MISL Weekly

January 28, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

THIS WEEK'S MISL GAMES:

Thursday, January 29, 2004

Philadelphia KiXX at Monterrey Fury

Monterrey Arena, 8:35 p.m. CT

The KiXX will make their first visit to the Monterrey Arena, where the Fury is drawing an average of 11,520 fans per game. These two clubs have split a pair of meetings thus far in 2003-04, with Monterrey most recently recording a 7-6 overtime win in Philadelphia on January 24. Philadelphia is one of three teams in the League with a road record of .500 or better (5-5); the Fury is only 2-4 at home.

Friday, January 30, 2004

St. Louis Steamers at Cleveland Force

CSU Convocation Center, 7:35 p.m. ET

A losing streak (three games for St. Louis, two games for Cleveland) will come to an end for one of these teams on Friday night. The Steamers took the only previous meeting of the season between these teams, winning 3-2 on December 30 in St. Louis.

Saturday, January 31, 2004

St. Louis Steamers at Milwaukee Wave

U.S. Cellular Arena, 1:00 p.m. CT

The Steamers are hoping to be the first team to beat Milwaukee at home this season; the Wave is a perfect 8-0 at U.S. Cellular Arena in 2003-04. Milwaukee has defeated St. Louis three times this season, including a 7-3 win in the Steamers' first trip to Milwaukee on November 28.

Kansas City Comets at Baltimore Blast

1st Mariner Arena, 7:35 p.m. ET

The odds would appear to be against the Comets in this match, as they face the team with the second-best home record (10-2) in the MISL. However, Kansas City is the only team to beat the Blast at home since the first weekend of the season, capturing a 7-6 overtime win at 1st Mariner Arena on December 13.

San Diego Sockers at Dallas Sidekicks

Reunion Arena, 7:05 p.m. CT

Reunion Arena will be the site of a big Western Division tilt, as the first-place Sidekicks welcome the second-place Sockers. After losing 9-3 in Dallas on November 1, San Diego has taken three straight games against the Sidekicks. This game will mark the last meeting of the regular season between these clubs.

Philadelphia KiXX at Cleveland Force

CSU Convocation Center, 7:05 p.m. PT

These Eastern Division rivals will meet for the third time this season. Philadelphia has won the first two games by a combined score of 11-6; the KiXX earned a 4-2 victory in Cleveland in the most recent meeting of the two clubs. The Force is the only team in the MISL without a win over a divisional opponent this season.

Sunday, February 1, 2004

Milwaukee Wave at Monterrey Fury

Monterrey Arena, 6:35 p.m. CT

The Wave is 3-0 against the Fury in 2003-04, winning those games by a combined score of 19-5. Milwaukee earned a 6-2 victory at Monterrey Arena on January 4.

LAST WEEK'S MISL RESULTS:

(home teams in caps)

Games of Friday, January 23, 2004

BALTIMORE BLAST 5, Monterrey Fury 4 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 6,280

Monterrey 0-2-1-1-0=4 Monterrey: Hector Mireles, 20 SF – 15 SA

Baltimore 0-1-1-2-1=5 Baltimore: Scott Hileman, 16 SF – 12 SA

Monterrey: Victor Quiroz (two assists); Walter Gomez (two goals); Marco Lopez (two goals); Ramon Fernandez (assist); Gaston Pernia (assist)

Baltimore: Giuliano Celenza (two goals); P.J. Wakefield (goal); Billy Nelson (assist); Denison Cabral (goal); Carlos Farias (assist); Tarik Walker (goal); Lee Tschantret (assist); Danny Kelly (assist); Chris Handsor (assist)

Notes: Baltimore extended its winning streak to seven games when visiting Monterrey came to town. Giuliano Celenza put two in the back of the net for the Blast, including the tying goal with 30 seconds left in regulation. Baltimore's only lead of the game came at 11:25 of the overtime period, when P.J. Wakefield scored to wrap up the victory. The loss pushed Monterrey's losing streak to seven games. Scott Hileman made 12 saves for the Blast, while Monterrey's Hector Mireles made 15 saves.

