Philadelphia defeats League leaders, Baltimore and Milwaukee; rides win streak to four
Published on February 9, 2004 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, February 9, 2004 â The Philadelphia KiXX (15-8) return to action this Wednesday, February 11 to entertain their Eastern Division foe, the Cleveland Force, in the club's Ninth Annual School Day Game. The day proves to be an educational field trip designed for schools to enjoy an exciting, fast-paced soccer game, while participating in the club's "Goals for Success" educational program. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is slated for 10:35 am ET with the action available live via webcast at www.pennlive.com.wmss.
The club, fresh off a two-game sweep with victories over League leaders, the Baltimore Blast (2/7) and the Milwaukee Wave (2/8), now trail the Blast by two full games for the top spot in the Eastern Division.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, February 9, Off Day
Tuesday, February 10, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, February 11, KiXX v. Cleveland Force, Wachovia Spectrum, 10:35 am ET
Thursday, February 12, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, February 13, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
*all times are Eastern Standard and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Shawn Boney Foot Out
KiXX vs. Force
2003-2004: 3-0 Home: 1-0 Away: 2-0
Overall: 26-15 (home 18-3, away 8-12)
Philadelphia claimed the first three meetings, 7-4, on November 8, thanks to caotain Kevin Sloan's three-point performance, followed by a 4-2 victory in Cleveland on December 27 with a pair of goals from forward Shawn Boney, and finally a 7-3 win at the Convo on January 31. KiXX forward Joel Shanker paced the club in the most recent meeting with three points (two goals, assist), while defender Pat Morris chipped in with a pair of goals for two points. Former Philadelphia player/coach Omid Namazi made his Force debut versus the KiXX on December 27; Cleveland had previously acquired the rights to Namazi in exchange for the playing rights to Steve Klein. Last season, the Force claimed the season series versus Philadelphia, earning victories in four of the club's six overall meetings and sweeping all three outings at the Convocation Center at CSU. The KiXX, however, took the upper hand in the meetings in the City of Brotherly Love, two-games-to-one. Overall, the clubs have squared-off a total of 39 times since their first meeting on January 4, 1997. Philadelphia holds a 26-15 advantage against the Force including an impressive 18-3 mark at home. The KiXX are now 8-12 in games held in Cleveland, including 2-0 at the Convo this season. The squads are an even 2-2 when meeting in post-season play. Wednesday's contest is the fourth of the six meetings in the 2003-04 campaign and can be heard live via webcast at www.pennlive.com/wmss.
Attendance Keeps Rising: The club's attendance is on the rise in the 2003-04 campaign ... through 11 home games this season, the KiXX have hosted an average 5,189 patrons each outing, including a season-high 7,142 fans versus Baltimore in their last home contest on February 7 ... last season, the club averaged 3,477 fans through the first 11 home games of the 2002-03 season ... the 1,712 fans per contest difference equals an increase of 49% this season ... if prior years can be an indicator for the final stretch, the club should enjoy better numbers in the second half this season ... the team finished last season with an average of 4,458 fans per game, thanks to a 5,349 clip in the final nine home outings.
KiXX by the Numbers: The Philadelphia KiXX offense has recorded 135 goals in 23 contests this season to post an average of 5.9 goals scored per game ... the average ranks the club fifth in the nine-team League, trailing the Milwaukee Wave, Kansas City Comets, Baltimore Blast and the Dallas Sidekicks ... the team's defense, fresh-off a two-game sweep over League leaders, the Baltimore Blast and the Milwaukee Wave, has allowed 106 goals for an average of 4.6 goals per contest, tying the squad second in the MISL with Dallas ... the complete breakdown of the team's goals per game is listed below.
Goals per Game 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TOTAL
KiXX 30 38 28 38 1 135
Opponents 21 21 29 33 2 106
Plus/Minus with Man Advantage: The KiXX have both benefited and suffered from the power play this season ... the team currently sits third in the MISL on the one-man advantage situations, connecting on the power-play 45.8 percent (11-of-24) of the time ... Philadelphia's defense, however, has fallen victim to the power-play, turning away only 14-of-the-30 situations or 53.3 percent of the time they have defended the man advantage ... the team's penalty-killing unit now ranks seventh in the League after allowing only one goal in four opportunities this past weekend ... the complete breakdown of the team's power-play percentages are as follows:
KiXX Power Play: KiXX Penalty Kill:
GP PPG OPP SHGA PCT GP PPG SAVES OPP SHG PCT
23 11 24 3 45.8 23 14 16 30 0 53.3
Morris, Pappas Earn MISL Weekly Honors: The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced today that Philadelphia KiXX defender Pat Morris and goalkeeper Peter Pappas have been honored with Player of the Week accolades for the seven-day period ending February 8 ... Morris was named the League's Defensive Player of the Week, his third weekly nod of the season, while Pappas was honored as the MISL Goalkeeper of the Week for the second consecutive week and a League-high fifth time in 2003-04 ... Morris recorded a team-high nine blocks in the club's two victories this past weekend, while pacing the offense with five points on one goal and four assists ... Pappas posted a perfect 2-0 weekend, turning away 46 of the 53 shots he faced in two contests, lowering his goals against average to 4.38 (3rd MISL) and his save percentage to a League-best .776.
