Philadelphia closes out 2004-05 regular season in Kansas City on April 23
Published on April 18, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, April 18, 2005 â The Philadelphia KiXX head west to conclude the 2004-2005 regular season versus the Kansas City Comets on Saturday, April 23. Game-time at Kemper Arena is scheduled for 8:35 pm ET. The KiXX dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Kansas City in the team's regular-season home finale on April 16.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, April 18, Off Day
Tuesday, April 19, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, April 20, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, April 21, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, April 22, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, April 23, KiXX @ Kansas City Comets, Kemper Arena, 8:35 pm
Sunday, April 24, Off Day
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Edgar Bartolomeu Ankle Out
Shawn Boney Foot Probable
Joel Shanker Hamstring Probable
KiXX vs. Comets
2004-05 Series: 3-2 (home 1-1, away 2-1) Overall: 16-16 (home 8-7, away 8-9)
The Philadelphia KiXX and the Kansas City Comets rang in the New Year with the first of six meetings between the two clubs on Saturday, January 1... the KiXX left Kemper Arena with a 7-5 victory, thanks to four-point effort from seven-year veteran Goran Vasic ... newcomer John Barry Nusum also chipped in with three points ... Philadelphia then edged past the Comets, 4-3, at the Wachovia Spectrum on January 8 ... Ze Roberto led all scorers with a pair of goals ... the two teams were originally scheduled to square-off only four times this season, but a pair of road dates (February 9 and 19) were added after San Diego and Monterrey ceased operations ... the KiXX snuck past Kansas City, 7-6, on February 9, but were held scoreless, 4-0,on February 19 ... the shutout marked just the second time the club was held scoreless in a regular-season match in franchise history ... the Comets then edged Philadelphia, 3-2 in overtime, in the KiXX 2004-05 home finale on April 16 ... the two teams will square-off for the final time of 2004-05 in the regular-season finale on April 23 ... Philadelphia had their postseason ended abruptly last season when the visiting Comets defeated the KiXX, 8-5, in the MISL Quarterfinal match at the Wachovia Spectrum on April 10, 2004 ... player/coach Don D'Ambra registered four of the club's five goals in the contest ... former Kansas City defender Jeff Davis led Kansas City with three points on a pair of goals and one assist, while stabilizing the team's defense with three blocks ... the Comets claimed the season series in 2003-04, three-games-to-one, including a two-game sweep in the City of Brotherly Love.
Home Finale: The KiXX concluded their 20-game home schedule with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Kansas City Comets on April 16 ... with the loss, the club concluded the 2004-05 regular-season home slate with a 12-8 record ... the mark ranks third for team's with the best winning percentage on their home turf ... the League-leading Milwaukee Wave sit atop the MISL with a 13-6 record at home, while the expansion Chicago Storm ranks second with a 12-7 mark ... the KiXX have also outscored their opponents, 104-93, at home, compared to the 103-100 difference on the road ... Philadelphia concluded last season's home slate with an 11-7 mark.
Setting the Tone: The Philadelphia KiXX not only rank second in the MISL standings, but the club also features the top-rated power-play unit and the League's second best penalty-killing squad ... Philadelphia has netted 25 power-play goals on 47 opportunities for a 53.2 success rate, while turning away 32 of the 50 man-down situations they have faced for a 64.0 kill rate ... the team also posts the second-best defense in the seven-team League, holding their opponents to a mere 5.1 goals per game ... in contrast, the KiXX offense sits in a fifth-place tie with 5.4 goals per game.
Hunt for the Playoffs: With the Chicago Storm dropping a 7-5 decision to the St. Louis Steamers on April 3 and the Kansas City Comets falling to the Cleveland Force on April 7, both the League-leading Milwaukee Wave and the Philadelphia KiXX clinched a berth in the 2005 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Playoffs ... the Cleveland Force, courtesy of a 7-2 victory in Chicago on April 15 also clinched a playoff spot leaving one final berth remaining ... Philadelphia, which secured at least the number three seed magic number after the Steamers fell to Milwaukee on April 16, holds a magic number of two to enter postseason play with the number two seed ... any combination of KiXX wins/Cleveland Force losses equaling two would clinch the number two seed ... the KiXX have now qualified for postseason play in each of their nine years of existence ... as of today, the two-time defending MISL Champion Baltimore Blast and the Kansas City Comets are both eliminated from postseason play.
