Philadelphia posts 2-0 week with road victories in Monterrey and Cleveland
Published on February 2, 2004 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Philadelphia KiXX News Release
Philadelphia, PA, February 2, 2004 â The Philadelphia KiXX (13-8) return to the Wachovia Spectrum after a three-road trip to entertain the defending Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Champion Baltimore Blast. The night, dubbed "Christian Night," includes post-game testimonials from various professional athletes and a live concert featuring national recording artist, KJ-52. The contest is slated to kick-off at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen live on CN8, Philadelphia's premiere cable network.
The KiXX then travel to Milwaukee to battle the League-leading Milwaukee Wave at the U.S. Cellular Arena on Sunday, February 8. Game-time is scheduled to kick-off at 2:05 pm ET. The club enters the weekend's set of back-to-back contests trailing the Baltimore Blast by three full games for the top spot in the Eastern Division.
This Week's Itinerary:
Monday, February 2, Off Day
Tuesday, February 3, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Wednesday, February 4, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Thursday, February 5, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Friday, February 6, Practice, Tri-State Sports, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday, February 7, KiXX vs. Blast, Wachovia Spectrum, 7:05 pm
Sunday, February 8, Travel to Milwaukee
Sunday, February 8, KiXX @ Wave, U.S. Cellular Arena, 2:05 pm
*all times are Eastern Standard and subject to change
Injury Report:
Player Injury Status
Shawn Boney Foot Out
Tony McPeak Ankle Probable
Kevin Sloan Back Questionable
KiXX vs. Blast
2003-2004: 2-1 Home: 1-0 Away: 1-1
Overall: 30-21 (home 16-9, away 14-12)
Philadelphia avenged last season's 8-6 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Blast with a 5-3 victory in Baltimore's home-opener on October 11, courtesy of three points from Goran Vasic and an impressive performance from goalkeeper Peter Pappas, who was named the MISL Goalkeeper of the Week for shutting down the high-powered Blast offense. The club's second meeting on November 1, the KiXX home-opener of the current campaign, witnessed captain Kevin Sloan exploding for four goals, as the team cruised past Baltimore 9-4. Sloan's four-goal performance tied his highest output as a member of the KiXX. The Blast rebounded to knock-off the team, 8-4, at the 1st Mariner Arena on December 26; the meeting was the first for the KiXX after a season-long 13-day absence from game action. Last season, the KiXX dominated the meetings early, knocking off the Blast in the first four match-ups ... Baltimore, however, proved to be a season-spoiler, defeating the KiXX in the final two meetings, including a 12-7 victory on February 26 that broke Philadelphia's 15-game home winning streak.
KiXX vs. Wave:
2003-2004: 1-0 Home: 1-0 Away: 0-0
Overall: 13-16 (home 12-3, away 1-13)
Philadelphia-Milwaukee has developed into one of the best rivalries in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) today. In the only meeting this season, Goran Vasic registered a game-high three points as the KiXX earned a 6-4 victory on December 13. MISL-point leader Greg Howes paced the Wave with two points on one goal and one assist. The two teams have squared-off in two of the last three league championships; the Wave first defeated Philadelphia for the League crown in 2001, before the KiXX knocked-off Milwaukee in the rematch for the title in 2002. Last season, the KiXX claimed the season series, earning a victory in three-of-the-four total meetings, including both occasions in the City of Brotherly Love. The home club has held a large advantage during the series history. The KiXX are 12-3 when playing on their home turf, while Milwaukee is an impressive 13-1 at the Bradley Center. Overall, Philadelphia posts a 13-16 record in the clubs' 29 total meetings. Sunday's contest is the second of four total meetings this season.
KiXX by the Numbers: The Philadelphia KiXX offense has recorded 121 goals in 21 contests this season to post an average of 5.8 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 99 goals for an average of 4.7 goals per contest, ranking fourth in the MISL ... the complete breakdown of the team's goals per game is listed below.