D'Ambra Holds Hot Foot: Philadelphia native Don D'Ambra continues to be red hot of late ... the player/coach registered three goals versus Baltimore (2/7), his second consecutive hat trick at home and 22nd in his career ... he has now recorded 13 of the club's 37 total goals in the last seven games ... D'Ambra played a role in each of the club's six goals versus Monterrey (1/24), but despite his career-night the KiXX fell 7-6 ... the 32-year old forward connected on four goals and two assists for six points to set his best outing as member of the KiXX franchise ... the two-time all-star forward now sits tied for second on the club (tied 13th MISL) with 30 points on 26 goals and four assists.
Road to Victory: After posting a 5-4 victory in Milwaukee on February 8, the KiXX now post an 8-5 record when playing away from home this season ... that road mark is one of only three in the nine-team League this over .500 in the 2003-04 campaign ... the Milwaukee Wave holds the MISL's best road record at 8-4, with the defending champion Baltimore Blast close behind at 7-5 ... with only five road games remaining this season, the club is guaranteed to at least match their 8-10 road mark last season.
KiXX Send Five to All-Star Classic: The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced last Wednesday, February 4 that five members of the Philadelphia KiXX have been selected to the 2004 MISL All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, February 29 at the Family Arena, home of the St. Louis Steamers, in St. Charles, MO ... goalkeeper Peter Pappas (7th selection) and forward Goran Vasic (1st appearance) will represent the League's International team, while player/coach Don D'Ambra (2nd), defender Pat Morris (3rd) and forward Joel Shanker (3rd) will compete with the MISL USA squad ... for the first time in League history, the starting lineups for each squad will now be determined by the fans via an online vote on the MISL's official website, www.misl.net ... the online voting kicked-off on February 6 and will conclude at 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, February 22 ... the results will then be announced on Thursday, February 26, at the MISL All-Star Welcome Reception, to be held at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, MO, from 6:30 â 9:00 pm ET.
Club Inks Midfielder for 2003-04: Philadelphia KiXX Executive Vice President/General Manager Greg Bibb announced on February 3, the team has agreed to terms with midfielder David DiPlacido for the remainder of the 2003-04 campaign ... the midfielder has competed with the Toronto Lynx of the outdoor A-League for the past six seasons ... the 26-year old currently ranks among the franchise's all-time leaders in games played (141), minutes played (8,489), shots (70) and fouls (151) ... DiPlacido was awarded the Lynx Public Relations Appreciation Award for his rookie season in 1998, the Lynx Fan Favorite Award in 2001 and an A-League Team of the Week selection in 2000 and 2002 ... the native of Toronto, Ontario was also featured on both the U-16 and U-17 Canadian National Teams ... DiPlacido make his professional indoor debut versus Baltimore on February 7, then recorded his first block in Milwaukee on February 8.
Next Iron Man: Philadelphia native Pat Morris has become a permanent fixture for the KiXX backline and is truly becoming the franchise's iron man ... the five-year veteran defender has appeared in 170 of the team's 187 total contests since he first stepped onto the floor as a rookie in the 1999-00 season ... Morris did not miss a single game in both the 2000-01 and the 2002-03 campaigns and is currently in the midst of an 88 consecutive games played streak.
