Playoffs Begin Friday

March 24, 2003 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

(Westport, CT, March 24, 2003) The Major Indoor Soccer League regular season ended on Sunday, March 23 with the last game played in Dallas as the Dallas Sidekicks hosted the Baltimore Blast. It was certainly fitting for Tatu since this was his last game as a player after 18 seasons with the Sidekicks. To make things interesting Tatu entertained the crowd of 9,000 by scoring A hat trick.

The MISL Championship playoff picture is settled. The Eastern Conference Semi-Final Opening Game is scheduled for Friday, March 28 as the Baltimore Blast travel to Cleveland to play the Force at 7:35 PM eastern time at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center. The Western Conference Semi-Final Opening Game has the Kansas City Comets hosting the San Diego Sockers on Wednesday, April 2 at 7:05 PM central time at the Kemper Arena.

The winners of the Conference Semi-Final Opening Games will then play the regular season Conference Champions. The Philadelphia KiXX is the Eastern Conference regular season winner while the Milwaukee Wave is the Western Conference regular season Champion. The Eastern Conference Championship Game will be in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 3 at 7:05 PM at the First Union Spectrum. The Western Conference Championship Game will be played in Milwaukee on Sunday, April 6 at 1:00 PM at the Bradley Center.

The Baltimore Blast made the final weekend on the MISL regular season an exciting one by making a run at second place in the Eastern Conference. When Cleveland lost to Harrisburg on Saturday night there was only a one game advantage over the Blast going into Sunday. If Cleveland had lost to Philadelphia on Sunday then there would be a tie for second place. Cleveland beat the KiXX in Philadelphia 11-8 to end the suspense.

There were several outstanding individual performances over the last weekend particularly by Philadelphia KIXX Joe Scigliano and Dallas Sidekicks player/coach Tatu. Scigliano scored a hat-trick (3pg.2-2pg, A) on Saturday in Philadelphia and Tatu rounded out his legendary career with a hat-trick (3-2PG,PP) on Sunday In Dallas in front of the Sidekicks home crowd of 8,976. Goalkeeper Sagu entertained a 15,000 plus crowd in Dallas Saturday night stopping 12 of 14 shots and beating San Diego 10-2. Another event of note was Philadelphia KiXX defender Glenn Carbonara recording his 700th career block in Sunday's game with Cleveland. THIS WEEK'S MISL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

Friday, March 28 Baltimore at Cleveland – Eastern Conference Semi-Final Opening Game 7:35 PM Eastern Standard Time (Game A)

DALLAS'S TATU NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF WEEK Dallas Sidekicks player/coach Tatu is the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for his performance over the last weekend of the MISL regular season. Tatu ended his playing career after 32 seasons in indoor soccer and 18 seasons with the Sicekicks. In his final game Tatu scored a hat trick (3-2PG, PP) to round out a legendary career with indoor soccer.

Also receiving votes was Philadelphia KiXX forward Joe Scigliano who tallied a career-high eight points on a hat trick (3PG-2-2PG,A) in Saturdays game with Milwaukee helping the KiXX beat the Wave by the score of 10-8.

KiXX GOALIE PAPPAS NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Philadelphia KiXX goalkeeper Peter Pappas receives the Defensive played of the Week award for the MISL final regular season week. In the game on Saturday, March 22 Pappas faced one the MISL's formidable offenses and came up big in a closely fought game with the Milwaukee Wave. Pappas made some spectacular saves as he was tested 33 times and he stopped 25. Pappas has been the workhorse for the KiXX this season by playing in 30 games and ending the season with an impressive 19-8 record.

Others Receiving Consideration: Philadelphia defenseman Glenn Carbonara was a close second place candidate for the Defensive Player of the week award. In the game on Sunday, March 23 with Cleveland Carbonara made four blocks and became the 17th player in indoor history to record 700 career blocks. An other candidate for defenseman of the week is Philadelphia's 14-year veteran Glenn Carbonara who finished the season with 700 career blocks to place him 17th in indoor soccer history.

