MISL weekly

Published on March 24, 2004 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

THIS WEEK'S MISL GAMES:

Thursday, March 25, 2004
San Diego Sockers at Milwaukee Wave
U.S. Cellular Arena, 7:05 p.m. CT
Milwaukee has already clinched a first-round bye in the post season; the Sockers are battling for a post-season spot. The Wave is 3-0 against San Diego this season.

Saturday, March 27, 2004
Milwaukee Wave at St. Louis Steamers
Family Arena, 1:05 p.m. CT
Milwaukee has defeated the Steamers five times this season by a combined score of 35-13. St. Louis enters the week tied with Cleveland for the sixth and final post season spot.

Baltimore Blast at Philadelphia KiXX
Wachovia Spectrum, 7:05 p.m. ET
A win in this contest would make the Blast regular season Eastern Division champs and guarantee them a first-round bye. It will be anything but easy, however: the KiXX are 3-2 against Baltimore this season and hold an 11-4 home record.



Sunday, March 28, 2004
Dallas Sidekicks at Philadelphia KiXX
Wachovia Spectrum, 1:05 p.m. ET
Both clubs have already locked up postseason berths. The Sidekicks are 2-1 against Philadelphia this season, having outscored the KiXX 13-9. In the last meeting between these clubs on January 25, Dallas held the KiXX to nine shots (only seven on goal) in a 1-0 shutout at Reunion Arena.

St. Louis Steamers at Cleveland Force
CSU Convocation Center, 3:05 p.m. ET
Coming into this week's action, the Force and Steamers are tied for the League's sixth and final post season spot, though Cleveland has the edge in winning percentage (.424 to .419). This game will decide the season series between the clubs; St. Louis is 2-1 against the Force, but Cleveland has outscored the Steamers 13-11.

Kansas City Comets at Monterrey Fury
Arena Monterrey, 6:35 p.m. CT
The Comets hope to end a two-game slide and solidify their hold on the fifth post season seed at Arena Monterrey. Kansas City is 3-0 versus the Fury this season.


LAST WEEK'S MISL RESULTS:

Games of Wednesday, March 17, 2004

San Diego Sockers 7, MONTERREY FURY 6

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 9,114
San Diego 4-2-1-0=7 San Diego: Victor Nogueira, 24 SF – 19 SA
Monterrey 2-2-0-2=6 Monterrey: Aurelio Portes, 3 SF – 3 SA

San Diego: Dan Antoniuk (goal, assist), Kevin Legg (goal), Paul Wright (two assists), Tony Velazquez (two goals), Kevin Sakuda (assist), Joshua Elbaum (assist), Sean Bowers (goal), Ato Leone (goal), Mauricio Alegre (goal)

Monterrey: Genoni Martinez (goal, assist), Marco Lopez (goal, assist), Ricardo Gil (goal), Octavio Perez (assist), Victor Quiroz (goal), Walter Gomez (goal), Armando Valdivia (goal), David Pereya (assist)
Notes: The Sockers built a 7-4 lead through three quarters and held on despite fourth-quarter scores from the Fury (Genoni Martinez and Walter Gomez). Kevin Legg's goal at 10:34 of the third stood as the game-winner. Victor Nogueira made nine saves on 11 shots in the second half to preserve the victory for San Diego. The teams combined for 76 shots on goal and 28 blocks.

Dallas Sidekicks 8, ST. LOUIS STEAMERS 3

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 1,972
Dallas 2-2-2-2=8 Dallas: DJ Horvath, 23 S – 20 SA
St. Louis 2-0-1-0=3 St. Louis: Brett Phillips, 29 SF – 22 SA

Dallas: Kiley Couch (goal), Mark Rowland (goal, assist), Martin Nash (two goals), Nick Stavrou (two goals), Ricardinho (two assists), Leo Pernia (assist), David Doyle (goal), Patrick Shamu (goal), Shaun David (goal)

St. Louis: Steve Butcher (goal, assist), Sterling Wescott (goal), Fernando Errecalde (goal), Brett Phillips (assist)
Notes: Dallas led 4-2 at halftime and 6-3 at the end of three stanzas en route to a comfortable win at Family Arena. Martin Nash and Nick Stavrou both scored twice for Dallas, and rookie playmaker Ricardinho recorded two assists. DJ Horvath, named the Goalkeeper of the Week this past Monday, turned away 20 of 23 shots faced in goal. The Sidekicks continued their dominance over St. Louis this season: Dallas is now 3-0 against the Steamers and has outscored St. Louis 21-8.