Milwaukee Wave 5, CLEVELAND FORCE 4

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 2,602

Milwaukee 0-4-0-1=5 Milwaukee: Nick Vorberg, 19 SF – 15 SA

Cleveland 1-2-1-0=4 Cleveland: Otto Orf, 24 SF – 19 SA

Milwaukee: Todd Dusosky (goal, two assists); Leighton O'Brien (goal); Matt Schmidt (two assists); Greg Howes (goal, assist); Marcelo Fontana (two goals)

Cleveland: Justin Evans (two goals, assist); Hector Marinaro (goal, assist); Otto Orf (assist); Josh Timbers (goal)

Notes: The Wave edged past the Force to end a two game losing streak. After Cleveland scored the first two goals of the game, Milwaukee went on a 4-0 run to assume a 4-2 edge. Goals from Justin Evans and Hector Marinaro tied the game at 4-4 heading into the final stanza. Leighton O'Brien scored what would be the game winner at 5:29 of the fourth off an assist from Todd Dusosky.

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS 7, Kansas City Comets 2

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 6,887

Kansas City 1-1-0-0=2 Kansas City: Chris Damico, 18 SF – 11 SA

San Diego 1-2-2-2=7 San Diego: Victor Nogueira, 20 SF – 18 SA

Kansas City: Nate Houser (goal); Brian Soell (assist); Miodrag Djerisilo (goal)

San Diego: Nino DaSilva (three goals); Paul Wright (four assists); Mauricio Alegre (two goals, assist); Mariano Bollella (goal); Brad Flanagan (assist); Tony Velazquez (goal)

Notes: Nate Houser pulled Kansas City within one (3-2) at 8:13 of the second quarter, but the Sockers went on to score the final four goals of the game and shut out the Comets in the second half to secure a convincing victory. Nino DaSilva scored three goals against his former team, and Paul Wright served as San Diego's primary playmaker with four assists. Victor Nogueira saved 18 of 20 shots in goal for the victory. The win ended a two-game slide for the Sockers, while the Comets saw a two-game winning streak reach its end.

Games of Saturday, January 24, 2004

MILWAUKEE WAVE 6, Cleveland Force 2

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 6,517

Cleveland 1-0-0-1=2 Cleveland: Otto Orf, 18 SF – 13 SA

Milwaukee 2-1-2-1=6 Milwaukee: Dan Green, 12 SF – 10 SA

Cleveland: Justin Evans (goal); Ato Leone (assist); Chris Dore (goal); Hector Marinaro (assist)

Milwaukee: Michael King (two goals, assist); Leighton O'Brien (two goals); Greg Howes (two assists); Angel Rivillo (goal); Pat White (assist); Kevin Burk (assist); Joe Reiniger (goal)

Notes: Milwaukee completed a home-and-home sweep of the Force behind a two-goal performance from Leighton O'Brien (who accounted for the game-winner against Cleveland on Friday night), and a solid 10-save effort from goalkeeper Dan Green. Michael King played an active role for the Wave, finishing with two goals, an assist, and eight shots on goal. The win allowed Milwaukee to remain perfect at home in 2003-04, improving to 8-0.

Monterrey Fury 7, PHILADELPHIA KIXX 6 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 7,114

Monterrey 1-1-2-2-0=6 Monterrey: Hector Mireles, 18 SF – 12 SA

Philadelphia 0-2-2-2-1=7 Philadelphia: Peter Pappas, 17 SF – 10 SA

Monterrey: Genoni Martinez (three assists); Marco Coria (goal); Octavio Perez (two goals); Renato Pereira (two goals); Armando Valdivia (goal, assist); Marco Lopez (two assists); Ricardo Gil (goal); Ramon Fernandez (assist)

