MISL weekly

April 5, 2006 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

This Week: (All Times Local To Home Team) & Broadcast Information
- Baltimore At PHI, Sat. 7:05 ET (CN8-Comcast, wcbm.com).
- California Hosts MIL, Sun. 4 PT (www.milwaukeewave.com).
- Chicago At STL, Sat. 7:05 CT (kfns.com); Hosts PHI, Sun 4 CT (www.chicagostorm.net).
- Milwaukee At CAL, Sun. 4 PT (Joy-1340, milwaukeewave.com). Win or BAL loss, clinches second-place.
- Philadelphia Hosts rival BAL, Sun. 7:30 PT. (CN8-Comcast, wcbm.com)
- St. Louis Hosts CHI, Sat. 7:05 CT (Both - KFNS-590, kfns.com). Looking to go 14-1 at Savvis Center.

Last Week:
- Baltimore (W, L) Defeat STL for third time; OT goal stings in 4-3 at CHI on Sunday (4/1, 4/2).
- California (L) Battle back to tie, but ultimately lose in closing minutes to PHI, 7-5, at Stockton Arena (4/1).
- Chicago (W, W) GK Richey and Storm clinch postseason bid with two more home wins (3/31, 4/2).
- Milwaukee (L, L) Lopsided losses in CHI, 9-4, then in STL, 8-4, before nearly 9,000 fans (3/31, 4/1).
- Philadelphia (W, W) KiXX playing best soccer of their season, win at STL, 4-3, at CAL, 7-5 (3/30, 4/1).
- St. Louis (L, L, W) Doran Night at Savvis, Fifth Win over MIL, Reiniger's 600th goal (3/30, 3/31, 4/1).

What They Are Saying
> "It was emotional. (Daryl Doran) drafted me out of college. He said at halftime that it meant a lot to him that I scored on his night. He's an icon." - St. Louis forward Joe Reiniger, after scoring his 600th career professional indoor goal in the second quarter during "Daryl Doran Night" at Savvis Center on Saturday. (Post Dispatch, 4/2).
> "We played the best soccer we've played all season. Everybody played well. Jeff Richey made some key saves. We made a few mistakes. But that's going to happen." - Chicago head coach Frank Klopas, following the Storm's 9-4 win over rival Milwaukee at the UIC Pavilion on Friday. (ChicagoLandSoccerNews.com, 3/31).
> "(Head coach Danny Kelly) gives me confidence; he's letting me go. We're getting chances and also not letting (opponents) score." - Carlos Garcia after scoring two goals in Baltimore's 7-6 win over the first-place St. Louis Steamers on Friday before 7,856 fans at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore on Friday night. (The Sun, 4/1).

Baltimore Blast
baltimoreblast.com
Record: 17-12
Leading Scorer: Adauto Neto (36G, 21A)
Leading GK: Sagu (15-8, 4.89 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Danny Kelly, 1st Season (Interim)

Blast Notes - Final regular season game at rival Philadelphia on Saturday before returning to the MISL Championship Series for the first time since 2003-04. Won consecutive MISL Championships following the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
* Loyal fans drive an average crowd of 7,005.
* Remain the only team to have beaten both St. Louis (22-7) and Milwaukee (17-12) twice.
* Need a win and a Milwaukee loss at California to clinch second-place in the standings and postseason seeding. Will play Milwaukee in the postseason, regardless.
* Semifinal tickets on sale Fri. (410) 73-BLAST.

California Cougars
californiacougars.net
Record: 9-20 (Expansion Team)
Leading Scorer: John Ball (14G, 22A)
Leading GK: Jim Larkin (4-16, 6.44 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Troy Dayak, 1st Season

Cougars Notes - Expansion team looking to close out 2005-06 with a win at home over the defending MISL Champion Wave. California is 8-4 since starting 1-16. Have lost two-straight, however.
* On Tuesday goalkeeper Dominik Jakubek became the first MISL rookie this season to earn MISL Player of the Month recognition.
* Jakubek's status for Sunday remains undetermined (wrist, injured 3/24).
* John Ball, who leads the Cougars in points with 36, needs one goal for 200 in his career.
* Vicente "El Tigre" Figueroa has 25 goals in 25 games in his first season in the MISL.