MISL GAME RECAPS (MARCH 17 – March 23, 2003)

Games of 03/21/2003:

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
MILWAUKEE 10 2-2-0-6 9,232 48 6 0-3 Nogueira (13-15)
Kansas City 2 0-2-0-0 20 11 0-2 Ceccarelli (28-36)
The Wave led the Comets jut 4-2 at the half and the Comets kept the Wave scoreless in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter the Wave scored 3 -2PG and pulled away for a final score of 10-2. The Wave peppered the Comets goalkeepers with a total of 48 shots, the Comets could only manage 20 shots as the Wave threw up a defensive blanket in the second half. Milwaukee's Greg Howes scored the game winning goal (his second of the game) at 8:33 of the fourth quarter.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Baltimore 17 0-4-11-2 5,167 23 9 0-2 Hileman (13-21)
SAN DIEGO 8 2-0-2-4 26 2 0-3 Horvath (11-28)
Baltimore continues to be one of the MISL's hottest teams going 6-3 in their last nine games. The score was 4-2 at the half and it looked like this would be a close game. The Blast came out in the third quarter as Sean Bowers scored at 2:36 unassisted as the Blast went on to win the game 17-8. In addition to his unassisted goal Bowers had three assists on the night.

Games of 03/22/2003:

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 15 0-7-4-4 7,437 30 0 0-1 Pappas (17-29)
Milwaukee 12 2-8-0-2 30 2 0-0 Green (13-28)
The Milwaukee Wave jumped out to a 10-7 lead at the half but the KiXX defense put the clamps on the Wave in the second half and Joe Scigliano scored a hat trick ((3PG, 2-2PG, A) as the KiXX pulled away with 8 points in the third and fourth quarters. Peter Pappas faced 29 shot, stopping 17.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
HARRISBURG 18 0-9-2-7 5,991 30 2 0-0 Salas (17-23)
Cleveland 8 6-0-2-0 37 0 1-1 Larkin (12-28)
Harrisburg is closing out the regular MISL season on a winning note by defeating the Cleveland Force in a game that Cleveland needs to solidify their hold on second place in the MISL Western Conference. The Force scored 6 points in the first quarter but the Heat answered with 9 points in the second, including a 3PG by Ze Roberto to open up the scoring for the Heat.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
DALLAS 10 2-6-2-0 15,558 27 2 0-1 Sagu (12-14)
San Diego 2 0-0-0-2 25 2 0-1 Vorberg (9-17)
15,558 Sidekick fans were in attendance on Saturday and watch the Sidekicks beat the Sockers 10-2. Dallas took the lead in the first quarter on a 2 PG by Brad Flanagan and San Diego could only manage to score in the fourth quarter. In this game Sidekick Jose Alvarado scored 2-2PG and Giampaulo Pedroso had 2A.

Games of 03/23/2003:

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
HARRISBURG 24 4-8-8-4 2,846 48 9 1-2 Salas (9-29)
Kansas City 20 4-4-6-6 37 14 1-2 Quinn (20-44)
The Heat ended the regular MISL season with another win, this time over the Western Conference second place winner the Kansas City Comets by the score of 24-20 in a shoot-out at the Farm Show Arena. Chris Morman and Matt Tanzini both had a multiple goal game and five other Heat players scored as the Heat put on an offensive show.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Cleveland 11 0-4-5-2 4,379 28 2 0-0 Larkin (19-27) 28 2 Larkin (19-27)
PHILADELPHIA 8 0-6-2-0 35 10 0-1 Dobson (7-18)
Cleveland continues to dominate the Philadelphia KiXX this regular season finishing with a 4-2 record against the defending Champions. In this game the KiXX led 6-4 at the half but the Force came out in the third quarter and scored 5 points and and took a 9-8 lead into the fourth quarter. Force forward John Ball put the game away at 10:48 of the fourth quarter.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Baltimore 14 0-2-6-6 8,976 22 14 0-0 Phillips (17-25)
DALLAS 8 2-2-0-4 32 20 1-2 Sagu (13-25)
This was the final regular season MISL game for Sidekicks player/coach Tatu who is retiring as a player after 18 years with the Sidekicks. The Baltimore Blast came into this game hoping to move into second place in the Eastern Conference but Cleveland had already won in Philadelphia. The Blast continues to be on a hot streak have a 7-3 record in their last ten games Blast All-Star Denison Cabral scored 2-2PG and added an assist while Lance Johnson also had 2-2PG and an assist for the Blast. Giampaulo Pedroso scored a 2 PG and added an assist in one of Dallas's few highlights in this game.

