionable for Saturday's affair versus California (2/4) ... player/coach Don D'Ambra, who has battled a hamstring injury since early December, sat out of nearly the entire second half versus Chicago on January 28 and did not play at UIC Pavilion on January 29 ... the St. Joseph's graduate has now missed four full games and parts of two others due to the injury ... all-star netminder Peter Pappas is also battling a tough injury, suffering from back spasms ... the native of Toronto, Ontario dropped a 4-3 decision versus the Storm on January 28 and then missed his first game of the season on January 29 ... his status is unknown for this weekend ... finally, rookie forward and Temple product Steve Wacker has been sidelined for the club's last four contests due to an ankle injury ... he remains listed as day-to-day.
Back-to-Back: The KiXX dropped a home-and-home series versus Chicago this past weekend, their third and fourth consecutive losses of the season ... the visiting Storm first edged past the hosts, 4-3, on January 28 before failing to return the favor at UIC Pavilion, 8-6, on January 29 ... to date this season, the team is 0-3 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 1-2 in the latter contest ... last season (2004-05), the club posted a 7-4 record in the first game of back-to-back series and a 5-5 mark in the latter contest ... listed below are all of the back-to-back sets this season:
Date Opponent W/L* Date Opponent W/L*
12/9 at Milwaukee L, 3-5 12/10 vs. Chicago W, 3-2
1/20 at Milwaukee L, 5-10 1/21 vs. Milwaukee L, 4-7
1/28 vs. Chicago L, 3-4 1/29 at Chicago L, 6-8
3/3 at Baltimore 7:35 pm 3/4 vs. Baltimore 7:05 pm
3/18 vs. St. Louis 7:05 pm 3/19 at Milwaukee 2:05 pm
4/8 vs. Baltimore 7:05 pm 4/9 at Chicago 5:00 pm
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Midfielders Enjoys Revenge: Midfielder Andy Guastaferro, who broke out offensively with consecutive goals versus the sixth attacker to seal the club's 8-5 victory versus the expansion California Cougars on January 16, registered a season-high three points in Chicago on January 29 ... the native of Canandaigua, NY, who competed with the Storm last season, lit the lamp for two goals and then found teammate John Barry Nusum for a late fourth-quarter assist ... Guastaferro made his professional indoor debut with Philadelphia in 2003-04, registering 18 points in 34 contests ... the University of Maine product was then selected by the Chicago Storm in the 2004 MISL Expansion Draft ... with the Storm, he recorded 16 points (10 goals, six assists) ... Philadelphia re-acquired the three-year veteran via trade for a player-to-be-named (Allen Eller) prior to this season.
Trouble on Special Teams: Philadelphia's penalty-killing unit is struggling this season, stopping only 10-of-the-19 man-down situations they have faced ... the 52.6 percent kill rate ranks the unit last in the six-team League ... vice versa, the club's power-play unit failed to capitalize on either of their two man-advantage opportunities versus Chicago on January 28 to sit at tied for fourth in the MISL with a 33.3 success rate (five-of-15) ... forward Shawn Boney has recorded two-of-those-four, courtesy of penalty-kick opportunities, while player/coach Don D'Ambra has also registered a pair ... to add insult to injury, the unit allowed a season-high three shorthanded goals to the Milwaukee Wave on January 21 ... last season, Philadelphia ranked third in power-play success rate (54.0) and first in kill rate (64.7).
Last Week's Outing(s):
Storm 8, KiXX 6 (1/29): Philadelphia foiled a four-goal lead and fell for their season-high fourth straight contest, 8-6, in Chicago on January 29. After dropping a low-scoring affair, 4-3, to the Storm last night, Philadelphia bolted out of the gates with three unanswered goals to take a 3-0 advantage after one full period of play. Forward Shawn Boney opened the scoring off a dish from David Schofield at 11:45 of the stanza, followed by a score from midfielder Andy Guastaferro at 12:54. Philadelphia native David Castellanos rounded out the scoring with a score from rookie defender Clay Roberts at 14:49 of the quarter. Guastaferro, who was a member of the Chicago Storm for the 2004-05 season, continued the KiXX offensive assault with his second tally of the contest at 5:47 of the second frame. The hosting Storm rebounded to notch a pair of scores to cut the Philadelphia lead down to two, 4-2. Midfielder Matt Stewart struck first on a feed from Denny Clanton at 7:22, followed by a notch from Semir Mesanovic at 8:29 of the second. Vasic slipped through the Storm defense and knocked-in an unassisted goal to extend the club's advantage to three, 5-2, at 1:45 of the third stanza. Novi Marojevic pulled Chicago within two, 5-3, with an unassisted restart goal exactly six minutes later (7:45). The KiXX advantage fell to one, 5-4, as Mesanovic converted a restart for this second notch of the evening just nine seconds into the final quarter of action. After Ptah Myers was called for a two-minute holding penalty inside the box, Marojevic knotted the score, 5-5, with a shoot-out tally at 4:03. Cape May, NJ native Anthony Maher capped Chicago's comeback, 6-5, with a restart goal at 10:46 of the period. Forward John Barry Nusum connected on a pass from Guastaferro to tie the score, 6-6, at 13:04, but Ughy regained the Storm's one-goal lead, 7-6, just nine seconds later (13:13). With Gary DePalma serving as sixth attacker for the Philadelphia, Lazo Alavanja found the back of the net on a feed from Stewart to seal Chicago's victory, 8-6, at 14:15. Stuart Dobson (0-1) suffered the loss in his season debut for Philadelphia with 11 saves on 19 chances, while Jeff Richey (2-0) earned the victory with the Storm, turning away 13 of the 19 shots he faced.