Goals per Game 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TOTAL
KiXX 27 32 26 35 1 121
Opponents 20 19 27 31 2 99
Plus/Minus with Man Advantage: The KiXX have both benefited and suffered from the power play this season ... the team currently sits tied for first in the MISL on the one-man advantage situations, connecting on the power-play 50.0 percent (nine-of-18) of the time ... the Baltimore Blast also have connected on 50.0 percent of their opportunities ... Philadelphia's defense, however, has fallen victim to the power-play, turning away only 13-of-the-26 situations they have defended the man advantage for a League-worst 50.0 percent ... the team denied Cleveland on their only power-play opportunity on January 31.
Two-of-Three: The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced today that Philadelphia KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas and defender Mauricio Vincello have each received League weekly honors for the seven-day period ending February 1 ... Pappas was named the MISL Goalkeeper of the Week for the fourth time this season, while Vincello was named the League's Defender of the Week for the first time in his career ... Pappas recorded both of the team's victories this past week, a 5-4 win over the Monterrey Fury in Monterrey on January 29 and a 7-3 decision versus the Cleveland Force at the Convocation Center at CSU on January 31 ... the native of Toronto, Ontario turned away 38 of the 45 shots he faced, including 24 of 27 chances in Cleveland, to post a combined .844 save percentage ... Vincello solidified the Philadelphia defense, recording a combined seven blocks in the club's two contests ... the native of Salto, Argentina also tallied three points on three goals, two of which he registered versus the Fury in the second contest of the team's three-game road swing.
Road to Victory: After posting a 2-1 record in the club's three-game road swing, the KiXX hold a 7-5 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 6-4 ... last season, Philadelphia posted an 8-10 record away from the Wachovia Spectrum.
D'Ambra Holds Hot Foot: Philadelphia native Don D'Ambra continues to be red hot of late ... the player/coach registered two goals in Monterrey (1/29) and his League-leading fifth game winner in Cleveland (1/31) ... he has now recorded 10 of the club's 23 total goals in the last five 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 ... his four-goal performance marks his second consecutive hat trick and 21st with the KiXX overall; D'Ambra also recorded a hat trick in the club's 5-0 shutout victory over San Diego (1/17) ... the all-star forward now sits second the club (tied 15th MISL) with 27 points on 23 goals and four assists.
Attendance on the Rise: The club's attendance is on the rise in the 2003-04 campaign ... through nine home games this season, the KiXX host an average 4,972 patrons compared to the 3,566 mark they averaged in the 2002-03 season ... the 1,406 fans per contest increase shows an increase of 39% ... 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.
Cooling Off: KiXX forward Goran Vasic ended a personal worst three-game scoreless streak with a notch in Cleveland on January 31 ... the native of Belgrade, Yugoslavia bolted out of the games to record a team-high 32 points in the first 17 contests this season, before being held scoreless in the club's previous three contests prior to the meeting versus the Force ... the three-game drought marked his longest such dry streak since being held without a point in three consecutive games (3/24-3/30) with the Cleveland Crunch in the 2000-01 campaign ... the 32-year old forward, who occupied either the first or second spot of the MISL's top-20 in scoring for the majority of the season's first two months, now sits tied for seventh with 33 points on 10 goals and 23 assists (2nd MISL).
The 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 168 of the team's 186 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 86 consecutive games played streak.
