Philadelphia concludes regular-season home schedule versus the Comets this Saturday, Apr. 16
Published on April 11, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, April 11, 2005 â The Philadelphia KiXX, fresh off a two-game split in a home-and-home series versus the League-leading Milwaukee Wave, conclude their 2004-05 regular-season home schedule with a visit from the Kansas City Comets on Saturday, April 16. The night, dubbed "Fan Appreciation Night" rewards loyal fans with special giveaways and promotions throughout the contest, as well as a post-game live auction of the KiXX game-worn uniforms, benefiting Children's Miracle Network. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET with all the action slated to televise live on CN8, The Comcast Network.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, April 11, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Tuesday, April 12, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, April 13, Off Day
Thursday, April 14, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, April 15, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, April 16, KiXX vs. Kansas City Comets, Wachovia Spectrum, 7:05 pm
Sunday, April 17, Off Day
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Edgar Bartolomeu Ankle Out
Shawn Boney Foot Doubtful
KiXX vs. Comets
2004-05 Series: 3-1 (home 1-0, away 2-1) Overall: 16-15 (home 8-6, 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, in the most recent meeting on February 19 ... the shutout marked just the second time the club was held scoreless in a regular-season match in franchise history ... the two teams will square-off for the final time of 2004-05 in the KiXX' 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 ... veteran 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.
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 31 of the 48 man-down situations they have faced for a 64.6 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 third-place tie with at 5.5 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 KiXX have now qualified for postseason play in each of their nine years of existence ... the final two postseason spots are still up for grabs with the remaining five teams all still mathematically alive and separated by only four and one-half games.
Individual Accolades: For the third consecutive week, the MISL announced that a KiXX player has received a weekly accolade ... netminder Peter Pappas received the latest honor, as the MISL announced today that the nine-year veteran ahs been named the League's Goalkeeper of the Week for the seven-day period ending April 10 ... the accolade is his fifth of 2004-05, the highest among all MISL backstops ... listed below are the KiXX members and the weekly accolades they received this season:
Player Weekly Accolade
Don D'Ambra Offensive POW for seven-day periods ending January 30, February 13
Drew Kopp Defensive POW for the seven-day period ending March 27
Pat Morris Defensive POW for seven-day periods ending Oct. 24, Nov. 7, Dec. 12, Dec. 19, Jan. 30, Apr. 3
John Barry Nusum Offensive POW for seven-day period ending November 7
Peter Pappas Goalkeeper of the Week for the seven-day periods ending Nov. 22, Dec. 19, Jan. 10, Jan. 31, Apr. 10
Among the League Leaders: Philadelphia is well represented on the MISL Leaderboard this season ... rookie forward John Barry Nusum ranks seventh on the circuit with 44 points, while player/coach Don D'Ambra is hot on his heels at tied for eighth with 43 ... veteran midfielder and player/assistant coach Kevin Sloan is a 10th place tie with 42 points and Philadelphia native Pat Morris is ranked tied for 13th with 41 ... forward Goran Vasic rounds out the KiXX members on the MISL Leaderboard at tied for 15th with 40 points ... the native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia, also sits atop the League leaders in assists with 29 dimes, and Morris ranks first in blocks with 91 ... 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 (1,967), saves (424), goals against average (4.45), and save percentage (.744).
Unusual Occurences: KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas launched a full-field throw that found the back of the net for a score in Milwaukee on April 8 ... the tally marked only the second career goal in the nine-year veteran's illustrious career and the first for a goalkeeper in the 2004-05 campaign ... the native of Toronto, Ontario registered his first career goal on January 20, 2001 versus the Cleveland Crunch, now known as the Cleveland Force.
