Philadelphia drops two weekend contests; enters All-Star break at 16-10
February 23, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, February 23, 2004 â After dropping both decisions this past weekend, the Philadelphia KiXX (16-10) now enjoy a short break for the 2004 Major Indoor Soccer League (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 and forward Goran Vasic will represent the League's International team, while player/coach Don D'Ambra, defender Pat Morris and forward Joel Shanker will compete with the MISL USA squad. For the first time in League history, the starting lineups for each unit were determined by the fans via an online vote, which operated from February 6 to 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, February 22. The results will be announced at the MISL All-Star Welcome Reception, to be held at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, MO on Thursday, February 26 from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm ET. Other festivities planned for the three-day All-Star Weekend include the Spalding All-Star Youth Skills Competition, the MISL All-Stars Skills Challenge, the famous MISL Autograph Alley, and the Commissioner's Celebration of Excellence. The Weekend will culminate with the 2004 All-Star Game, followed by a Legends Game; featuring MISL Legends versus St. Louis Steamers Legends.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, February 23, Off-Day
Tuesday, February 24, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, February 25, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, February 26, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, February 27, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Sunday, February 29, 2004 MISL All-Star Game, The Family Arena, 2:05 pm
*all times are Eastern Standard and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Shawn Boney Foot Out
Matt Brooks Groin Questionable
Byron Carmichael Concussion Questionable
Peter Pappas Ankle Questionable
Goran Vasic Groin Questionable
Attendance Keeps Rising: The club's attendance is on the rise during the 2003-04 campaign ... through 12 home games this season, the KiXX have hosted an average 5,567 patrons each outing, including a season-high school day crowd of 10,153 fans versus the Cleveland Force on February 11 ... the average ranks the club third in the nine-team MISL in average attendance this season ... last season, the club averaged 3,468 fans through the first 12 home games of the 2002-03 season ... the 2,099 fans per contest difference equals an increase of 61% 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 5,905 clip in the final seven home outings.
KiXX by the Numbers: The Philadelphia KiXX offense has recorded 146 goals in 26 contests this season to post an average of 5.6 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 has allowed 125 goals for an average of 4.8 goals per contest, tying the squad third in the MISL with the San Diego Sockers and trailing Dallas and Milwaukee ... before allowing St. Louis (2/21) and Milwaukee (2/22) to each notch eight points in their two last outings, the club had held opponents under three goals (2.8) per game during their recent five-game winning streak ... the complete breakdown of the team's goals per game is listed below.
Goals per Game 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TOTAL
KiXX 32 41 32 40 1 146
Opponents 24 23 37 39 2 125
Plus/Minus with Man Advantage: The KiXX have both benefited and suffered from the power play this season ... the team currently sits fourth in the MISL on the one-man advantage situations, connecting on the power-play 44.4 percent (12-of-27) of the time ... Philadelphia's defense, however, has fallen victim to the power-play, turning away only 17-of-the-33 situations or 51.5 percent of the time they have defended the man advantage, ranking the club last in the nine-team League on the penalty-kill ... 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
26 12 27 3 44.4 26 16 17 33 0 51.5
Second-Half Woes Continue: The team has struggled in the second half of play in their last two outings, both of which equated as 8-3 losses ... the KiXX entered each halftime tied with their opponent, but were outscored 12-2 in the final two periods of action ... in St. Louis (2/21), the club allowed the Steamers to run away with the game with seven notches compared to two third-quarter tallies of their own ... the club then returned home to battle the Milwaukee Wave on February 22 ... after tying the game at 3-3 at the end of the second stanza, the Wave rattled off six unanswered goals in the second half to claim an 8-3 victory ... overall this season, Philadelphia has been outscored by their opponent 37-32 in the third quarter, marking the only period in which the team has failed to outscore their opponent ... thanks to six opponent goals this past weekend, the KiXX' advantage in the fourth has fallen to one, 40-39.
D'Ambra Holds Hot Foot: Philadelphia native Don D'Ambra continues to be red hot of late ... the player/coach registered one of the club's three goals in an 8-3 loss in St. Louis (2/21) and has recorded at least one point in eight of the team's last 11 contests ... the 31-year old forward registered three goals versus Baltimore (2/7), his second consecutive hat trick at home and 22nd in his career, then added another score versus Cleveland (2/11) ... the two-time all-star forward now sits second on the club (tied 17th MISL) with 32 points on 28 goals and four assists ... D'Ambra also ranks tied for first in the League with five-game winning goals and five first goals and tied for third in total goals with 28.
First Strike: The KiXX have launched out of the gates, recording the first goal in 15 of their 26 total contests this season ... the team has shown the benefits from connecting first, posting an 11-4 record in those games ... player/coach Don D'Ambra leads the club and is tied for first in the MISL with five first goals this season ... when the opposition notches the first score, Philadelphia posts a 5-6 mark.
Among the Best: Despite taking an 8-3 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Wave on February 22, goalkeeper Peter Pappas is back among the League leaders in nearly every goalkeeper category ... the native of Toronto, Ontario currently ranks first in the nine-team League with 335 saves and a .776 save percentage, second in wins (15), third in goals against average (4.46) and fourth with 1318 minutes played ... the loss to Milwaukee snapped Pappas' five-game winning streak and marked the first time the Philadelphia University product allowed an opponent to tally four or more goals in his last six outings.