Philadelphia: Don D'Ambra (four goals, two assists); Ze Roberto (assist); Adam Brooks (assist); Joel Shanker (assist); Les Lunsford (goal); Nikola Vignjevic (assist); Adam Guastaferro (goal)

Notes: Monterrey prevailed in its second overtime in as many nights, as Marco Coria notched the game-winner at 5:33 of the extra session. The loss was only the third at home this season for Philadelphia. KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra was involved in all six Philadelphia scores, with four goals and two assists. D'Ambra's goal with just 12 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 6-6 and forced overtime. Genoni Martinez played a large role for the Fury with three assists, and Octavio Perez and newcomer Renato Pereira both scored twice for the Fury.

DALLAS SIDEKICKS 7, Baltimore Blast 6 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 7,121

Baltimore 2-2-2-0-0=6 Baltimore: Scott Hileman, 22 SF – 15 SA

Dallas 3-2-1-0-1=7 Dallas: Sagu, 17 SF – 11 SA

Baltimore: Carlos Farias (three goals, two assists); Giuliano Celenza (goal); Dewan Bader (assist); PJ Wakefield (goal); Daniel Kelly (assist); David Bascome (goal)

Dallas: Shaun David (two goals, assist); Ricardinho (two goals, two assists); Martin Nash (two assists); Sinisa Alebic (goal); David Doyle (goal); Frank Filo (assist); Martin Dugas (goal); Mark Rowland (assist)

Notes: Shaun David's goal 6:40 into overtime pushed the Dallas Sidekicks past the Baltimore Blast 7-6 Saturday in front of 7,121 at Reunion Arena. The Dallas victory ended a seven-game Baltimore winning streak, and improved the Sidekicks' record to 12-9. Winning goalie Sagu faced 17 shots and made 11 saves. Baltimore's Scott Hileman turned away 15 of 22. Carlos Farias completed a productive weekend with three goals and two assists. Of the 13 goals scored in this contest, seven came from restart opportunities; the Blast scored five restart goals.

Kansas City Comets 4, ST. LOUIS STEAMERS 3 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 4,186

Kansas City 1-1-1-0-1=4 Kansas City: Chris Damico, 15 SF – 12 SA

St. Louis 1-1-1-0-0=3 St. Louis: Hernandez, 23 SF – 19 SA

Kansas City: Jeff Davis (two goals); Anthony Maher (goal); Franck M'Bemba (goal, assist); Nate Houser (assist); Miodrag Djerisilo (assist); Andonovski (assist)

St. Louis: Daryl Doran (goal); Sterling Wescott (assist); Steven Butcher (assist); Sipho Sibiya (goal); Mark Thomas (goal)

Notes: Anthony Maher's fourth game-winning goal of the season (and second overtime game-winner) gave the Comets a 4-3 win against their cross-state rivals. The win marked Kansas City's best defensive effort of the season, with Chris Damico turning away 12 of 15 shots in goal for the victory. Franck M'Bemba was involved in Kansas City's final two goals, accounting for the tying score at 5:51 of the third and assisting on Maher's game-winner at 1:57 of overtime.

Games of Sunday, January 25, 2004

DALLAS SIDEKICKS 1, Philadelphia KiXX 0

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 4,229

Philadelphia 0-0-0-0=0 Philadelphia: Stuart Dobson, 9 SF – 8 SA

Dallas 0-0-1-0=1 Dallas: Sagu, 7 SF – 7 SA

Philadelphia: None

Dallas: Patrick Shamu (goal); Nick Stavrou (assist)

Notes: Prior to this season, the League had not seen a shutout since 1999; after Sunday's 1-0 Dallas win over Philadelphia, there have been two MISL shutouts in as many weeks. Sagu saved all seven shots he faced in goal for the Sidekicks, recording the third blank sheet of his Dallas career. Patrick Shamu accounted for the contest's only goal. Stuart Dobson saved eight of nine shots but took the loss as the KiXX suffered their first shutout in franchise history.