Games of Thursday, March 18, 2004

MONTERREY FURY 10, San Diego Sockers 6

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 8,881
San Diego 1-1-3-1=6 San Diego: Riley Swift, 29 SF – 20 SA
Monterrey 2-2-3-3=10 Monterrey: Aurelio Portes, 24 SF – 18 SA

San Diego: Paul Wright (three goals, assist), Brad Flanagan (goal, assist), Kevin Sakuda (assist), Paul Dougherty (goal), Mauricio Alegre (goal), Robbie Aristodemo (assist)

Monterrey: Marco Lopez (three goals, two assists), Genoni Martinez (two goals, assist), Walter Gomez (two goals), Gaston Pernia (goal, assist), Ricardo Gil (assist), Octavio Perez (assist), Renato Pereira (goal), Armando Valdivia (assist), Aurelio Portes (assist), David Pereya (goal)
Notes: Marco Lopez scored three goals and assisted on two others as Monterrey avenged a 7-6 loss to San Diego on Wednesday night. Ten different Fury players scored at least one point, including goalkeeper Aurelio Portes (assist), who recorded his first MISL win. In another wide open affair, the clubs combined for a whopping 96 shots on goal, including 57 by Monterrey, the second-highest single-game total in the MISL this season. San Diego blocked 25 shots, led by Sean Bowers with seven. Paul Wright tallied four points (three goals, assist) for the Sockers.

Games of Friday, March 19, 2004

CLEVELAND FORCE 8, Philadelphia KiXX 3

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 4,849
Philadelphia 1-0-1-1=3 Philadelphia: Peter Pappas, 15 SF – 8 SA
Cleveland 3-1-1-3=8 Cleveland: Jim Larkin, 26 SF – 23 SA

Philadelphia: Tony McPeak (goal, assist), Mauricio Vincello (goal), Ze Roberto (goal), Jeremy Aldrich (assist), Pat Morris (assist)

Cleveland: Lee Edgerton (goal, assist), Hector Marinaro (two goals, assist), John Ball (two assists), Adauto Neto (goal, assist), Zoran Karic (two goals), Josh Timbers (goal), Justin Evans (assist), Braeden Cloutier (goal), Myles Stoddard (assist), Antonio Sutton (assist)
Notes: The Force scored five unanswered goals from the first through third quarters, and added three unanswered scores to finish the game in the team's first win against an Eastern Division opponent this season. Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic both scored twice for Cleveland, Lee Edgerton bagged the game-winning goal at 7:56 of the second. Jim Larkin saved 23 of 26 shots in goal, including 14 of 16 in the second half. John Ball, the League's Defensive Player of the Week, finished with two assists and a game-high four blocks.

ST. LOUIS STEAMERS 10, Kansas City Comets 4

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 3,119
Kansas City 2-0-0-2=4 Kansas City: Sanaldo, 28 SF – 18 SA
St. Louis 1-4-3-2=10 St. Louis: Brett Phillips, 18 SF – 14 SA

Kansas City: Anthony Maher (two goals), Dino Delevski (two assists), Miodrag Djerisilo (goal), Jamar Beasley (assist), Craig Scheer (goal), Vlatko Andonovski (assist)

St. Louis: Sipho Sibiya (four goals), Franck M'Bemba (three goals), Sterling Wescott (two assists), Jeff DiMaria (goal, assist), Mike Apple (two assists), Matt Caution (goal), Daryl Doran (goal), Fernando Errecalde (assist), Mali Walton (assist)
Notes: St. Louis captured the season series between these cross state rivals, 4-2, with Friday night's lopsided victory. Sipho Sibiya scored four times and former Comet Franck M'Bemba added a hat trick against Kansas City keeper Sanaldo, who suffered his first MISL defeat. A string of eight unanswered Steamers goals from the first through the third quarters proved too much for Kansas City to overcome.