Last Time Out: KiXX 7, Force 3 (1/31): The KiXX concluded their three-game road swing and the month of January with a 7-3 victory over Eastern Division Foe, the Cleveland Force at the Convocation Center at CSU on January 31. After swapping a pair of goals in the first quarter, Philadelphia outscored the hosting Force 5-1 down the final stretch en route to their second consecutive win. Defender Mauricio Vincello notched the first goal for the KiXX, on a feed from Les Lunsford at 7:16 of the opening period. Team point leader Goran Vasic ended a personal three-game drought with an unassisted tally at 7:28, also of the first. Joel Shanker connected on the only score in the second stanza on a dish from Ze Roberto. After the break, player/coach Don D'Ambra extended the club's lead to two, 4-2, on Roberto's second assist of the game. The Dynamic Duo of Hector Marinaro and Zoran Karic connected for the second time of the night to bring the Force within one, 4-3, but Philadelphia pulled away with the final three tallies of the contest. Pat Morris recorded two of the final three goals, while Shanker, who finished with a game-high three points, registered his second of the evening. Cleveland newcomer Fred DeGand recorded the only other goal for the Force. Peter Pappas (12-6) earned the victory in net for Philadelphia, turning away 24 of the 27 shots he faced, while Jim Larkin (4-8) took the loss for the Force, stopping 17 of 22 chances.
KiXX 5, Fury 4 (1/29): Philadelphia (12-8) snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating the hosting Monterrey Fury, 5-4, in front of 7,112 fans at the Monterrey Arena on January 29. The meeting marked the club's first trip to Monterrey, Mexico in franchise history. KiXX forward Matt Brooks recorded the only goal of the first half, a tally at 7:46 of the first quarter. The two teams then bolted out of the gate in the third stanza, combining for three goals in less than a minute and one half of play; defender Mauricio Vincello started the spree on a Brooks' assist at 2:05, followed by Monterrey's Genoni Martinez to end the drought for the Fury at 2:51. Vincello retained the two-point lead for the KiXX with his second of the notch of the night at 3:28, marking his most productive offensive output of his career. Player/Coach Don D'Ambra sandwiched a strike from Victor Quiroz with a pair of tallies to conclude the third quarter with Philadelphia leading 5-2. Martinez and Octavio Perez each recorded a goal in the fourth period, but Philadelphia's defense buckled down to earn a 5-4 victory in Monterrey. D'Ambra continued his hot streak with a pair of tallies tonight; the 32-year old forward has now accounted for nine of the club's 16 total goals in their last four games. Peter Pappas (11-6) earned the victory in net for Philadelphia, turning away 14 of the 18 shots he faced, while Hector Mireles (5-15) took the loss for the Fury, stopping 12 of 17 chances.
KiXX on the MISL Leaderboard (as of 2/2):
#9 Joel Shanker
Tied 17th MISL with 26 points
#10 Goran Vasic
2nd MISL with 23 assists
Tied 8th MISL with 33 points
#11 Don D'Ambra
Tied 1st MISL with five game-winning goals
4th MISL with 23 total goals
Tied 15th MISL with 27 points
#17 Pat Morris
2nd MISL with 46 blocks
#22 Peter Pappas
2nd MISL with a .762 save percentage
3rd MISL with 12 victories and 259 saves
3rd MISL with a 4.48 goals against average
4th MISL with 1084 minutes
Future Games: The club returns to the Wachovia Spectrum on February 7, to entertain the defending Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Champion Baltimore Blast. The night, dubbed "Christian Night," includes post-game testimonials from various professional athletes and a live concert featuring national recording artist, KJ-52. 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: 13-8
Home: 6-3
Road: 7-5
vs. Eastern Division Opponents: 5-1
vs. Central Division Opponents: 3-3
vs. Western Division Opponents: 5-4
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
1/29 @ Monterrey Fury â W, 5-4
1/31 @ Cleveland Force â W, 7-3
THIS WEEK'S GAMES:
2/7 vs. Baltimore Blast â 7:05 pm ET
2/8 @ Milwaukee Wave â 2:05 pm ET
Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from February 2, 2004
- San Diego Sockers make first visit of season Feb. 7 - St. Louis Steamers
- Philadelphia posts 2-0 week with road victories in Monterrey and Cleveland - Philadelphia KiXX
- Pappas and Vincello Receive MISL Weekly Honors - Philadelphia KiXX
- Sutton impact - Cleveland Force
- KiXX take pair of MISL weekly honors - MISL 2
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