MISL Playoff Matchups Set

February 29, 2012 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) News Release


TAMPA, Fla. - The Major Indoor Soccer League regular season ends this weekend with a pair of outstanding playoff matchups looming as the MISL Playoffs open in a little more than a week. The Rochester Lancers were the final team to clinch a place in the playoffs, taking a dramatic overtime victory against the Wichita Wings in front of a crowd of 6,720 at Blue Cross Arena to advance with one game to spare.

In their inaugural season, the Lancers have been a hit at the box office as well as on the field. Drawn by the exciting play of the league's second-leading scorer Mauricio Salles, Rochester averaged 5,675 fans, drawing almost 70,000 in overall attendance for their 12-game home schedule. It was Salles who provided the decisive blow against the Wings, capping a 10-point performance with a 3-point goal in overtime for a 20-17 victory.

The Lancers will expect another big crowd as they host the Baltimore Blast in the Eastern Division Finals, with the Blast hosting Game 1 of the series on Saturday, March 10 and the Lancers hosting Game 2 on Monday, March 12. While the Blast swept the season series between the two teams, their margin of victory in the final two meetings was a combined four points.

Meanwhile in the Central Division, the Milwaukee Wave and Missouri Comets played twice this past weekend, setting the scene for their series that sees the Comets host Game 1 on Friday, March 9 and the defending champion Wave host Game 2 on Sunday, March 11. The Wave won the regular season series 4-2, but the Comets took victory in their final meeting this past Sunday as Byron Alvarez and Geison put on a power play masterclass to combine for four goals with the man-advantage. Alvarez set a new season high with 13 points, and will be looking for more when the teams meet in the postseason.

The MISL regular season concludes this weekend as the Baltimore Blast host the Wichita Wings on Friday night, followed by a Sunday doubleheader that sees the Wings face the Norfolk SharX and the Blast travel to face the Syracuse Silver Knights. All of this week's slate of three games will be available on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com ), the league's free online video service, with the MISL on course to surpass the 325,000 total attendance mark, which would represent a more than 62.5 percent increase in total attendance from the 2010-11 season.



Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from February 29, 2012


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