Road to Victory: Despite dropping an 8-3 decision in St. Louis on February 21, the KiXX now own an 8-6 record when playing away from home this season ... that road mark is one of only three over .500 in the nine-team League in the 2003-04 campaign ... the Wave holds the MISL's best road record at 8-5, with the Baltimore Blast edging closer to the break-even mark at 7-6 ... with only five road dates remaining, the club is guaranteed to at least match their 8-10 road mark from last season.
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 173 of the team's 190 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 91 consecutive games played streak.
Last Time Out: Steamers 8, KiXX 3 (2/21): Philadelphia watched their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt end, as the St. Louis Steamers (10-15) used a four-goal performance in the third quarter to defeat the KiXX by a score of 8-3 at The Family Arena on February 21. After 26 minutes of scoreless action, Steamers newcomer Franck M'Bemba notched a tally at 11:50 of the second quarter to give St. Louis a 1-0 advantage. Less than two minutes later (13:13), KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra knotted the score at 1-1 on a feed from forward Goran Vasic. The 1-1 tie held after two full periods of play. Steve Butcher connected with Sipho Sibiya to regain the one-point, 2-1, St. Louis lead at 4:28 of the third period, but Pat Morris and Matt Brooks responded with pair of goals to give the KiXX a 3-2 lead. Morris notched his goal at 5:47 on a dish from Vasic, his second dime of the game, while Brooks recorded an unassisted tally at 6:47. The Steamers ended the scoring with six unanswered goals to earn an 8-3 victory and snap the KiXX' five-game winning streak. Stuart Dobson (1-3) took the loss between the posts for Philadelphia, turning away 11 of the 18 shots he faced, while Brett Phillips earned the victory for the Steamers, stopping 22 of 25 chances. In their three meetings this season, Philadelphia has been outscored by the Steamers, 11-5, in the third quarter of play, including a 6-0 shutout at the Wachovia Spectrum on January 3.
Wave 8, KiXX 3 (2/22): Greg Howes and Leighton O'Brien gave the Wave an early 2-0 advantage, but KiXX captain Kevin Sloan quickly responded to cut the lead to one, 2-1 late in the first quarter of play. After O'Brien connected with Guiliano Oliviero for his second notch of the day to extend the club's deficit to two, 3-1, Philadelphia rattled off two unanswered goals to knot the score at 3-3 after two full periods of play. Any Guastaferro converted a pass across the box from Drew Kopp at 13:26, before defender Jeremy Aldrich placed a Mauricio Vincello pass into the top corner of the net a mere 22 seconds later. After the break, Philadelphia's second half-struggles continued, allowing five unanswered goals in the final two periods. Todd Dusosky took a long pass from Wave defender Chris Morman and found Howes, who notched his second tally of the contest at 2:21 into the quarter. The tally proved to be the game winner. Less than four minutes later (5:48), O'Brien connected with Oliviero for the second time of the game to complete his hat-trick. Howes completed his own hat trick after stealing the ball from KiXX defender Tony McPeak and blasting a shot into the open net at 9:36 of the stanza. In the fourth, Oliviero connected with Wave captain Michael King at 4:56, followed by Howes fourth notch of the contest at 10:26. Peter Pappas (15-6) took the loss in the net for Philadelphia, stopping nine of the 16 shots he faced, while Dan Green (10-3) earned the victory for the Wave, turning away seven of 10 chances. The KiXX have been outscored 7-2 in the third quarter over their last two games and 11-2 overall in the second half of play.
KiXX on the MISL Leaderboard (as of 2/23):
#10 Goran Vasic
2nd MISL with 29 assists
Tied 8th MISL with 39 points
#11 Don D'Ambra
Tied 1st MISL with five game-winning goals and five first goals
Tied 3rd MISL with 28 total goals
Tied 17th MISL with 31 points
#17 Pat Morris
2nd MISL with 58 blocks
#22 Peter Pappas
1st MISL with 335 saves and a .774 save percentage
2nd MISL with 15 victories and
3rd MISL with a 4.46 goals against average
4th MISL with 1318 minutes played
#37 Kevin Sloan
Tied 1st MISL with two sixth-attacker goals
Future Games: After the 2004 MISL All-Star Game, the club resumes action with a trip to the 1st Mariner Arena to battle the Baltimore Blast on Friday, March 5. Game-time is slated for 7:35 pm ET. The KiXX then return to the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday, March 7 to entertain the San Diego Sockers at the Wachovia Spectrum. The contest is scheduled to kick-off at 1:05 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.
The Philadelphia KiXX are a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League, a single-entity organization that features a coast-to-coast presence across the United States. The club is entering its eighth season of play in the Wachovia Spectrum located in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please contact David Deal, KiXX Director of Communications, in the office at (215) 952-5431 or via cell at (267) 688-4127. The Communications Department can also be reached via email, at ddeal@kixxonline.com.
KiXX RECORD:
Overall: 16-10
Home: 8-4
Road: 8-6
vs. Eastern Division Opponents: 7-1
vs. Central Division Opponents: 4-5
vs. Western Division Opponents: 5-4
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
2/21 @ St. Louis Steamers â L, 8-3
2/22 vs. Milwaukee Wave â L, 8-3
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
2/29 MISL All-Star Game â 2:05 pm ET
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 23, 2004
- Comets weekly - Kansas City Comets
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- Philadelphia drops two weekend contests; enters All-Star break at 16-10 - Philadelphia KiXX
- MISL Amateur Draft on Tap for February 27 - MISL 2
- Billy Nelson named MISL Defender of the Week - Baltimore Blast
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
- MasterCard All-Star Community Day visits February 27 - St. Louis Steamers
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