Games of Saturday, March 20, 2004

PHILADELPHIA KIXX 7, St. Louis Steamers 3

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 5,347
St. Louis 0-1-1-1=3 St. Louis: Nando Hernandez, 14 SF – 10 SA
Philadelphia 3-2-1-1=7 Philadelphia: Peter Pappas, 14 SF – 11 SA

St. Louis: Daryl Doran (goal, two assists), Nando Hernandez (assist), Fernando Errecalde (goal), Jake Bleyenberg (goal)

Philadelphia: Kevin Sloan (two goals, assist), Tony McPeak (goal, assist), David DiPlacido (goal), Ze Roberto (goal), Don D'Ambra (goal), Pat Morris (assist), Byron Carmichael (goal)
Notes: A balanced offensive effort (six different goal-scorers) and a solid 11-save performance from Peter Pappas yielded a KiXX victory at the Wachovia Spectrum on Saturday. The game marked the 300th game in a KiXX uniform for player/coach Don D'Ambra, who scored a goal. Philadelphia rookies David DiPlacido and Byron Carmichael scored their first MISL points; DiPlacido notched the game-winner at 3:28 of the second quarter.

MILWAUKEE WAVE 5, Dallas Sidekicks 4

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 8,435
Dallas 0-2-2-0=4 Dallas: DJ Horvath, 18 SF – 13 SA
Milwaukee 2-1-0-2=5 Milwaukee: Dan Green, 14 SF – 10 SA

Dallas: Nick Stavrou (goal, assist), Shaun David (two assists), Eric Dade (goal), David Doyle (goal), Kenny Bundy (goal)

Milwaukee: Greg Howes (goal), Todd Dusosky (two goals), Matt Schmidt (assist), Semir Mesanovic (goal), Marcelo Fontana (assist), Joe Reiniger (goal), Giuliano Oliviero (assist)
Notes: Greg Howes' goal at 2:36 of the fourth stood as the game-winner as Milwaukee took the front end of a home-and-home series with Dallas in front of 8,435 fans at U.S. Cellular Arena. The Sidekicks fought back from an early 3-1 deficit to assume a 4-3 lead heading into the fourth, but goals from Semir Mesanovic (only his second of the season) and Howes lifted the Wave to victory. Dallas registered seven shots on goal in the fourth: three were blocked, and the other four were saved by winning keeper Dan Green. With the win, Milwaukee clinched a first-round bye in the postseason.

Baltimore Blast 9, SAN DIEGO SOCKERS 5

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 5,792
Baltimore 3-2-2-2=9 Baltimore: Scott Hileman, 18 SF – 14 SA
San Diego 3-1-1-0=5 San Diego: Victor Nogueira, 15 SF – 7 SA

Baltimore: Giuliano Celenza (two goals, assist), Denison Cabral (goal, assist), Carlos Farias (two goals, assist), David Bascome (two goals), Dewan Bader (assist), Tarik Walker (assist), Lee Tschantret (goal), P.J. Wakefield (assist), Ibrahim Kante (assist), Chris Handsor (goal)

San Diego: Sean Bowers (two goals, assist), Mariano Bollella (two goals), Paul Wright (two assists), Paul Dougherty (goal), Robbie Aristodemo (assist)
Notes: After Paul Dougherty's goal at 7:54 of the third created a 5-5 tie, Baltimore rang off the final four goals of the game to secure the 9-5 win at San Diego Sports Arena. Denison Cabral (with the game-winner), Giuliano Celenza, Carlos Farias, and Chris Handsor all scored during the decisive surge, which allowed the Blast to wrap up the season series with San Diego 3-1. Baltimore also pulled one game closer to clinching the division title. Ten different Blast players found the scoring column. Baltimore took only 23 shots on goal and scored on nine of them.




