MISL Names Players of the Month

Published on April 4, 2006 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release


GOALKEEPER OF THE MONTH

Dominik Jakubek, California Cougars

Dominik Jakubek made five consecutive starts in March - his only appearances of the month - and enjoyed a degree of success that no other MISL goalkeeper could match. More impressive, is that Jakubek stepped in and helped deliver five consecutive wins as a Major Indoor Soccer League rookie. Before suffering a wrist injury that forced him to miss the California Cougars final game of the month, and the last two overall, Jakubek replaced an injured Jim Larkin in goal. In his first action in more than a month, Jakubek and his teammates reeled off five consecutive victories for the expansion Cougars (9-20), including a win at home at Stockton Arena over first-place St. Louis (22-7 record), a win in Milwaukee (17-12), and a win in Baltimore (17-12), where he and the Cougars defense combined to become the only team to hold the Blast to less than five goals in a game in 15 home dates at 1st Mariner Arena this season with their 5-4 victory on Mar. 24. In the Baltimore win, Jakubek stopped 19 of 23 shots (82.6 save percentage). This is in stark contrast to Jakubek's first appearance of the season in the Cougars' opener, also at Baltimore, where he allowed four goals in less than 30 minutes of action. Any first-year doubts were put to rest this past month however as Jakubek went 5-0 with a 4.98 goals against average and a 72.8 save percentage. He improved his season totals to 5-2 (10 games, seven starts), with a 5.66 g.a.a., while saving 71 percent of shots faced nearly 403 minutes played. A native of Lodi, Calif., the 26-year-old played collegiate soccer at San Joaquin Delta College, Sonoma State, and had a record-setting year at Chico State. He also trained in Poland prior to joining the Cougars for their inaugural Major Indoor Soccer League season. Jakubek recently won a pair of MISL Goalkeeper of the Week honors on Mar. 6, and Mar. 27. He is the first League rookie to be named an MISL Player of the Month during the 2005-06 Season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Genoni Martinez, St. Louis Steamers

Genoni Martinez enjoyed a standout month of March that is reflected in both his individual statistics as well as those of his team, the 2006 Major Indoor Soccer League Regular Season Champion St. Louis Steamers (22-7). Martinez scored in seven of eight games for the Steamers as they pulled away from the pack and built a lead in the MISL standings that exceeded four games for the first time this season late in March, and currently stands at five with one weekend of MISL action remaining in the regular season. Martinez, a two-time MISL Defender of the Year, has long been among the League's elite offensive weapons out of the back. However, under Steamers head coach Omid Namazi, who also coached Martinez to a First-Team All-MISL selection in 2004-05 in Cleveland, Martinez has increased his abilities as a two-way threat. The St. Louis defense allowed 4.86 goals in eight games in the month, the stingiest defense in the MISL. Four times in March St. Louis yielded four or fewer goals, twice allowing just two. For the season, the Steamers defense continues to allow the fewest shots (19.9) and goals per game (4.7). In addition to his four goals and five assists, which increased his points total to 30 to lead all MISL defenders, despite playing in just 24 of 29 St. Louis games this season, Martinez contributed five blocks and remains one of the League's top players off the restart and in maintaining possession from any spot on the field. The 31-year-old native of Mexico City, is tied for third on the Steamers in points (30), third in goals (16), second in assists (14), and is tied for second in the MISL with six restart goals. Martinez, who represented the Mexican All-Stars at the 2006 MISL All-Star Game in Milwaukee, wins the MISL Defensive Player of the Month award for the second time this season (January, March), He has also been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week on two occasions (Jan. 6, Feb. 20).

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Greg Howes, Milwaukee Wave

Greg Howes has put together perhaps the most consistent season of his six-year MISL career, and in March the Wave's two-time defending Major Indoor Soccer League Most Valuable Player and Spalding Scoring Champion again raced away from other scoring leaders in the League. Howes matched the 20-point output he gave Milwaukee in January, and like he did in that month, earns the MISL Offensive Player of the Month award, joining Baltimore's Adauto Neto as the only two-time winners of this award this season. Howes who has widened his lead in the MISL scoring race over Neto and the rest of the pack as the season enters its final week, scored six more points than his closest competitor in March, as the Defending MISL Champion Milwaukee Wave again clinched a berth in the MISL Championship Series, and will secure the second seed in the postseason with a win at California on Sunday, or a Baltimore loss. For Howes individually, he led the MISL in assists in March with 11, finished one goal off the League-lead for the period for goals with nine, and topped the eight MISL players who totaled at least 10 points in the month, with three of the others being his teammates, Todd Dusosky, Marcelo Fontana, and Matt Schmidt. The native of Tacoma, Wash., had six multi-point games and one hat trick, and twice totaled five points in a game, tying the MISL season-high. In playing 28 of 29 games this season Howes is tied for the League-lead in goals (37, BAL Giuliano Celenza), and has one assist advantage in for the MISL lead in assists over St. Louis' Carlos "Chile" Farias with 33, a new career high for Howes. The Oregon State product also leads the MISL with 11 restart goals and has scored six on the power play. The 29-year-old forward is a three-time All-MISL selection who made his third MISL All-Star Game appearance on Feb. 11 at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee before a sellout crowd. In addition to the two Monthly MISL honors (January, March), Howes has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week three times this season (Nov. 7, Jan. 3, Mar. 13).

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 4, 2006


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