MISL 2 Milwaukee Wave

Milwaukee Wave Weekly

Published on April 18, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Milwaukee Wave News Release


MILWAUKEE (April 18, 2005) – This week the Milwaukee Wave prepares for its final two games of the regular season against Cleveland and Baltimore. The Wave will travel to Cleveland to play the Force on Saturday, April 23 (6:05 p.m.) before hosting the Baltimore Blast on Sunday, April 24 (1:00 p.m.) at "The Cell," U.S. Cellular Arena. Sunday is also Fan Appreciation Day, in which Wave fans have the chance to win several great prizes: a hot tub courtesy of Master Spas, Wisconsin Dells getaway packages, Piggly Wiggly gift cards and much, much more.

The Wave split its weekend series against the Steamers (4/16) and Force (4/17), but maintained its hold on first place in the league standings, with a record of 23-14. Milwaukee cruised to a 7-2 victory against St. Louis on Saturday, behind a hat trick from Angel Rivillo. The Wave suffered a 8-7 overtime loss to the Force on Sunday at home. It was the third time in four matches this season that the Wave and Force have need an extra session in order to determine a winner.

**Milwaukee's magic number for clinching the 2004-05 MISL Regular Season Championship is 1 - a Wave win in either of its two matches this weekend or a Cleveland loss in either of its two games.

This Week's Itinerary:

Monday, April 18 – weight training 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19 – Day Off

Wednesday, April 20 – Practice 10 a.m. @ U.S. Cellular Arena

Thursday, April 21 – Practice 10 a.m. @ U.S. Cellular Arena

Friday, April 22 – Practice 10 a.m. @ U.S. Cellular Arena

Saturday, April 23 – Wave @ Force, 6:05 p.m. – Wolstein Convocation Center

Sunday, April 24 – Wave vs. Blast, 1:00 p.m. – U.S. Cellular Arena

*Subject to change

Injury Report:

Player Injury Status

Troy Dusosky Knee Out - IR

Chris Morman Knee Probable

Wave vs. Cleveland Force

2004-05 Series: 2-2

Overall: 28-20

The Wave and Force will meet for the fifth and final time in the regular season on Saturday night in Cleveland. The Force took an 8-7 overtime victory at "The Cell" on Sunday, April 17 against the Wave. Milwaukee collected goals by Michael King and Todd Dusosky in the final three minutes of the match to send the game into overtime. Cleveland's John Ball converted the game-winner at 11:05 of the extra session to preserve the victory for the Force. The teams also met on April 2 in Cleveland, with the Wave taking a 5-2 decision over the Force. Lovelace Ackah and Greg Howes each had two goals to lead the team, and Nick Vorberg stopped 17-of-19 shots faced between the posts. Cleveland won the second match of the season between the two teams, 4-3 in overtime at "The Cell" on January 22. The Wave won the first match between the two clubs on November 13 at U.S. Cellular Arena by a score of 6-5. Milwaukee and Cleveland have played in three overtime games this season, all at "The Cell." The season series is now tied at 2-2 between the two clubs.

Wave vs. Baltimore Blast

2004-05 Series: 3-2

Overall: 29-17

The Wave and Blast have not played one another since February 13, when Milwaukee secured a 7-2 victory. Chris Morman had two goals and an assist, and Johnny Torres and Ricardinho each added two points to lead the Wave. Morman and Torres have been on fire against Baltimore this season: Morman has tallied four goals and two assists, and Torres five goals and one assist in five appearances. Milwaukee has won both matches on its home turf, including the February 13 game and a 6-1 win on December 17. The Wave has not faired as well on the Blast's home turf, going 1-2 at 1st Mariner Arena. The Wave won the first match of the season there, 6-1 (11/12), before falling 5-4 (12/10) and 4-3 (1/8).

Last Time Out: 4-17 vs. Cleveland - The Wave rebounded from a two goal deficit in the final two minutes to send the game into overtime; however, a tripping penalty on Greg Howes put the Force on the man advantage four minutes into the extra session. The Force capitalized as Genoni Martinez fed John Ball for the game-winner at 11:05 of the overtime period. Milwaukee got on the board first with goals by Greg Howes and Todd Dusosky; however, Cleveland goals by Antonio Sutton and Genoni Martinez tied things at 2-2 to end the first quarter. Cleveland rattled off four unanswered goals in the fourth period to take a 6-4 lead midway through the third period. Angel Rivillo and Michael King added goals in the final period to bring the Wave within one and Dusosky netted the equalizer at 13:56 to send the game into overtime.

4-16 @ St. Louis - The Milwaukee Wave got on the board quickly in the opening period with a goal by Greg Howes at 57 seconds. Giuliano Oliviero sent in the pass to Howes who was able to blast a low bouncer past Steamers goalkeeper Riley Swift. St. Louis tied things up late in the first quarter with a goal by Mariano Bollella off the assist from Carlos Farias at 14:08. The Wave opened up the scoring in the third period with three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead midway through the quarter. St. Louis' Justin McMillian was sent to the box for a tripping penalty early, and Howes and Oliviero teamed up for the second time with the power-play goal at 2:22. Milwaukee native Pat White (6:17) then sent in a shot that deflected off a Steamers defender into the back of the net and Todd Dusosky fed Angel Rivillo for the Wave's second power-play goal of the day just 36 seconds later. Rivillo was credited with his second goal of the match in the final period following a miscommunication by the Steamers defense. Rivillo collected the first hat trick of his professional career as he knocked in his third goal of the afternoon at 12:12 off the assist from Howes. St. Louis tallied its first goal of the second half with just more than two minutes remaining as Cal Thomas beat Vorberg for the score. Milwaukee wrapped up the scoring on the day as Rivillo returned the favor as he found Howes (13:57) who took the shot from 15 feet out to secure the 7-2 victory.