Games of Sunday, March 21, 2004

CLEVELAND FORCE 8, Kansas City Comets 7 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 5,232
Kansas City 1-0-2-4-0=7 Kansas City: Sanaldo, 20 SF – 13 SA
Cleveland 2-3-2-0-1=8 Cleveland: Jim Larkin, 22 SF – 15 SA

Kansas City: Miodrag Djerisilo (goal, two assists), Anthony Maher (goal, assist), Dino Delevski (two goals), Jeff Davis (goal), Sandre Naumoski (goal), Matt Tanzini (goal)

Cleveland: Myles Stoddard (two goals, assist), Justin Evans (goal), Lee Edgerton (goal, assist), Braeden Cloutier (two goals), Adauto Neto (two assists), Hector Marinaro (two assists), Jim Larkin (assist), John Ball (goal), Zoran Karic (assist), Antonio Sutton (goal)
Notes: Justin Evans recorded the game-winning goal just 22 seconds into overtime, spoiling a heroic comeback effort by the Comets at the CSU Convocation Center. The Force held a 7-1 lead after Braeden Cloutier's goal at 7:10 of the third, but beginning four minutes later, the Comets deposited six unanswered goals to tie the game at 7-7. Dino Delevski provided the bookends to the scoring deluge with the first goal at 11:13 of the third and the tying score with just two seconds left in regulation. The tying strike occurred on a penalty kick after Hector Marinaro had been called for a handball in the box. Five different players scored multiple points for the Force. Cleveland pulled ahead of St. Louis in the overall standings by winning percentage with this win.

DALLAS SIDEKICKS 4, Milwaukee Wave 3

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 6,226
Milwaukee 0-0-1-2=3 Milwaukee: Nick Vorberg, 18 SF – 14 SA
Dallas 0-0-2-2=4 Dallas: DJ Horvath, 8 SF – 5 SA

Milwaukee: Greg Howes (goal, assist), Lovelace Ackah (assist), Michael King (goal), Joe Reiniger (goal)

Dallas: Patrick Shamu (goal), Nick Stavrou (goal, assist), Eric Dade (assist), Kiley Couch (goal), Sinisa Alebic (goal)
Notes: In the second nail-biter in as many days between these teams, Patrick Shamu accounted for the game-winner with just 21 seconds left in regulation. The Sidekicks led 3-1 midway through the fourth, but goals from Michael King (9:55) and Joe Reiniger (10:58) allowed the Wave to pull even before Shamu's decisive strike. DJ Horvath had to make only five saves in goal for the win behind a staunch defensive effort.

MONTERREY FURY 6, Baltimore Blast 5 (OT)

Score by Quarters: Goalkeepers: Attendance: 8,037
Baltimore 2-0-0-3-0=5 Baltimore: Scott Hileman, 19 SF – 13 SA
Monterrey 0-2-2-1-1=6 Monterrey: Aurelio Portes, 21 SF – 16 SA

Baltimore: Carlos Farias (two goals), Giuliano Celenza (assist), Denison Cabral (goal), Wendell Regis (assist), Lee Tschantret (goal), Danny Kelly (assist), Chris Handsor (goal)

Monterrey: Walter Gomez (goal, assist), Genoni Martinez (goal), Ricardo Gil (goal), Marco Coria (assist), Octavio Perez (goal), Victor Quiroz (goal), Renato Pereira (assist), Armando Valdivia (goal), Marco Lopez (assist), Aurelio Portes (assist)
Notes: Walter Gomez's score at 2:40 of overtime put an end to the final game of the weekend, and gave Monterrey a 6-5 win over the Blast. Trailing 5-3 as the clock wound down under two minutes to play, Carlos Farias (13:38) and Denison Cabral (14:30) scored to pull Baltimore even and force an extra session. After Aurelio Portes turned away both shots he faced in overtime, Gomez's goal sent the crowd of 8,037 home happy. Monterrey has now won two straight games.