EASTERN DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Baltimore Blast www.baltimoreblast.com

Record: 16-6, 1st place in the Eastern Division

Home: 10-2 Road: 6-4 Goals For: 143 Goals Against: 107

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Carlos Farias, 40 Goals: Denison Cabral, 19 Assists: Carlos Farias, 28

Denison Cabral, 31 Giuliano Celenza, 18 Denison Cabral, 12

Two Tied, 24 David Bascome, 14 Danny Kelly, 11

Blocks: Wendell Regis, 37 Goalkeeper: Scott Hileman, 15-5, 4.61 GAA, .724 save percentage

Billy Nelson, 30

Lee Tschantret, 22

This Week: Saturday, January 31, vs. Kansas City, 7:35 p.m. ET

Notes: The Blast extended their winning streak to seven with an overtime victory against Monterrey on Friday, January 23, but saw the streak come to an end with an overtime defeat in Dallas on Saturday. The club enters the week holding a three and one-half game lead over Philadelphia in the Eastern Division. Carlos Farias was named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after accounting for six points (three goals, three assists) over the weekend; Farias is now second in the League with 40 points and leads the MISL with 28 assists. Denison Cabral is tied for eighth in the League with 31 points, and David Bascome and Giuliano Celenza are both tied for 16th with 24 points. Cabral is also tied for fifth with 19 goals. Defender Wendell Regis ranks fifth in the MISL with 37 blocks. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman leads the MISL with 15 wins, ranks second in both minutes (1,237) and saves (249), and is fifth with a 4.61 goals against average. Baltimore will have a chance to improve on a 10-2 home record when the Kansas City Comets visit 1st Mariner Arena this Saturday.

Cleveland Force www.clevelandforce.com

Record: 6-12, 3rd place in the Eastern Division

Home: 3-5 Road: 3-7 Goals For: 86 Goals Against: 108

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Zoran Karic, 19 Goals: Lee Edgerton, 14 Assists: Zoran Karic, 14

Lee Edgerton, 19 Justin Evans, 12 Hector Marinaro, 8

Hector Marinaro, 19 Two Tied, 11 John Ball, 7

Blocks: Hector Marinaro, 27 Goalkeepers: Jim Larkin, 4-7, 5.13 GAA, .707 save percentage

John Ball, 22 Otto Orf, 2-5, 6.32 GAA, .701 save percentage

Nevio Pizzolitto, 20

This Week: Friday, January 30, vs. St. Louis, 7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday, January 31, vs. Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. ET

Notes: Cleveland dropped both ends of a home-and-home series with Milwaukee last weekend, falling to 6-12 overall and 3-7 in their last 10. The Force is eight games out of first in the East, and four and one-half games behind second-place Philadelphia. Zoran Karic, Hector Marinaro, and Lee Edgerton are all tied for the team lead with 19 points. Cleveland ranks sixth in the League both offensively (4.8 goals per game) and defensively (6.0 goals allowed per game). Beginning this weekend with home games against St. Louis (Friday) and Philadelphia (Saturday), the Force will play four straight and five of its next six games at home.

Philadelphia KiXX www.kixxonline.com

Record: 11-8, 2nd place in the Eastern Division

Home: 6-3 Road: 5-5 Goals For: 109 Goals Against: 92

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Goran Vasic, 32 Goals: Don D'Ambra, 20 Assists: Goran Vasic, 23

Don D'Ambra, 24 Joel Shanker, 16 Three Tied, 7

Joel Shanker, 23 Two Tied, 13

Blocks: Pat Morris, 39 Goalkeeper: Peter Pappas, 10-6, 4.60 GAA, .749 save percentage