Storm 4, KiXX 3 (1/28): The KiXX dropped their season-high third consecutive contest, 4-3, to the Chicago Storm on January 28. The visiting Storm wasted little time, as forward Awadalla Morad connected on an unassisted tally just 44 seconds into the opening quarter of play. After forcing a turnover in front of the Chicago net, forward Shawn Boney knotted the score, 1-1, with a big right-footed blast from the yellow line at 7:51. Kevin Sloan gave the hometown KiXX their first lead of the evening (2-1), when he found the back of the net on a feed over the middle from Boney at 3:43 of the second stanza. Ptah Myers extended the club's lead to two, 3-1, finishing a rebound off the glass at 5:37. Northeast Catholic graduate Tim O'Neill registered the assist on the play. At 13:52 of the period, Chicago climbed within one, (3-2), when Ughy slipped past the KiXX defense to find Morad for his second notch of the evening. Cape May, NJ native Anthony Maher drilled a pass from midfielder Matt Stewart past Pappas (11:47) to even the count at 3-3, netting the lone goal of the third quarter. Marojevic sealed the Storm victory, 4-3, registered a score on an assist from Ughy at 3:40 of the fourth frame.
2005-06 Season Leaders:
Points GP PTS Goals GP G Assists GP AST
Goran Vasic 13 14 John Nusum 12 10 Goran Vasic 13 10
Drew Kopp 13 12 Drew Kopp 13 8 Five players tied at 4
John Nusum 12 12 Shawn Boney 12 6
Shawn Boney 12 11 Andy Guastaferro 13 6
Andy Guastaferro 13 10 Two players tied at 5
Blocks GP BLK Goalkeeper GP GS MIN SF SV GA W-L GAA
Ptah Myers 13 11 Peter Pappas 12 12 712:43 223 156 67 4-8 5.64
Pat Morris 9 10
Kevin Sloan 8 8
Josh Rife 9 7
Chris Fehrle 12 6
Offensive Standings
Team Goals Scored per Game
Baltimore Blast 6.9
Milwaukee Wave 6.9
St. Louis Steamers 6.9
Chicago Storm 4.8
Philadelphia KiXX 4.8
California Cougars 4.2
Defensive Standings
Team Goals Allowed per Game
Milwaukee Wave 4.8
St. Louis Steamers 4.8
Chicago Storm 5.5
Baltimore Blast 5.9
Philadelphia KiXX 6.2
California Cougars 7.6
Power Plays
Team PPG OPP PCT
Baltimore Blast 16 27 59.3
Milwaukee Wave 12 31 38.7
St. Louis Steamers 11 30 36.7
Chicago Storm 7 21 33.3
Philadelphia KiXX 5 15 33.3
California Cougars 9 39 23.1
Penalty Killing
Team PPG SAVES OPP PCT
Baltimore Blast 7 17 24 70.8
Milwaukee Wave 11 25 36 69.4
California Cougars 12 21 33 63.6
St. Louis Steamers 8 14 22 63.6
Chicago Storm 13 16 29 55.2
Philadelphia KiXX 9 10 19 52.6
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 30, 2006
- MISL Gives Farias Offensive Player of the Week - St. Louis Steamers
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
- Dombrowski named MISL Defensive Player of the Week - Milwaukee Wave
- Cousins Subs Support Wave, All-Stars - Milwaukee Wave
- KiXX Weekly Update - Philadelphia KiXX
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