TEAM CAPSULES (MARCH 17 – MARCH 23, 2003):

BALTIMORE BLAST (15-17)
The Blast won back-to-back games over the weekend to end the regular season with an 18-18 record. The Blast defeated the San Diego Sockers, 17-8 and the Dallas Sidekicks, 14-8. Sunday in Dallas was the final regular season game for both Jason dieter and Lance Johnson, both of whom played 10 seasons in Baltimore and will retire after the 2000 MISL Playoffs. Dieter had one goal in the game and Johnson had had two goals and one assists for a total of six points. After starting the season with a 4-9 record the as gone 14-9 in the last 23 games to end the season at .500. Sean Bowers recorded two blocks on Sunday in Dallas to move into a tie for fourth all-time in MISL blocks (761). Next season Bowers will be the first player in MISL history to record more than 800 points and 800 blocks in his career.

For The Record
Home: 11-7 Road: 7-11 vs. Eastern Conference: 9-9 vs. Western Conference: 9-9

Up Next: Friday, March 28 at Cleveland-MISL Eastern Conference Semi-Final opening game 7:35 PM EST.

CLEVELAND FORCE (19-17)
The Cleveland Force successfully secured home field advantage for the Eastern Conference Semi-Final game last week by positing a record of 1-1. The Force needed either a win or a loss by the Baltimore Blast in the final two games to lock up home field. Cleveland lost its first game but won the final game of the regular season while the Blast ended up winning both games but fell one game short of the Force.

On Saturday night, Cleveland traveled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was defeated by the Harrisburg Heat 18-8 at the Farm Show Arena. The Force jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after the first quarter but the Heat outscored Cleveland 18-2 the remainder of the game. The Force and Heat finished the seasons series tied at 3-3 as each team won all three games on its home turf. In the final game of the regular season, Cleveland needed a win against the Philadelphia KiXX in the final regular season game for both squads to secure home field. The Force locked up the home field with an 11-8 victory over the KiXX at the First Union Spectrum on Sunday afternoon. Cleveland handed Philadelphia just its second loss at home on the season while winning the season series 4-2.

For The Record:
Home: 13-5 Road: 6-12 vs. Eastern Conference: 9-9 vs. Western Conference: 10-8

Up Next: Friday, March 28 vs. Baltimore-MISL Eastern Conference Semi-Final Opening Game 7:35 PM at the Cleveland State University Convocation Center.

DALLAS SIDEKICKS (9-27)
Dallas ended the regular season at home this past weekend with the largest crowd in the MISL this season as 15,558 fans cheered on the Sidekicks on Saturday, March 22. On Sunday, March 23,a crowd of 8,976 came out to see the legendary Tatu hang up the number 9 jersey for good as he retired after l8 seasons with the Sidekicks. Dallas beat the San Diego Sockers on Saturday, March 22, 10-2. In Tatu's final game he awed the crowd with a hat trick (3-2PGS) but the Sidekicks bowed to the Baltimore Blast 14-8.

For The Record:
Home: 6-12 Road: 3-15 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-13 vs. Western Conference: 4-14

HARRISBURG HEAT (15-21)
The Heat wrapped up its 2002-03 season with a perfect 2-0 weekend at the Farm Show Arena, defeating the Cleveland Force 18-8 on Saturday night and downing the Kansas City Comets 24-20 on Sunday. Saturday's game drew a crowd of 5,991, the team's largest of the season. Harrisburg fell behind 6-0 early against the Force but ended the game on a 16-2 run to capture the win. The 24 points scored by the Heat against the Comets were the most scored by the team this season, and the most since December 30, 2000.

Marco Coria scored 10 points in the two games, and finishes the season with 72 points (tied for 13th overall) and 30 assists (tied for third). David Bascome led the Heat in scoring in '02-03 with 90 points (tied for sixth in the MISL). Bascome ranked third with 40 total goals, second with 38 2pgs, and first with 15 power play goals. Ato Leone's 87 points placed him eighth in the League, and is tied for third with 30 assists. Genoni Martinez was the highest-scoring defender in the MISL in 2002-03 with 77 points (tied for 11th), and led the League with 88 blocks.

For The Record:
Home: 10-8 Road: 5-13 vs. Eastern Conference: 6-12 vs. Western Conference: 9-9

KANSAS CITY COMETS (17-19)
The Kansas City Comets ended the MISL regular season with a hard fought 24-20 loss in Harrisburg on Sunday, March 23 as goalkeeper Blair Quinn faced 44 shots and was able to keep the Comets close before the Heats Nikola Vignjevic scored the winning goal at 8:32 of the fourth quarter. In the game with Harrisburg the Comets pulled within two with five minutes remaining but the Heat was able to withstand the Comets attempts On Friday, March 21 the Comets went into Milwaukee to play the Wave and were defeated 10-2. Kansas City ended the regular season with the second best road record in thee MISL (10-8) behind the Milwaukee Wave.