Shut Down: The Philadelphia KiXX dropped a 4-0 decision to the Kansas City Comets on February 19, marking only the second time the team was held scoreless in a regular-season contest in franchise history ... the other occasion occurred versus the Dallas Sidekicks at Reunion Arena on January 25, 2004 ... the club was also held without a point versus the Cleveland Crunch (now known as the Force) on April 24, 1999 in the second contest of a three-game series for the 1999 conference championship ... vice versa, the team has shutout their opponent three times with Peter Pappas in net for each occasion.
Big Man Returns: KiXX forward Shawn Boney, sidelined for 23 consecutive outings after breaking his left foot in late December, returned to action in the club's regular-season home finale versus the Kansas City Comets on April 16 ... the native of Trinidad appeared in a limited role for the KiXX, playing the majority of his time in the first half ... before sustaining the injury, the 33-year-old product of Southern Connecticut State University registered eight points on six goals and a pair of assists in only 10 appearances ... Boney also missed 19 games last season with a similar injury to his right foot, but managed to finish with 18 points (14 goals, four assists) in 17 games played.
Among the League Leaders: Philadelphia is well represented on the MISL Leaderboard this season ... rookie forward John Barry Nusum and player/coach Don D'Ambra each ranked tied for seventh on the circuit with 44 points, while player/assistant coach Kevin Sloan and Philadelphia native Pat Morris trail close behind in a 10th place tie with 42 ... forward Goran Vasic rounds out the KiXX members on the MISL Leaderboard at tied for 14th with 41 points ... the native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, also sits atop the League leaders in assists with 30 dimes, and Morris ranks first in blocks with 92 ... not to be outdone, seven-time all-star goalkeeper Peter Pappas ranks second among the MISL leaders in nearly goalkeeping category including wins (18), minutes (2,028), saves (439), goals against average (4.41), and save percentage (.747).
Overtime: The KiXX were forced to the extra stanza for the eighth time this season versus the Kansas City Comets on April 16 ... the club, which dropped the decision, 3-2, fell to 3-5 in overtime ... Philadelphia defeated the Cleveland Force in three overtime sessions (1/9, 2/5, 2/26), but fell to every other club when forced to the extra stanza this season ... in addition to the loss to the Comets, the team also dropped a pair of overtime decisions to the St. Louis Steamers on December 5 and January 29 and one outing versus the Baltimore Blast on April 3.
Last Week's Outing(s):
Comets 3, KiXX 2 OT (4/16): Philadelphia concluded their 2004-05 regular-season home schedule with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Kansas City Comets. KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra notched the only score of the opening quarter, as he slid past the Kansas City defense and blasted the goal into the top left corner at 13:12 of the period. The tally was the 30th of the season for the Philadelphia native, the most among all KiXX scorers. Comets midfielder Casey Stevens pulled the teams back even, 1-1, connecting on a pass from teammate Nino Marcantonio that deflected over Pappas and into the back of the net at 2:22 of the second stanza. After a scoreless third quarter, Philadelphia native Pat Morris found the back of the net for a restart goal on a nice pass from forward Goran Vasic at 3:51 of the fourth stanza. Comets leading-scorer Dino Delveski knotted the score back even, 2-2, registering a tally on a feed from Casey Barton at 9:03 of the period. With only eight seconds remaining in regulation, Morris and KiXX forward Gary Brooks each received a two-minute penalty, giving Kansas City a five-to-three advantage. The Comets capitalized on the opportunity, as Beasley knocked in a pass from Miodrag Djerisilo at 1:31 of the extra stanza. Forward Shawn Boney returned to action tonight after missing the club's previous 23 contests with a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot. The loss dropped the club's home record to 12-8 this season.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 18, 2005
- Milwaukee Wave Weekly - Milwaukee Wave
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
- Force forward earns first MISL weekly honor - Cleveland Force
- Philadelphia closes out 2004-05 regular season in Kansas City on April 23 - Philadelphia KiXX
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