Tony McPeak, 20

Two Tied, 19

This Week: Thursday, January 29, at Monterrey, 8:35 p.m. CT

Saturday, January 31, at Cleveland, 7:05 p.m. ET

Notes: The KiXX dropped a 7-6 overtime decision against Monterrey on Saturday night and were shut out 1-0 in Dallas on Sunday, just eight days after they recorded a shutout of their own against San Diego. Player/coach Don D'Ambra was involved in all six Philadelphia goals on Saturday, finishing with four goals and two assists. D'Ambra is now tied for 16th in the League with 24 points and is tied for third with 20 goals. Leading scorer Goran Vasic is seventh in the MISL with 32 points and ranks second with 23 assists. Pat Morris, who has now played in 84 straight regular season games, is tied for third with 39 blocks. Goalkeeper Peter Pappas is fourth in the League with a 4.60 goals against average, tied for third with 10 wins, fourth in both minutes (964) and saves (221), and tied for second with a .749 save percentage. Philadelphia, now three and one-half games behind Baltimore in the Eastern Division, hits the road for two games this week, on Thursday in Monterrey and on Saturday in Cleveland.

CENTRAL DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Kansas City Comets www.kccomets.com

Record: 8-13, 2nd place in the Central Division

Home: 4-6 Road: 4-7 Goals For: 132 Goals Against: 170

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Miodrag Djerisilo, 34 Goals: Dino Delevski, 25 Assists: Miodrag Djerisilo, 19

Dino Delevski, 33 Jamar Beasley, 15 Jeff Davis, 13

Jeff Davis, 26 Miodrag Djerisilo, 15 Vlatko Andonovski, 12

Blocks: Jeff Davis, 39 Goalkeepers: DJ Horvath, 5-9, 7.39 GAA, .644 save percentage

Casey Barton, 25 Chris Damico, 2-3, 7.92 GAA, .602 save percentage

Matt Tanzini, 23

This Week: Saturday, January 31, at Baltimore, 7:35 p.m. ET

Notes: Kansas City fell 7-2 in San Diego on Friday night and squeezed past St. Louis 4-3 in overtime on Saturday. The Comets are eight games out of first place in the Central Division and only one and one-half games in front of third-place St. Louis. Miodrag Djerisilo has assumed the team scoring lead with 34 points (fourth in the MISL). Djerisilo is tied for third in the League with 19 assists. Dino Delevski is tied for fifth in the League with 33 points and tied for the MISL lead with 25 goals. Jeff Davis is tied for third in the MISL with 39 blocks and is the second-highest-scoring defender in the League with 26 points. Anthony Maher's game-winner against St. Louis on Saturday was his fourth of the season; two of those have come in overtime. The Comets play only once this week, traveling to Baltimore to face the Blast on Saturday.

Milwaukee Wave www.milwaukeewave.com

Record: 15-4, 1st place in the Central Division

Home: 8-0 Road: 7-4 Goals For: 124 Goals Against: 84

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Greg Howes, 44 Goals: Greg Howes, 25 Assists: Greg Howes, 19

Todd Dusosky, 31 Michael King, 17 Todd Dusosky, 17

Michael King, 28 Todd Dusosky, 14 Michael King, 11

Blocks: Lovelace Ackah, 35 Goalkeepers: Nick Vorberg, 6-2, 4.59 GAA, .713 save percentage

Pat White, 20 Dan Green, 9-2, 4.01 GAA, .769 save percentage

Two Tied, 19

This Week: Saturday, January 31, vs. St. Louis, 1:00 p.m. CT

Sunday, February 1, at Monterrey, 6:35 p.m. CT

Notes: Milwaukee won twice in two days against Cleveland over the weekend, improving their home record to a perfect 8-0 in the process. The Wave holds a substantial eight-game lead over second-place Kansas City in the Central Division. Greg Howes leads the team and the MISL in scoring with 44 points. Howes is also tied for the League lead in goals (25) and is tied for third with 19 assists. Todd Dusosky is tied for eighth with 311 points, and Michael King ranks 12th with 28 points. Defender Lovelace Ackah, named the League's Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, leads the club with 35 blocks. Both Wave goalkeepers, Nick Vorberg and Dan Green, earned wins over the weekend. Green leads the MISL with a 4.01 goals against average and a .769 save percentage. The Wave not only sports the best overall record in the League, but also the best home record and best road mark (7-4); additionally, Milwaukee is tied for the MISL lead in offense at 6.5 goals per game and boasts the circuit's best defense (4.4 goals allowed per game). Milwaukee hosts Central Division rival St. Louis on Saturday before heading south to Monterrey for a Sunday contest.