Television Broadcasts: The team's television package concludes with the club's regular-season home finale versus the Kansas City Comets at the Wachovia Spectrum on Saturday, April 16 ... the contest will broadcast live, beginning at 7:00 pm ET, on CN8, the Comcast Network ... CN8 Sports Anchor Lou Tilley provides the play-by-play, while Jimmy Harrison serves as color analyst ... Bob Lampinen joins the tandem as a sideline reporter ... overall, the team posts an 11-6 record when competing in a game that is televised on CN8, the Comcast Network, over the past three seasons ... the complete 2004-05 television schedule is as follows:
Date Opponent CN8 Broadcast Time*
Sun, November 14 Chicago Storm L, 4-7
Sat., December 18 Milwaukee Wave W, 6-3
Sat., January 8 Kansas City Comets W, 4-3
Sat., February 5 Cleveland Force W, 7-6 2OT
Sat., March 26 Cleveland Force W, 8-2
Sat., April 16 Kansas City Comets 7:00 pm
*all times eastern and subject to change
Last Week's Outing(s):
Wave, 6, KiXX 3 (4/9): Philadelphia dropped back to two games behind the Milwaukee Wave with a 6-3 loss to the League leaders on April 9. KiXX player/assistant coach Kevin Sloan connected on a long pass off the boards from all-star defender Pat Morris to give Philadelphia a 1-0 advantage just over the 10-minute mark (10:08) of the opening period. MISL points-leader Greg Howes evened the score, 1-1, with a tally from Guiliano Oliviero at 1:57 of the second quarter. Morris regained the team's one-goal lead, 2-1, finishing a dish from teammate Daniel Antoniuk for the final goal of the stanza at 13:30. The Wave notched the only goals of the third quarter to take a 3-2 advantage into the final period of play. Midfielder Matt Schmidt struck first on an assist from teammate Angel Rivillo at 9:47, followed by a score from Oliviero at 11:14; Ricardinho recorded the assist on the play. Milwaukee extended their advantage, 4-2, as Rivillo slid a pass from teammate Todd Dusosky past Pappas and into the back of the net just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter. Oliviero continued the Wave's offensive assault, 5-2, with his second tally of the evening on a centering pass from Dusosky at 5:58 of the stanza. With Morris serving as sixth attacker for Philadelphia, forward Pat White added an insurance goal, 6-2, on a dish from Michael King at 12:53. Sloan notched a power-play score from player/coach Don D'Ambra at 14:39, but Milwaukee held on to earn a 6-3 victory.
KiXX 6, Wave 3 (4/8): The KiXX pulled within one game of the top spot in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) standings with a 6-3 victory versus the League-leading Milwaukee Wave at the U.S. Cellular Arena on April 8. Philadelphia bolted to an early 1-0 lead, as forward Joel Shanker registered a tally from player/coach Don D'Ambra just 12 seconds into the opening period. Rookie defender Ptah Myers then notched his sixth goal of the season, third versus the Wave, with a shot just inside the far post at 2:37. Less than a minute later (3:19), Milwaukee's Michael King posted the Wave's first score of the evening on a feed from Greg Howes to cut the KiXX advantage to one, 2-1. After a scoreless second quarter, the Wave knotted the game at 2-2 when Marcelo Fontana recorded a goal on a pass from teammate Guiliano Oliviero at 5:43 of the third stanza. Johnny Torres then provided the Wave their first lead of the evening, 3-2, connecting on a feed from forward Ricardinho at 7:21 of the period. Philadelphia native Pat Morris blasted a shot from the yellow line past Vorberg and into the back of the net to retie the game, 3-3, at 12:23. D'Ambra regained the club's one-goal advantage, 4-3, knocking-in a header on a pass from defender Drew Kopp at the 11-minute, 22-mark of the fourth quarter. With Wave defender Lovelace Ackah serving as sixth attacker, Philadelphia added a pair of goals to earn a 6-3 victory over the League leaders. Pappas struck first with a full-field throw that found the back of the net at 12:31; the tally marked just the second time the Toronto native has registered a goal in his nine-year indoor career and only the second time the Wave has allowed a goalkeeper to score a goal in franchise history. Shanker then concluded the night's scoring with his second goal of the contest at 14:35.
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 11, 2005
- Philadelphia concludes regular-season home schedule versus the Comets this Saturday, Apr. 16 - Philadelphia KiXX
- Pappas Named MISL Goalkeeper of the Week - Philadelphia KiXX
- Force players earn first MISL weekly honors with franchise - Cleveland Force
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
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