Petras Weaves Classic Farm Show Finale

December 29, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Harrisburg Heat News Release


Harrisburg, PA - Doug Petras made sure the Farm Show Arena faithful went home with some fond memories on Sunday night: the 30-year old goalkeeper, playing the final home game of his career, collaborated with a stellar defensive effort to hold the Baltimore Blast to just two points in an 11-2 Heat victory. It was just the third time in Harrisburg Heat history that the team has held an opponent to two or fewer points; Joe Mallia was the first to accomplish the feat with a 13-0 shutout of the Wichita Wings on 1/24/93, and Petras was in net for a 6-2 Heat win over the Milwaukee Wave on 10/27/00.

The Heat used an unyielding defense and an opportunistic offense to build a 6-0 first-half lead. At the time, however, it was a 5-0 lead, because Genoni Martinez's power play goal at 3:20 of the second was originally ruled a two-pointer and was changed to a three-pointer at the half. The soon-to-be trey, combined with a long three-point restart bomb from Martinez at 14:12, made it 5-0 Heat at intermission.

Upon review, the first goal was changed to a triple as the teams took the field for the third quarter, and the Heat lead instantly became 6-0. Neither team scored in the third, and a storybook shutout for Petras' final game seemed a possibility as the fourth quarter opened.

But Baltimore's Giuliano Celenza, who had scored 7 goals in the first four games between these teams this year, ended those aspirations when he pounded a 2pg past Petras from the left wing at 1:16 of the fourth to make it 6-2. Petras and the Heat defense had stubbornly held the shutout for 46 minutes.

It wasn't until eight minutes later, at 9:23, that the Heat reclaimed a safe six-point edge, as David Bascome sprinted down the middle of the field on a 2-on-1 and fed Horacio Robledo (playing his first shift of the night) on the right wing. Robledo made no mistake, firing a 2pg past Blast keeper Brett Phillips (8 saves) to make it 8-2. The Blast went to sixth attacker Lee Tschantret shortly thereafter, but the Heat defense remained stiff, repelling opportunities until 14:01, when Heat rookie Kevin Burk forced a turnover outside his own yellow line, muscled the ball through the midfield, and skimmed a 3pg into the empty net for the final 11-2 score.

Harrisburg, now winners of three straight, ends the first half of its season at 9-9, just a half-game behind the second-place Cleveland Force in the MISL's Eastern Conference. Last-place Baltimore falls to 5-12.

NOTES: Doug Petras' final game in a Heat uniform will be this Tuesday, December 31 in Kansas City. The Heat faces the Comets at 7:05 p.m. EST...Martinez led all scorers with six points (2 3pgs) on the night...Baltimore was hit with 13 penalty minutes, the Heat only two.



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from December 29, 2002


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