St. Louis Steamers www.stlsteamers.com

Record: 5-13, 3rd place in the Central Division

Home: 3-7 Road: 2-6 Goals For: 78 Goals Against: 110

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Steve Butcher, 30 Goals: Steve Butcher, 18 Assists: Steve Butcher, 12

Jeff DiMaria, 16 Craig Scheer, 8 Daryl Doran, 8

Daryl Doran, 15 Jeff DiMaria, 8 Jeff DiMaria, 8

Blocks: Carlton Williams, 14 Goalkeepers: Brett Phillips, 5-10, 5.89 GAA, .704 save percentage

Three Tied, 13 Nando Hernandez, 0-3, 5.59 GAA, .701 save percentage

This Week: Friday, January 30, at Cleveland, 7:35 p.m. ET

Saturday, January 31, at Milwaukee, 1:00 p.m. CT

Notes: The Steamers dropped their only contest last week, falling 4-3 in overtime to the Kansas City Comets. The loss left St. Louis nine and one-half games out of first in the Central, and one and one-half games behind the second-place Comets. Nando Hernandez posted a solid performance against Kansas City, saving 19 of 23 shots in 62 minutes of play. Steve Butcher leads the Steamers in points (30, 11th in the League), goals (18), and assists (12). Journeyman Mark Thomas has scored six goals and 11 points in his first seven games with St. Louis. The Steamers, who hold the worst road mark in the MISL at 2-6, will play two games away from home this week, heading to Cleveland on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.

WESTERN DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Dallas Sidekicks www.dallassidekicks.com

Record: 13-9, 1st place in Western Division

Home: 10-3 Road: 3-6 Goals For: 129 Goals Against: 98

Statistical Leaders:

Points: David Doyle, 33 Goals: David Doyle, 19 Assists: David Doyle, 14

Nick Stavrou, 27 Nick Stavrou, 17 Martin Nash, 12

Two Tied, 20 Shaun David, 13 Nick Stavrou, 10

Blocks: Kiley Couch, 36 Goalkeeper: Sagu, 13-7, 4.12 GAA, .749 save percentage

Frank Filo, 23

David Doyle, 23

This Week: Saturday, January 31, vs. San Diego, 7:05 p.m. CT

Notes: The Sidekicks earned a thrilling 7-6 overtime win against Baltimore on Sunday and turned in a perfect defensive performance on Sunday, shutting out the Philadelphia KiXX 1-0. Goalkeeper Sagu saved all seven shots he faced in the victory for the third shutout of his Dallas career, tying Krys Sobieski for the all-time franchise record. Sagu is second in the MISL in goals against average (4.12), wins (13), and save percentage (.749, tied with Peter Pappas), and leads the League in minutes played (1,324) and saves (271). He was named the MISL's Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday. Leading scorer David Doyle (33 points, tied for fifth in the League) sustained a broken ankle in Sunday's win and will miss the next six-to-eight weeks. In his absence, the club will look to the versatile Nick Stavrou (27 points, tied for 13th in the League) to lead the offense. Rookies Shaun David (20 points, including the game-winner on Saturday) and Ricardinho (seven points over his last six games) have also quickly developed into scoring threats. The Sidekicks (now 10-3 at home this season) will host San Diego on Saturday; Dallas enters the week holding a two-game lead over the Sockers.