Wave Clinches Spot in 2005 Playoffs: The Milwaukee Wave has secured a spot in the 2005 Major Indoor Soccer League postseason for the twelfth consecutive season under the direction of head coach Keith Tozer. In those twelve years, the Wave has won three league titles (1997-98, 1999-2000, 2000-01) and has made six Championship Series appearances. The Wave currently boasts the best record in the MISL at 23-14 and holds a two-game lead over the second place Cleveland Force. Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Cleveland have all clinched a spot in the 2005 playoffs, with one final spot up for grabs. This season the playoffs take on a new look, with the top four teams qualifying. The four teams will compete in a two-game, home and away series (April 29-May 1), with the No. 4 seed drawing the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 meeting the No. 3. The higher seed reserves the right to choose home field for either game one or game two. Should the semifinalists split their two games, a "golden-goal" overtime period determines the series winner, which advances to the MISL Championship Series Finals.

**Milwaukee's magic number for clinching the 2004-05 MISL Regular Season Championship is 1, with a Wave victory or Force loss. Both teams play twice this weekend – against one another on 4/23 in Cleveland and Cleveland at Baltimore (2/22) and Milwaukee versus Baltimore on 4/24.

Milwaukee to Host MISL Championship Game One: Milwaukee Wave Chief Operating Officer Mike Lafferty and the Major Indoor Soccer League announced that the city of Milwaukee has been chosen to host the first match in the 2005 MISL Championship Series Finals on May 14 at 7:35 p.m. at "The Cell," U.S. Cellular Arena. The format for the finals is a two-game series in which the city of St. Louis has been chosen to host the second match on May 21 at the Savvis Center. If the two teams in the Championship Series Finals split the series, a "golden-goal" overtime period will determine the 2005 MISL Champion.

2005 Summer Soccer Camps Just Around the Corner: The Milwaukee Wave and Wave United, Wisconsin's premiere soccer organizations, announced the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Wave Summer Soccer Camp Program. The program began in 1984, skipping only one summer, and has provided quality, personal instruction to soccer enthusiasts for 20 years. The dates and locations for the 2005 Wave Summer Soccer Camp Program presented by Piggly Wiggly were also released.

For more information and to receive a camp brochure or registration form, contact the Milwaukee Wave at 414-224-WAVE (9283). Campers can also register online at www.milwaukeewave.com by following the Camps & Clinics link on the left-side navigation bar. The online registration site is secured through VeriSign.

Howes Looks to Repeat as MVP: Howes once again has been an instrumental part of the Wave's success, his stats make that clear. In the 13 Wave losses this season, the 27-year-old has only collected twelve points, in four of the losses he had no points and he did not play in one because of U.S. National Futsal team commitments. In the 24 Wave wins this season, he has knocked in 55 points, including 17 games in which he has scored at least two points or more. The Tacoma, Washington native leads the MISL in points (67) and goals (39). The forward surged to the top of the rankings following a 12-point weekend in back-to-back games (2/25, 2/26) against Kansas City. In total, he has tallied 28 goals and 16 assists in his last 14 appearances.

Goalkeeper of the Year in the Making: Wave goalkeeper Nick Vorberg has been impressive in goal all season for the Wave, but as of late has surged ahead of his fellow MISL keepers, making him a likely candidate to win ‘Goalkeeper of the Year.' It would be the first such honor in Vorberg's six-year career. The 29-year-old earned his league leading 21st win between the posts on Saturday, April 16 against St. Louis and continues to lead the league in goals against average (3.75) and save percentage (.767). He has won 12 of his last 16 games in goal for Milwaukee, including a six-game winning streak that helped Milwaukee vault into the top spot in the MISL. Vorberg was also named the ‘Goalkeeper of the Month' in December and February.

King Closes in on 1600 Career Points: Milwaukee Wave team captain, Michael King is closing in on yet another bench mark in his illustrious MISL career as he needs just one point in order to reach the 1600 career points mark (includes seasons with multiple point and single point scoring). He currently is fourth in team scoring with 29 points on 15 goals and 14 assists. The 41-year old also appeared in his 700th regular season game on December 3, 2004 against the Chicago Storm, making him just the fourth player to reach the milestone. He holds several Wave records, including games played (453), points (1317), goals (516) and assists (304). His career totals are games played (723), points (1599), goals (689) and assists (397).

Wave Defense Holds Strong at Top of the League: Milwaukee currently boasts the top defensive attack behind MISL leading goalkeeper Nick Vorberg with a 3.75 goals-against average. Vorberg has recorded 21 wins in 30 appearances between the posts for the Wave. The team also leads the league in goals against average, allowing opponents to convert just 4.3 goals per game on average; the next lowest team is Philadelphia (5.1). Milwaukee is also the most effective in the league on the man down team, killing an opponents power play 65% of the time. The Wave has also held opponents to just 60 goals in its last 14 games, while Milwaukee's offense has exploded for 96 goals.

Check out the Milwaukee Wave Statistics

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 18, 2005


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