Chicago Storm
chicagostorm.com
Record: 12-16
Leading Scorer: Matthew Stewart (17G, 13A)
Leading GK: Danny Waltman (7-14, 5.16 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Frank Klopas, 2nd Season

Storm Notes - Chicago clinched a postseason berth for the first time in club history, by delivering what Klopas called the team's best performance of the season on Friday in defeating the defending champion Milwaukee Wave 9-4, with seven different players scoring goals. Then on Sunday, the Storm beat the Baltimore 4-3 in overtime off of a Lazo Alavanja goal. Winners of three in a row.
* Storm is 10-4 at the UIC Pavilion where it hosts Philadelphia on Sunday.
* Saturday at St. Louis will be a preview of the MISL Championship Series Semifinal series. At Chicago Apr. 15, (312) 226-GOAL (tickets)

Milwaukee Wave
milwaukeewave.com
Record: 17-12 (Defending MISL Champions)
Leading Scorer: Greg Howes (37G, 33A)
Leading GK: Nick Vorberg (13-10, 5.02 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Keith Tozer, 14th season (22nd overall)

Wave Notes - On Sunday at Stockton Arena Milwaukee will have a chance to avenge a March loss at home to the Cougars, and avoid a fifth-consecutive loss, something that hasn't happened to the Wave since the 1994-95 season, coach Keith Tozer's third year with the long-standing club.
* Howes had nine goals, 11 assists in March.
* Have won 28 consecutive regular season games when allowing five goals or less.
* Marcelo Fontana has 10 goals in his last six games. The 10-year veteran has scored in six consecutive contests and nine of 10.
* Attendance increased 30 percent in 2005-06.
* Semifinal tickets on sale (414) 224-WAVE.

Philadelphia KiXX
kixxonline.com
Record: 9-19
Leading Scorer: Pat Morris (13G, 9A).
Leading GK: Peter Pappas (9-17, 5.46 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Don D'Ambra, 4th season

KiXX Notes - Finishing strong. Defeated California and St. Louis on the road last week, with standout efforts in goal by Peter Pappas, on defense by Pat Morris, and on offense where Dino Delevski scored his seventh goal in seven games (four assists) in netting his first game-winner for the KiXX, with 3:25 on the clock against California at Stockton Arena.
* Joshua Rife had the game-winner at STL on Thursday, the KiXX first defeat of the Steamers this season.
* Won most recent home game, 6-5, over Chicago (3/25) before 7,770 at the Wachovia Spectrum. Shawn Boney had the hat trick.
* Saturday's finale, televised by CN8-Comcast.

St. Louis Steamers
stlsteamers.com
Record: 22-7 (2006 Regular Season Champs)
Leading Scorers: Beasley (33G, 12A), Farias (13G, 32A)
Leading GK: Brett Phillips (19-4, 4.72 g.a.a.)
Head Coach: Omid Namazi, 1st season (6th overall)

Steamers Notes - Daryl Doran Night (April 1), brought together the St. Louis soccer community in a fitting tribute to one of the game's all-time legends. 8,795 fans at Savvis Center roared during a halftime ceremony that included the retiring of, and raising of Doran's #7 into the arena rafters.
* Joe Reiniger, also a St. Louis soccer standout for many years, scored his 600th career goal in the second quarter becoming the ninth player in the game's history to do so.
* In 29 games, seven have been decided by one goal, in those games Steamers are 4-3.
* Win over MIL on Sat, meant a 5-1 series win.
* Semis at Savvis (Apr. 22) (314) 241-GOAL.


GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK

Jeff Richey, GK, Chicago Storm, 6-1, 180

Jeff Richey has emerged as one of the Major Indoor Soccer League's hottest goalkeepers in recent weeks. After winning his second and third consecutive starts to help the Chicago Storm clinch its first berth in the MISL Championship Series, which begins later this month, the second-year Chicago goalkeeper was awarded his first MISL Goalkeeper of the Week honor on Monday. Richey improved to 5-2 this season in helping the Storm defeat Milwaukee and Baltimore - the two teams currently tied for second-place in the MISL standings - both at Chicago's UIC Pavilion. In stopping 13 of 17 shots in a convincing 9-4 defeat of the Wave on Friday, and another eight of 11 shots on goal in Chicago's 4-3 overtime win over the Blast on Sunday, Richey, a Fort Wayne, Ind. Native, had a remarkable weekend goals against average of 3.47, and an also impressive 75 percent weekend save percentage. For the season, Richey has started and played in seven games for Chicago (12-16), and has defeated each of Chicago's MISL opponents one time. His g.a.a. for the 2005-06 regular season is 4.15, and his save percentage is 74.3 in just over 418 minutes of play. Incredibly, Richey's goals against average is actually slightly better in his two losses (both to first-place St. Louis) at 4.07, than it is in his five wins (4.19). The 28-year-old was an All-American in high school and at Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne. The Storm acquired Richey's MISL rights from Milwaukee in 2004.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Lazo Alavanja, D, Chicago Storm, 6-0, 165

Lazo Alavanja becomes the first Major Indoor Soccer League player this season to win both the weekly offensive award (Jan. 16) and now the MISL Defensive Player of the Week honor after playing huge parts in Chicago's pair of weekend wins. Alavanja, who has settled in as a defender for the majority of the season, and was a 2006 MISL All-Star defender, contributed four blocks and was part of a Storm defense that held the MISL's most lethal scoring tandem - Milwaukee's Greg Howes and Todd Dusosky - scoreless, while adding a goal of his own in a 9-4 win for Chicago on Friday. Then on Sunday, after helping to hold Baltimore to just three goals in regulation, and contributing two more blocks, the three-time All-American at Indiana University scored his second game-winning overtime goal of the season, 59 seconds into the extra session for the win that clinched the first MISL Championship Series berth for Chicago. Like Richey, Alavanja has been with the Storm since 2004. In playing 27 of 28 games this season, the All-Star, who regularly plays on both the team's power play and penalty killing units, has 13 goals, eight assists, and 24 blocks for Chicago. Included in his goal total are two short-handed scores, three game-winners, and six restart goals. Prior to his joining the Storm, the 29-year-old, Crown Point, Ind. native and played four professional outdoor seasons with Dallas and D.C. United of Major League Soccer (MLS).

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dino Delevski, F, Philadelphia KiXX, 6-0, 170

Dino Delevski proved the offensive difference-maker as the Philadelphia KiXX went on the road and defeated St. Louis on Thursday (4-3) and California on Saturday (7-5) to earn their first consecutive victories of the season. Delevski, the Major Indoor Soccer League Most Valuable Player and Spalding Scoring Champion following the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with the Kansas City Comets, had his most productive week to date for Philadelphia since being signed in mid-February. The 29-year-old forward, native of Skopje, Macedonia, and All-American at Oklahoma City University, had one goal and one assist to lead the KiXX with two points on Thursday when Philadelphia handed the first-place St. Louis Steamers their first loss in 13 games at Savvis Center. It was also Philadelphia's first win over the Steamers this season. On Saturday night at Stockton Arena, Delevski's pair of second half scores, including the game-winner, which broke a 5-5 tie with 3:25 left in regulation in a 7-5 win, allowed the KiXX to take the season series from the Cougars, 4-2. Delevski has three multi-point games in a row, and has increased his season totals to seven goals and four assists in seven games. In his seven-year career, Delevski is a five-time All-League selection, and a four-time All-Star. The high-scoring forward has totaled 288 goals, 128 assists, in 195 regular season games.

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