Silver Knights Head West for Two Game Road Stint
Published on December 27, 2012 under Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Syracuse Silver Knights News Release
SYRACUSE, NY - The Syracuse Silver Knights of the MISL are set to embark on a 2-game road trip that will send them west for a pair of match-ups with the Wichita Wings and the Missouri Comets.
Fresh off a heartbreaking 12-11 loss at the hands of the MISL's two-time defending champion Milwaukee Wave, in which Marcio Leite put the visitors into the win column on Wednesday with a late-game blast, the Silver Knights are looking to quickly lick their wounds and find a vital road win against the Wings on Friday night.
The Knights are currently playing some of their best soccer of the season, despite bolstering a modest 5-7 record as they approach the mid-way point of the MISL schedule. Syracuse has won four of its last six games, with both losses coming by one goal or fewer.
A second-year expansion franchise sporting the name and paying tribute to the old MISL and NPSL team of the 80s and 90s, the Wings have begun to develop a blossoming rivalry with the Silver Knights who are also in their second season of existence. In late November, the two sides participated in a blockbuster trade that sent Matt Clare and Andre Berenzon to Wichita while Jamar Beasley and Bryan Perez found a new home in Syracuse. Since the trade, all four players have enjoyed a spike in offensive production, with Syracuse's Perez earning MISL Player of the Week for his 5-point explosion in Syracuse's 16-14 win at Rochester last weekend.
Wichita has won both of the previous two match ups in this budding rivalry in dramatic overtime fashion, with Matt Clare scoring a pair of three-point goals, including a late game-tying effort that sent the match to overtime, against his former team in a return to the Oncenter War Memorial.
Bryan Perez and Jamar Beasley have been instrumental to Syracuse's turnaround after beginning the season 1-5, and it is likely that the duo's teammates will be eager to get their comrades a win in their second return to Hartman Arena. The Wings (3-6) sit behind the Knights in the MISL standings, and provide a golden opportunity for the white, orange, and black to erase a recent trend of dropping one-score games from memory and gain momentum entering the second half of the season.
Saturday's date with the Missouri Comets marks the fourth time the two sides have met in the '12-'13 campaign, with the home side winning each of the previous three tilts.
The Comets (5-6) sit just a half-game ahead of the Knights for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MISL standings, and Saturday's game presents a virtual must-win situation for both parties. After kicking off the season with a red-hot 4-0 start, Missouri has dropped six of their last seven games.
Scoring has come with ease for the Comets this season despite their recent struggles in December, as they are led by one of the league's most dynamic and clinical finishers in Byron Alvarez. Alvarez (17 goals, 5 assists) is currently second in the MISL in total goals and overall points with 39, and finished the '11-'12 campaign at third in the league with a whopping 78 points in 23 games played.
Missouri's struggles this year could be attributed to their defensive performance in front of their own goal, as they have allowed opponents to tally double-digit points in every game this season.
Syracuse's recent spike in offensive production, led by the MISL's third leading scorer Neto (16 total goals, 37 points) and defensive play maker Nelson Santana (12 assists, 30 points), should prove a handful for the Missouri back-line. Bryan O'Quinn has emerged as one of the MISL's most dependable 'keepers in 2012-2013 for Syracuse, leading the league in minutes played (732:28), shots against (277), and saves (214), with the next closest shot-stopper coming up an astonishing 63 saves behind.
In Syracuse's 18-8 victory over the Comets in the two teams' last meeting, O'Quinn put on a spectacular show in front of his hometown fans while stopping 25 of 29 shots, including a spectacular series of five consecutive point-blank saves before the final rebound sent Syracuse on a fast break that was capped off with a goal from Bryan Perez. The sequence of saves, now available on YouTube, has made waves in soccer communities across the country and has over 20,000 views in a single week. In that game, O'Quinn held Alvarez to a single late-game consolation goal.
YouTube Clip: http://youtu.be/kIfY1usMCnM
O'Quinn's steady play in front of his shot-blocking defenders, coupled with the new lethal transition game of the Knights offense, could make the orange, black, and white a road favorite on Saturday night.
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from December 27, 2012
- Silver Knights Head West for Two Game Road Stint - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Rochester Lancers Comeback Falls Short - Rochester Lancers
- Wave Continue Winning Streak with 14-12 Win over Lancers - Milwaukee Wave
- Chicago Soul Weekend Preview - Chicago Soul FC
- Comets Ready to Play Two - Kansas City Comets
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