EASTERN DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Baltimore Blast www.baltimoreblast.com
Record: 23-10, 1st place in the Eastern Division
Home: 14-2 Road: 9-8 Goals For: 270 Goals Against: 176
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Carlos Farias, 60 Goals: Denison Cabral, 31 Assists: Carlos Farias, 40
Denison Cabral, 47 Giuliano Celenza, 31 Denison Cabral, 16
Giuliano Celenza, 43 David Bascome, 24 Two Tied, 15

Blocks: Wendell Regis, 48 Goalkeeper: Scott Hileman, 22-9, 5.06 GAA, .710 save percentage
Billy Nelson, 44
Lee Tschantret, 33
This Week: Saturday, March 27, at Philadelphia, 7:05 p.m. ET
Notes: Baltimore enters the week with a magic number of one to clinch the Eastern Division title and first-round bye. The Blast can accomplish that this Saturday in Philadelphia against the KiXX, who are three and one-half games out of first in the East. Baltimore continues to battle Milwaukee for the League's top overall seed; the Blast is one-half game behind the Wave (23-9). Leading scorer Carlos Farias is tied for second in the League with 60 points, and remains the circuit's top playmaker with 40 assists. Denison Cabral and Giuliano Celenza are both tied for fourth in the MISL with 31 goals. Scott Hileman is the League's winningest goalkeeper with 22 victories. He also leads the MISL with 390 saves and 1,886 minutes played.

Cleveland Force www.clevelandforce.com
Record: 14-19, 3rd place in the Eastern Division
Home: 9-8 Road: 5-11 Goals For: 164 Goals Against: 183
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Hector Marinaro, 34 Goals: Adauto Neto, 22 Assists: Zoran Karic, 23
Lee Edgerton, 34 Lee Edgerton, 22 Hector Marinaro, 15
Zoran Karic, 31 Hector Marinaro, 19 John Ball, 13

Blocks: John Ball, 47 Goalkeepers: Jim Larkin, 10-14, 4.92 GAA, .759 save percentage
Josh Timbers, 44 Otto Orf, 2-7, 6.13 GAA, .726 save percentage
Hector Marinaro, 40
This Week: Sunday, March 29, vs. St. Louis, 3:05 p.m. ET
Notes: With wins against Philadelphia and Kansas City last week, the Force has pulled ahead of St. Louis in terms of winning percentage in the post season race. Cleveland travels to St. Louis for its only game this weekend, facing off against the Steamers on Sunday in a game that will decide the season series between the clubs. With a recent hot streak, goalkeeper Jim Larkin has lowered his goals against average to 4.92, fifth in the League, and is now second in the League with a .759 save percentage. Following this weekend, Cleveland's two remaining games are in Baltimore and Philadelphia; the Force is a combined 1-9 against those teams this year, and 5-11 on the road.

Philadelphia KiXX www.kixxonline.com
Record: 19-13, 2nd place in the Eastern Division
Home: 11-4 Road: 8-9 Goals For: 179 Goals Against: 164
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Goran Vasic, 44 Goals: Don D'Ambra, 34 Assists: Goran Vasic, 32
Don D'Ambra, 42 Joel Shanker, 21 Pat Morris, 13
Pat Morris, 34 Three Tied, 21 Ze Roberto, 10

Blocks: Pat Morris, 66 Goalkeepers: Peter Pappas, 16-9, 4.58 GAA, .765 save percentage
Mauricio Vincello, 41 Stuart Dobson, 2-5, 6.12 GAA, 650 save percentage
Drew Kopp, 38
This Week: Saturday, March 27, vs. Baltimore, 7:05 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 28, vs. Dallas, 1:05 p.m. ET
Notes: The KiXX, guaranteed at least the top wild card spot in the post seasons, host Division-leading Baltimore on Saturday. The Blast will clinch the division title with one win or a Philadelphia loss. The KiXX also host Dallas on Sunday afternoon. Defender Pat Morris, who has played in 97 straight games and 179 of the team's 196 contests since 1999-00, is fourth in the League with 66 blocks and third on the team with 34 points. Player/coach Don D'Ambra, who played in his 300th game with the KiXX last Saturday, is third in the League with 34 goals. Peter Pappas is third in the MISL in goals against average (4.58), second with 16 wins, and first with a .765 save percentage. Following this weekend's games, the KiXX will travel to Milwaukee (April 2) and host Cleveland (April 3) to wrap up their regular season.