Monterrey Fury www.monterreyfury.com

Record: 5-14, 3rd place in Western Division

Home: 2-4 Road: 3-10 Goals For: 90 Goals Against: 124

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Genoni Martinez, 38 Goals: Genoni Martinez, 20 Assists: Genoni Martinez, 18

Marco Lopez, 31 Marco Lopez, 14 Marco Lopez, 17

Armando Valdivia, 21 Two Tied, 12 Armando Valdivia, 9

Blocks: Genoni Martinez, 41 Goalkeepers: Hector Mireles, 4-9, 5.73 GAA, .729 save percentage

Oswaldo Medina, 28 Christian Guemez, 1-5, 7.88 GAA, .626 save percentage

Two Tied, 15

This Week: Thursday, January 29, vs. Philadelphia, 8:35 p.m. CT

Sunday, February 1, vs. Milwaukee, 6:35 p.m. CT

Notes: The Fury split a pair of overtime road games last week, dropping a 5-4 decision on Friday in Baltimore and defeating Philadelphia 7-6 on Saturday. The Fury is 5-14, but only six and one-half games behind Dallas in the West. Genoni Martinez remains the highest-scoring defender in the League with 38 points (third overall) and is second in the MISL with 41 blocks. Marco "Chikis" Lopez is tied for eighth in the League with 31 points. Monterrey will host Philadelphia (Thursday) and Milwaukee (Sunday) this week; the team is drawing an average of 11,520 fans per game to the new Monterrey Arena.

San Diego Sockers www.sockers.com

Record: 10-10, 2nd place in Western Division

Home: 8-5 Road: 2-5 Goals For: 92 Goals Against: 90

Statistical Leaders:

Points: Paul Wright, 27 Goals: Mark Ughy, 13 Assists: Paul Wright, 16

Mariano Bollella, 19 Mariano Bollella, 13 Sean Bowers, 11

Sean Bowers, 18 Nino DaSilva, 13 Robbie Aristodemo, 7

Blocks: Sean Bowers, 60 Goalkeeper: Victor Nogueira, 10-10, 4.41 GAA, .738 save percentage

David Beltran, 28

Gaston Pernia, 25

This Week: Saturday, January 31, at Dallas, 7:05 p.m. CT

Notes: The Sockers pulled back to .500 and stayed only two games behind first-place Dallas with a 7-2 win over Kansas City on Friday night at home. Victor Nogueira saved 18 of 20 shots in the victory; Nogueira is third in the MISL in goals against average (4.41), minutes (1,237), and saves (248), tied for third in wins (10), and fourth with a .738 save percentage. Defender Sean Bowers leads the MISL with 60 blocks. Leading scorer Paul Wright, who assisted on four goals in Friday's game, is tied for 13th in the League with 27 points. In a highly important Western Division match-up, San Diego travels to Dallas to face the Sidekicks this Saturday.

LEAGUE NOTES

- MISL teams have now played 17 overtime games this season, including four last weekend alone. In all of 2002-03, the League witnessed a total of 16 such contests. The Monterrey Fury has already participated in six overtime outings.

- Michael King's next game will be his 400th in a Milwaukee Wave uniform, making him the first player in franchise history to reach that milestone.

- The 1-0 shutout posted by Dallas was the second of the 2003-04 season, and the second in as many weeks. Prior to Philadelphia's 5-0 blanking of San Diego on January 17, the League had not seen a shutout since the 1998-99 season. That campaign featured four shutouts from February 28 through March 2, 1999.

- A total of 44,936 fans attended eight MISL games last week, an average of 5,617 per game. For the season, MISL teams are averaging 5,256 fans per contest.

Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 28, 2004

• MISL Weekly - MISL 2
• Force set for fist home back-to-back series - Cleveland Force
• Sockers visit Lone Star State, looking for a win - San Diego Sockers
• Wave and Verlo Mattress Team up for "Sleep Well Dream Big" Kids Fantasy Camp - Milwaukee Wave

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