Steamers play two crucial games before Feb. 27-29 MISL All-Star Weekend in St. Louis
February 20, 2004 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
St. Louis Steamers News Release
(St. Louis, Feb. 20, 2004) -- The St. Louis Steamers continue to shoot for an MISL playoff berth with back-to-back games Friday (Feb. 20) and Saturday (Feb. 21). The Steamers kick off the crucial weekend with a 7:35 p.m. match against MISL Central Division rival the Kansas City Comets at Kemper Arena. On Saturday, St. Louis hosts the Philadelphia KiXX in a 7:05 p.m. start at The Family Arena.
The Steamers and the MISL then break for the MISL All-Star Weekend, Feb. 27-29 in St. Louis. The Steamers' next game after the All-Star break is a March 6, 1:05 p.m. battle against the Cleveland Force at The Family Arena.
The two games this weekend are important for the Steamers as they take aim for an MISL playoff spot. The teams with the top six records qualify for the MISL playoffs. The Steamers (8-15) are currently seventh overall, 1 ½ games behind sixth-place Kansas City (11-15). With a win Friday, the Steamers could close to within ½ game of the Comets.
St. Louis and Kansas City have split four games this season entering Friday night's matchup. The teams complete their six-game regular-season series with a March 19 game at The Family Arena.
Philadelphia (16-8) enters Saturday night's matchup as the hottest team in the MISL. The KiXX have won five straight games and trail defending MISL champion Baltimore by one game in the Eastern Division. The Steamers and KiXX have split two previous games this season; Philadelphia defeated St. Louis 7-3 Nov. 14 at The Family Arena; the Steamers returned the favor by beating the KiXX, 9-5 Jan. 3 at Philadelphia. The KiXX are led by the following 2004 MISL All-Stars: goalkeeper Peter Pappas, defender Pat Morris, and forwards Joel Shanker, Don D'Ambra, and Goran Vasic. Shanker, a St. Louis native who played at Parkway Central High School, is second on the team in goals (21) and third in points (30).
Steamers forward Steve Butcher â fresh off a hat trick in the team's 6-3 Feb. 16 win over San Diego â leads the Steamers in scoring with 24 goals (fifth best in the MISL) and 13 assists.
Single-game tickets ranging from $7 to $15 are available for all Steamers home games by calling MetroTix at 314-534-1111, or by visiting metrotix.com. Single-game tickets also are available at The Family Arena box office. For general information on Steamers tickets or group outings, call 636-410-0388, ext. 501; toll free at 1-866-STL-KICK (1-866-785-5425); or visit the Steamers Web site www.stlsteamers.com. All-Star Game and All-Star Weekend tickets may be purchased at The Family Arena box office, by phone (314-534-1111 or 1-800-293-5949), at more than 40 area MetroTix outlets, and online at www.metrotix.com.
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