Philadelphia Falls Short to the Storm, 6-5

Published on February 25, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release


Chicago, IL – The Philadelphia KiXX (16-12) dropped their fourth consecutive decision with a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Storm (13-13) in front 3,721 fans at the UIC Pavilion. The meeting was the last between the two clubs in the regular season, with each team claiming two victories. The four-game dip ties the team's longest losing streak of the season; Philadelphia's 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Force on November 26 began a four-game losing streak that concluded with the team's 9-5 victory versus the Storm on December 12. Former KiXX midfielder Andy Guastaferro registered the game-winning goal on a pass from teammate Nino DaSilva at 5:51 of the fourth quarter. Peter Pappas (14-10) took the loss in net for Philadelphia with seven saves on 13 chances, while Danny Waltman (13-10) earned the victory for the Storm, turning away 13 of the 18 shots he faced.

KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra connected on the only score of the opening quarter, finishing a nice pass from Gloucester Township, NJ native Jeff Moore at 2:53 of the stanza. The 1-0 advantage marked the first time in three games that the club has led after one full period of play.

Kevin Sloan added to the club's lead, 2-0, with his team-leading 22nd goal of the season on a left-footed blast just inside the yellow line at 5:19 of the second quarter. Philadelphia native Pat Morris recorded the assist on the play, as the KiXX held the two-goal advantage entering the half.

The Storm bolted out of the gates with three unanswered goals in just over a minute span in the third period. Forward Mark Ughy started the scoring barrage off a Fred DeGand rebound at 3:20, followed by a score from Lazo Alavanja on a pass from Leo Pernia at 4:01. A mere 28 seconds later (4:29), former KiXX midfielder Andy Guastaferro concluded the three-goal offensive assault with a tally on an assist from Novica Marojevic. Just over five minutes later, defender Matthew Stewart extended the Storm advantage to two, 4-2, lofting a ball over the head of Pappas and into the back of the net at 9:46. Marojevic concluded the third quarter with Chicago's fifth unanswered goal to stretch the KiXX deficit to three, 5-2, entering the final period of action.

D'Ambra finally ended the bleeding with a power-play tally, his second of the night, on an assist from teammate Goran Vasic to pull Philadelphia back within two, 5-3, at 2:56 of the fourth stanza. The KiXX received the one-man advantage after Waltman was sent to the penalty box for a two-minute tripping infraction. Guastaferro and Chicago regained their three-goal lead, 6-3, with his second notch of the evening on a pass from Nino DaSilva at 5:51. KiXX rookie John Barry Nusum, in his first action after missing the club's previous five contests, nailed home a Vasic rebound to again pull the club within two, 6-4, at 11:34 of the period. Vasic then knocked-in a goal of his own to cut the team's deficit to one with only 23 seconds remaining in the contest, but Chicago held on to earn a 6-5 victory.

Notes: Former KiXX midfielder Andy Guastaferro has recorded five of his six goals this season versus Philadelphia. Philadelphia rookie John Barry Nusum returned to action tonight after missing the club's five previous contests. Tonight's contest marked the first time this season Chicago has come back to win after trailing at the half.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 25, 2005


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