For The Record:
Home: 7-11 Road: 10-8 vs. Eastern Conference: 10-8 vs. Western Conference: 7-11

Up Next: Wednesday, April 2 vs. San Diego Sockers – MISL Championship Semi-Final Opening Game 7:05 PM CST at the Kemper Arena

MILWAUKEE WAVE (28-8)
The Milwaukee Wave finishes the MISL regular season with the league best won/loss record (28-8), the second best home record (15-3) and the best road record, (13-5). The Wave success in the Western Conference this season (15-3) coupled with their record against the Eastern Conference, (13-5) proved that they were the class of the MISL over the regular season. Two of the Wave players reached the century mark in points scored this season, Gregory Howes (102) and Joe Reiniger (100). Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira showed the way for the rest of the MISL Goalkeepers this season with a 25-3 won-loss record and a 7.48 points against average, far ands away the best in the MISL. The Wave finished the regular season with a 10-8 loss to the Philadelphia KiXX in Philadelphia. This game could be a preview of the league championship series provided both teams claim their conference championships.

For The Record:
Home: 15-3 Road: 13-5 vs. Eastern Conference: 13-5 vs. Western Conference: 15-3

Up Next: The Milwaukee Wave draws a bye for the MISL Western Conference Semi-Final opening round which opens on Wednesday, April 2 as San Diego travels to Kansas City.

PHILADELPHIA KIXX (24-12)
The defending Major Indoor Soccer League Champion Philadelphia KiXX concluded the regular MISL season with a record of 24-ll and the Eastern Conference regular season Championship. The last regular season weekend the KiXX split tswo game on home field. On Saturday, March 22 the KiXX beat the Milwaukee Wave 15-12 as Joe Scigliano scored a hat trick (3PG, 2-2PG and the GW). On Sunday the visiting Cleveland Force beat the KiXX 11-8 in a must win for the force in order to win second place in the Eastern Conference. The KiXX played again without Joel Shanker who has been out with an ankle injure for several weeks. Also Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas was rested to prepare for the upcoming MISL playoffs.

For The Record:
Home: 16-2 Road: 8-10 vs. Eastern Conference: 12-6 vs. Western Conference: 12-6

Up Next: Thursday, April 3 – The winner of the Eastern Conference Semi-Final Opening Game at the First Union Spectrum at 7:05 PM EST.

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS (14-22)
The San Diego Sockers finished the regular MISL season on Saturday, March 22 with a 10-2 loss in Dallas in front of 15,558 Sidekick fans at the Reunion Arena. The Sockers lost to the Baltimore Blast on Friday, March 22 by a score of 17-8 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore. San Diego must now prepare for the Western Conference Semi-Final opening round playoff with the Kansas City Comets now scheduled for Wednesday, April 2 in Kansas City at the Kemper Arena. Sockers Carlos Farias finished second in the MISL scoring race with 111 points, Farias also finished fourth overall in total goals with 37.

For The Record:
Home: 9-9 Road: 5-13 vs. Eastern Conference: 4-14 vs. Western Conference: 10-

Up Next: Western Conference Semi-Final opening game (B) at Kansas City, Wednesday, April 2.

LEAGUE NOTES: - The MISL Eastern Conference Semi-Final Opening Game will be Friday, March 28th as the Baltimore Blast visits the Cleveland Force at 7:35 PM EST at the Cleveland State Convocation Center.

- The MISL Western Conference Semi-Final Opening Game will be on Wednesday, April 2nd as the Kansas City Comets face the San Diego Sockers at the Kemper Arena at 7:05 PM CST.

- The Dallas Sidekicks drew a total of 24,534 indoor soccer fans this past weekend as Tatu played in his last regular season games as a player after 18 years with the Sidekicks.

- The Philadelphia KiXX, the defending MISL Champions finished the 2002-2003 regular season as the Eastern Conference winners. The Milwaukee Wave finished the regular season as the MISL Western Conference winners.

QUOTE CORNER:

"I want to see him (Tatu) go out a winner," said defender Eric Dade. "No one deserves that more than him. I think you're going to see that fire in everyone to make sure that happens."

- Dallas Defender Eric Dade regarding Tatu's last games in Dallas last weekend.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 24, 2003

• Playoffs Begin Friday - MISL 2
• Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
• Force Weekly - Cleveland Force

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