Last Time Out: KiXX 5, Wave 4 (2/8): The KiXX defeated the League-leading Milwaukee Wave at the U.S. Cellular Arena on February 8 to improve to 2-13 when playing on the road versus Milwaukee in franchise history. The team's captains, Milwaukee's Michael King and Kevin Sloan for the KiXX, exchanged goals to knot the score at 1-1 after the open quarter. Philadelphia midfielder Andy Guastaferro and three-time all-star Joel Shanker sandwiched a tally from MISL points leader Greg Howes to give Philadelphia a 3-2 advantage after one full half of action. The Wave's Leighton O'Brien tied the score at 3-3 with a notch at 7:55 of the third quarter, but Shanker quickly responded with his second score of the contest less than a minute later (8:46) to secure the Philadelphia one-point lead, 4-3, entering the final period of play. KiXX defender Drew Kopp gave the team its largest lead of the day, 5-3, with his third goal of the weekend, at 12:10 of the fourth quarter, which proved to be the game winner. Howes rounded out the scoring, connecting with teammate Todd Dusosky to cut the lead to one, 5-4, but Philadelphia held on to earn the victory. Peter Pappas (14-6) earned the win in net for the KiXX, turning away 22 of the 26 shots he faced, while Dan Green (10-3) took the loss for Milwaukee, stopping six of 10 chances. With the victory, the club has now won four consecutive decisions, dating back to a 5-4 victory in Monterrey on January 29.
KiXX 9, Blast 3 (2/7): Philadelphia jumped to an early 6-1 lead at the half and never look back, as the club defeated the defending Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Champion Baltimore Blast in front of 7,142 fans at the Wachovia Spectrum on February 7. Defender Pat Morris started the KiXX' 6-0 run with a restart goal from teammate Goran Vasic in the first quarter. Player/coach Don D'Ambra tallied the next two scores for Philadelphia and finished with three goals for the night, his second consecutive hat trick at home and 22nd in his career. Captain Kevin Sloan, in his first action after missing the previous five contests, notched a tally to extend the club's advantage to four, 4-0, before defender Tony McPeak ricocheted a shot off the boards and over Scott Hileman for his first goal of the season. Blast forward David Bascome connected with former KiXX forward Chris Handsor with only one second remaining in the half to end Baltimore's scoreless drought and enter the second half trailing five, 6-1. Rich Daughtridge knocked the Blast within four, 6-2, but Philadelphia quickly responded with three unanswered goals to extend the lead to 9-3 late in the fourth quarter; KiXX defender Drew Kopp recorded a pair of breakaway goals (season-high two points) and forward Joel Shanker tallied an empty netter versus the sixth-attacker. Lee Tschantret tallied a goal at 14:34 from Farias, but Philadelphia held on to earn a 9-3 victory over the defending champs. Midfielder David DiPlacido made his professional indoor debut tonight. Peter Pappas (13-6) earned the victory in net for Philadelphia, turning away 24 of the 27 shots he faced, while Hileman (17-6) took the loss for Baltimore, stopping 17 of 22 chances.
KiXX on the MISL Leaderboard (as of 2/9):
#9 Joel Shanker
Tied 13th MISL with 30 points
#10 Goran Vasic
2nd MISL with 26 assists
Tied 7th MISL with 36 points
#11 Don D'Ambra
1st MISL with five game-winning goals
3rd MISL with 26 total goals
Tied 13th MISL with 30 points
#17 Pat Morris
2nd MISL with 55 blocks
#22 Peter Pappas
1st MISL with a .776 save percentage and 304 saves
3rd MISL with 12 victories
3rd MISL with a 4.38 goals against average
4th MISL with 1204 minutes
Future Games: The club enjoys a 10-day break before retuning to action for their seventh set of back-to-back games this season. The team kicks-off the series with a visit to the Family Arena to battle the St. Louis Steamers on Saturday, February 21. The contest is slated for an 8:05 pm ET start time. The KiXX then welcome the League-leading Milwaukee Wave to the Wachovia Spectrum on February 8. Game-time is slated to kick-off at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen via tape delay on CN8 at 2:00 pm ET. For more information or to purchase tickets for any remaining KiXX home contest, contact the club's Executive Office at 1-888-888-KiXX (5499) or log onto the team's official website, www.kixxonline.com.
KiXX RECORD:
Overall: 15-8
Home: 7-3
Road: 8-5
vs. Eastern Division Opponents: 6-1
vs. Central Division Opponents: 4-3
vs. Western Division Opponents: 5-4
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
2/7 vs. Baltimore Blast â W, 9-3
2/8 @ Milwaukee Wave â W, 5-4
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
2/11 vs. Cleveland Force â 10:35 am ET
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 9, 2004
- Steamers host Monterrey Feb. 12 in 10:35 a.m. "School-Day" matchup - St. Louis Steamers
- MISL-leading Wave look to regroup after back-to-back home losses - Milwaukee Wave
- Philadelphia defeats League leaders, Baltimore and Milwaukee; rides win streak to four - Philadelphia KiXX
- Keith Tozer and Tatu to coach 2004 MISL All-Star teams - MISL 2
- Morris, Pappas Earn MISL Weekly Honors - Philadelphia KiXX
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