CENTRAL DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Kansas City Comets www.kccomets.com
Record: 15-19, 2nd place in the Central Division
Home: 9-8 Road: 6-11 Goals For: 208 Goals Against: 258
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Dino Delevski, 60 Goals: Dino Delevski, 42 Assists: Miodrag Djerisilo, 21
Jamar Beasley, 39 Jamar Beasley, 26 Vlatko Andonovski, 18
Miodrag Djerisilo, 39 Anthony Maher, 26 Dino Delevski, 18

Blocks: Jeff Davis, 81 Goalkeepers: Chris Damico, 5-7, 7.32 GAA, .637 save percentage
Vlatko Andonovski, 38 Sanaldo, 4-2, 5.81 GAA, .714 save percentage
Matt Tanzini, 34
This Week: Sunday, March 29, at Monterrey, 6:35 p.m. CT
Notes: Two losses last week weakened the Comets' hold on the MISL's fifth post season spot; entering this week, Kansas City is nursing a half-game lead over both Cleveland and St. Louis and one and one-half games over San Diego. Kansas City has the fewest games left to play (two) of any MISL team; one of those comes this Sunday in Monterrey. The Comets will complete their season on April 3 at home against San Diego. Dino Delevski is tied for second in the League with 60 points, and is second with 42 goals. Defender Jeff Davis is second in the MISL with 81 blocks. Jamar Beasley and Miodrag Djerisilo are both tied for 15th with 39 points. Beasley leads all MISL rookies in points and goals (26).

Milwaukee Wave www.milwaukeewave.com
Record: 23-9, 1st place in the Central Division
Home: 14-2 Road: 9-7 Goals For: 204 Goals Against: 142
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Greg Howes, 76 Goals: Greg Howes, 52 Assists: Todd Dusosky, 33
Todd Dusosky, 56 Michael King, 25 Greg Howes, 24
Michael King, 40 Joe Reiniger, 24 Two Tied, 15

Blocks: Lovelace Ackah, 57 Goalkeepers: Dan Green, 14-3, 3.86 GAA, .755 save percentage
Chris Morman, 45 Nick Vorberg, 9-5, 4.67 GAA, .734 save percentage
Pat White, 39
This Week: Thursday, March 25, vs. San Diego, 7:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 27, at St. Louis, 1:05 p.m. CT
Notes: With the Central Division title already in the bag, Milwaukee clinched a first-round bye in the postseason with a 5-4 win over Dallas on Saturday. The Wave continues to battle Baltimore for the top overall seed and home field advantage throughout the post seasons. Greg Howes has developed a substantial lead in the League's scoring race with 76 points; he also leads the circuit with 52 goals. Todd Dusosky is second in the MISL with 33 assists and tied for fourth with 56 points. Milwaukee's goalkeeping platoon of Dan Green and Nick Vorberg has combined for a 23-8 record, .745 save percentage, and 4.22 goals against average. Green leads the League with a 3.86 GAA. After this weekend, Milwaukee hosts Philadelphia on April 2 before a potentially monumental game in Baltimore on April 3.

