Philadelphia hosts defending champion Baltimore Blast on March 19
March 14, 2005 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, March 14, 2005 â The Philadelphia KiXX, fresh off a weekend free of games, returns to action on Saturday, March 19 to entertain the two-time defending Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Champion Baltimore Blast. The night, dubbed "Girl Scout Night," offers discounts and special in-game promotions to the area Girl Scout troops. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is scheduled for 7:05 pm ET, with the doors opening at 6:00 pm ET. The action can be heard live via webcast at www.wcbm.com.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, March 14, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Tuesday, March 15, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, March 16, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, March 17, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, March 18, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, March 19, KiXX vs. Baltimore Blast, Wachovia Spectrum, 7:05 pm
Sunday, March 20, Off Day
*all times are Eastern and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Edgar Bartolomeu Toe Questionable
Shawn Boney Foot Out
Ze Roberto Knee Questionable
KiXX vs. Blast
2004-05 Series: 4-2 (home 2-0, away 2-2) Overall: 36-25 (home 20-10, away 16-15)
The March 19 contest is the seventh of eight total meetings between Philadelphia and the Baltimore Blast this season ... the club knocked-off the defending champs, 8-7, on November 5 in Baltimore, thanks to a career-high five-point performance from midfielder Ze Roberto ... Denison Cabral, Carlos Farias, Lee Tschantret and Neil Gilbert each tallied two points to lead the Blast ... Philadelphia then earned a 6-5 victory versus the Blast on November 6 ... newcomer John Barry Nusum led all scorers with four points on three goals and one assist, while Cabral led Baltimore with a pair of goals ... the Blast rebounded to defeat Philadelphia, 7-4, at the 1st Mariner Arena on December 26 ... player/assistant coach Kevin Sloan led the KiXX with a pair of goals, while Allen Eller paced Baltimore with three points (two goals, assist) ... Philadelphia cruised to a 9-4 win in Baltimore, as five KiXX members posted at least two points, while Machel Millwood was the only Blast player to record a pair ... the KiXX continued their dominance over the defending champs with a 4-3 victory on February 12 ... all-star defender Pat Morris and forward Joel Shanker each notched two points for Philadelphia, while the Blast were paced by Eller and Farias, who each tallied a pair ... in the most recent meeting on March 1, the KiXX held a 4-2 advantage before allowing three unanswered goals in the final two minutes to drop a 5-4 decision in the team's final visit to the 1st Mariner Arena in the 2004-05 regular season ... last season, the clubs split the six total meetings, with each team winning their home series, two-games-to-one.
Overtime: The KiXX notched three unanswered goals in the second half in Milwaukee on March 6, forcing the game into overtime, the sixth time this season the team needed an extra stanza to determine a winner ... despite carrying over the late game momentum, Wave forward and reigning MISL-MVP Greg Howes registered the game-winning goal at 9:39 of the extra session ... the loss drops Philadelphia's overtime record to 3-3 this season ... in the previous overtime contests, the KiXX earned three victories versus the Cleveland Force (1/9, 2/5, 2/26), while suffering a pair of losses to the St. Louis Steamers (12/5, 1/29).
Pair of Rookies Shine in Loss: Philadelphia rookies John Barry Nusum and Ptah Myers played a major role in forcing the club's March 6 contest in Milwaukee to the extra session ... the duo combined for five points on three of the team's five total goals and two assists ... Nusum, who currently leads the club and is tied for sixth on the MISL circuit with 38 points, registered one goal and two assists, while Myers tallied a pair of scores to mark the first multi-goal outing of his indoor career ... the native of Columbus, OH has now recorded eight points (five goals, three assists) and 28 blocks (2nd team) this season.
Penalties Prove the Difference: The League-leading Milwaukee Wave notched a pair of power-play goals on two opportunities en route to a 6-5 overtime victory over the visiting Philadelphia KiXX on March 6 ... Philadelphia's penalty-killing unit, which ranked second in the seven-team MISL prior to the contest, fell to third in the League behind the Wave and the St. Louis Steamers ... the unit has successfully stopped 24 of their opponent's 39 man-advantage opportunities, for a 61.5 kill rate ... in contrast, the team's power-play squad ranks atop the League, connecting on 20 of their 37 power-play situations for a 54.1 success rate.
Last Minute Meltdown: After allowing two first-quarter goals to the Blast in Baltimore on March 1, the KiXX dominated the next two and one-half periods of play, assuming a 4-2 advantage midway through the final stanza of action ... Baltimore, however, turned it up a notch in the final two minutes, connecting on three unanswered goals in a 1:37 span to earn a 5-4 come-from-behind victory ... the meltdown marked only the second time the KiXX forfeited the game when leading after the third quarter ... the team's 6-5 overtime loss to the St. Louis Steamers on January 29 marked the other occasion ... Philadelphia is now 14-2 leading after the final quarter.
Follow the Leader: KiXX player/coach Don D'Ambra registered a season-best six points in the team's 7-6 overtime victory versus the Cleveland Force on February 26 ... his four-goal output, including the game winner six minutes and 38 seconds into the extra stanza, marked his first hat trick of 2004-05 ... the St. Joseph's graduate then added a pair of points (goal, assist) in Baltimore on March 1 ... the Philadelphia native failed to record a point in Milwaukee (3/6), snapping his point streak at four games ... for the season, D'Ambra has catapulted himself into an 11th place tie among the MISL scoring leaders (tied third team) with 34 points on 22 goals and 12 assists.
Defender for MVP: Philadelphia native Pat Morris continues his bid for the League's Most Valuable Player award with his dominant play on both ends of the floor ... the three-time all-star defender currently leads the circuit with 75 blocks and has registered at least two blocks in 20 of the 28 games he has appeared ... Morris also notched the 350th rejection his of his career with a five-block performance in Baltimore (3/1) ... not be outdone on the offensive end, the Philadelphia University graduate ranks tied for 11th on the MISL Leaderboard (tied 3rd team) with 34 points on 18 goals and 16 assists ... Morris, who recorded the 100th goal of his six-year career in Baltimore (3/1), has also enjoyed a team-high 12-game point streak this season.
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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 14, 2005
- MISL names players of the week - MISL 2
- Two Force Players Recognized As MISL Players of the Week - Cleveland Force
- Wave Summer Soccer Camps Celebrate 20th Anniversary - Milwaukee Wave
- Philadelphia hosts defending champion Baltimore Blast on March 19 - Philadelphia KiXX
- Force weekly - Cleveland Force
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