St. Louis Steamers www.stlsteamers.com
Record: 13-18, 3rd place in the Central Division
Home: 8-9 Road: 5-9 Goals For: 138 Goals Against: 177
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Steve Butcher, 48 Goals: Steve Butcher, 31 Assists: Daryl Doran, 18
Daryl Doran, 33 Sipho Sibiya, 16 Steve Butcher, 17
Sipho Sibiya, 31 Daryl Doran, 15 Sipho Sibiya, 15

Blocks: Jeff DiMaria, 29 Goalkeeper: Brett Phillips, 12-15, 5.34 GAA, .736 save percentage
D.J. Newsom, 29
Mali Walton, 29
This Week: Saturday, March 27, vs. Milwaukee, 1:05 p.m. CT
Sunday, March 28, at Cleveland, 3:05 p.m. ET
Notes: The Steamers kept themselves in post season contention with a 1-1 record last week. St. Louis is currently percentage points behind Cleveland for the sixth and final post season spot. Importantly, the Steamers clinched the season series with fifth-place Kansas City in Saturday's 10-4 win. St. Louis hosts Milwaukee (against whom they are 0-5 this season) and travels to Cleveland on Sunday in a game that will decide the series between the teams. The Steamers are 2-1 against the Force this season, but have been outscored 13-11. Leading scorer Steve Butcher is seventh in the League with 48 points and tied for fourth with 31 goals. Goalkeeper Brett Phillips is second in the MISL with 382 saves. After this weekend's action, St. Louis will complete its regular season with games in Dallas (April 3) and Monterrey (April 5).

WESTERN DIVISION TEAM CAPSULES

Dallas Sidekicks www.dallassidekicks.com
Record: 19-14, 1st place in Western Division
Home: 14-3 Road: 5-11 Goals For: 194 Goals Against: 148
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Martin Nash, 43 Goals: Martin Nash, 27 Assists: Ricardinho, 20
Nick Stavrou, 37 Nick Stavrou, 23 Martin Nash, 16
David Doyle, 36 David Doyle, 22 Three Tied, 14

Blocks: Kiley Couch, 60 Goalkeepers: Sagu, 14-8, 4.34 GAA, .734 save percentage
Sinisa Alebic, 35 DJ Horvath, 5-4, 3.94 GAA, .772 save percentage
Frank Filo, 32
This Week: Sunday, March 28, at Philadelphia, 1:05 p.m.
Notes: The only question remaining for the Sidekicks is who they will play in the first round: the team has clinched the Western Division title and the third overall seed in the post seasons. Dallas' post season date is set for Saturday, April 10, at 7:35 p.m. Central against the to-be-determined sixth seed. Leading scorer Martin Nash is now tied for 11th in the MISL with 43 points. Rookie midfielder Ricardinho leads the club with 20 assists. Defender Kiley Couch sits fifth in the MISL with 60 blocks. Goalkeeper DJ Horvath, named Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday, is now 5-4 with a 3.94 goals against average and .772 save percentage for Dallas since joining the club in mid-February. The Sidekicks' lone game this weekend is in Philadelphia on Sunday; Dallas' regular season will conclude with a game at home against St. Louis on April 3 and a road contest in Monterey on April 4.

Monterrey Fury www.monterreyfury.com
Record: 7-24, 3rd place in Western Division www.lafuriamonterrey.com
Home: 5-9 Road: 2-15 Goals For: 153 Goals Against: 191
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Genoni Martinez, 56 Goals: Genoni Martinez, 31 Assists: Marco Lopez, 28
Marco Lopez, 52 Marco Lopez, 24 Genoni Martinez, 25
Armando Valdivia, 28 Octavio Perez, 17 Armando Valdivia, 13

Blocks: Genoni Martinez, 69 Goalkeepers: Hector Mireles, 8-14, 5.55 GAA, .740 save percentage
Oswaldo Medina, 49 Christian Guemez, 1-5, 7.99 GAA, .615 save percentage
Gaston Pernia, 23 Aurelio Portes, 2-1, 4.73 GAA, .771 save percentage
This Week: Sunday, March 28, vs. Kansas City, 6:35 p.m. CT
Notes: Now playing the role of postseason spoiler, the Fury went 2-1 in three home games last week. Monterrey's remaining schedule, which includes this Sunday's home game against Kansas City, is intriguing: the Fury has five games left, with four at home. Two of the remaining games will be against St. Louis, and Monterrey will play both the Comets and San Diego once more. Genoni Martinez remains the higest-scoring defender in the League with 56 points, tied for fourth overall. Martinez is also third with 69 blocks. Marco Lopez, named Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, is sixth with 52 points and fourth with 28 assists. Goalkeeper Aurelio Portes is now 2-1 with a 4.73 goals against average and .771 save percentage in his first three MISL starts.

San Diego Sockers www.sockers.com
Record: 13-20, 2nd place in Western Division
Home: 10-7 Road: 3-13 Goals For: 154 Goals Against: 175
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Paul Wright, 46 Goals: Mariano Bollella, 24 Assists: Paul Wright, 26
Mariano Bollella, 34 Paul Wright, 20 Sean Bowers, 15
Sean Bowers, 29 Mauricio Alegre, 16 Robbie Aristodemo, 11

Blocks: Sean Bowers, 86 Goalkeepers: Victor Nogueira, 13-17, 4.96 GAA, .726 save percentage
Matt Johnson, 44 Riley Swift, 0-3, 7.11 GAA, .679 save percentage
David Beltran, 41
This Week: Thursday, March 25, at Milwaukee, 7:00 p.m. CT
Notes: A 7-6 win in Monterrey last Wednesday helped, but losses to the Fury on Thursday and Baltimore on Saturday damaged the Sockers' post season aspirations. San Diego enters the week one game behind St. Louis and Cleveland, and one and one-half games behind Kansas City. The Sockers' only game this week is in Milwaukee on Thursday night; they are 0-3 against the Wave in 2003-04. Following this week, San Diego hosts Monterrey on April 2 and travels to Kansas City on April 3 to finish their season. Paul Wright scored eight points last week to give him 46 on the season, good for ninth in the League. Defender Sean Bowers remains the top shot-blocker in the MISL with 86; he is also third on the team with 29 points. Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira is sixth in the League with a 4.96 GAA, third with 379 saves, and second with 1,731 minutes played.


2004 MISL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ON THE HORIZON...
A handful of questions have been answered but more remain as the 2004 MISL Championship Series draws near.

With a win over Dallas last Saturday, Central Division champ Milwaukee (23-9) guaranteed itself a first-round bye. The Wave will host a second-round match on Friday, April 16, at 7:35 p.m. Central. Defending Champion Baltimore, already assured of a post season spot, holds a magic number of one to clinch the Eastern Division title and a free pass to the second round. The Blast (23-10) could achieve that goal with a win in Philadelphia this Saturday. A win for the KiXX in that game would keep their division title hopes alive for the moment. Philadelphia has already wrapped up at least the top wild card seed.

Dallas (19-14) has already clinched the Western Division title and are locked in as the third seed. The Sidekicks will host their first-round contest against the sixth seed on Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. Central.

Four teams – Kansas City (15-19), Cleveland (14-19), St. Louis (13-18), and San Diego (13-20) – are engaged in a gripping race for the final two post season seeds. Entering the week, the Comets are still clinging to the fifth spot, but two straight losses have caused their lead over Cleveland and St. Louis to a half-game. With two wins last week, Cleveland's position improved immensely, and the Force hosts St. Louis in a pivotal match this Sunday. But after that, it only gets more difficult for Cleveland, with road games against Baltimore and Philadelphia to close out the season. The Force is a combined 1-9 against those teams this year. San Diego, meanwhile, must win its final three games and hope for some help.

The battle between Milwaukee and Baltimore for the top overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the post seasons could come down to the season's final weekend, when the Wave and Blast meet in Baltimore on Saturday, April 3, at 7:35 p.m. Eastern. Milwaukee holds a 2-1 edge in the season series between the clubs, and has outscored the Blast 20-17.

Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 24, 2004

• Conflict cacels Wave broadcast - Milwaukee Wave
• MISL weekly - MISL 2
• Sidekicks (19-14) at Philadelphia Sun - Dallas Sidekicks
• Wave splits pair with Dallas - Milwaukee Wave

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