Tatu Leads Dallas to Victory

November 25, 2002 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release


The Dallas Sidekicks snapped a seven-game losing streak by posting a 12-6 victory over the Harrisburg Heat on Sunday, November 24. Dallas player/coach Tatu led the charge for the Sidekicks, scoring a pair of 2-point goals and adding an assist to finish with five points. Tatu also made history on the night by registering the 77th game-winning goal of his career when he beat Harrisburg goalkeeper Raul Salas for the decisive tally at 1:58 of the third quarter. The goal moved the "fantastic one" into a second place tie with former indoor star Steve Zungul on indoor soccer's all-time game-winning goals list. Hector Marinaro is indoor soccer's all-time leader in the statistical category with 99 game-winners to his credit.

The Dallas victory moved the Sidekicks to 3-8 on the season and within two games of third place and the idle Kansas City Comets (4-5) in the Western Conference standings. The Sidekicks also gained half a game on second-place San Diego. The Sockers (6-6) split a pair of contests last week with a 10-5 setback at Philadelphia on November 20 and a 20-11 win at Baltimore on November 23. Carlos "Chile" Farias returned from a one-game suspension to post six points in the win over the Blast. By splitting two road dates, the Sockers remained three games behind the idle Milwaukee Wave (8-2).

Philadelphia's "School Day Game" win over San Diego moved the Kixx to 9-3 on the season and helped the club maintain a two and one-half game advantage on second-place Cleveland. The Force (5-4) moved above .500 on the season with a 23-12 victory over Harrisburg on November 22. John Ball and Giuliano Oliviero joined Hector Marinaro in scoring seven points in the contest while Jim Larkin made 23 saves to earn the win in goal. The Cleveland victory, coupled with Harrisburg's loss at Dallas, moved the Force one and one-half games ahead of the Heat in the Eastern Conference standings. Harrisburg (4-6) currently sits one and one-half games ahead of fourth-place Baltimore (3-8).

FARIAS CONTINUES TO PACE SPALDING SCORING RACE...

San Diego forward Carlos Farias extended his lead in the Spalding Scoring Race to 14 points over Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger. Farias has posted 48 points in 11 games played this season while Reiniger, who was idle last week, has registered 24 points in 10 outings. Kansas City's Dino Delevski and Cleveland's Hector Marinaro are tied for third in League scoring with 33 points apiece.

OLIVIERO AND HORVATH EARN WEEKLY HONORS... Offensive: Cleveland forward Giuliano Oliviero has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending November 24. Oliviero receives the award after posting three goals and seven points last week.

The University of British Columbia product registered three 2-point goals and an assist for seven points in Cleveland's 23-12 victory over Harrisburg on November 22. Oliviero had a hand in four of the Force's 10 goals scored in the contest.

The 28-year-old forward has posted four goals, eight assists and 16 points during the 2002-03 campaign.

Others Receiving Consideration:

Cleveland forward Hector Marinaro posted a pair of 2-point goals and three assists for seven points in the Force's 11-point victory over Harrisburg on November 22.

Cleveland defender John Ball recorded a pair of 3-point goals and an assist for seven points in the Force's win over the Heat.

San Diego's Carlos Farias notched a 3-point goal, a 2-point tally and an assist for six points in the Sockers' 20-11 triumph over Baltimore on November 23.

Defensive:

San Diego goalkeeper D.J. Horvath has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending November 24. Horvath receives the award after going 1-0 on the week while leading the Sockers to a 20-11 victory at Baltimore on November 23.

Horvath stopped 22 of 26 shots faced for a .846 save percentage while allowing just nine points in 59:59 of action.

The native of Budapest, Hungary improved to 3-3 on the season with the victory while lowering his points against average to 13.49.

Others Receiving Consideration: Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas allowed just two goals in the Kixx's 10-5 victory over San Diego on November 20.

Cleveland goalkeeper Jim Larkin registered 23 saves during the Force's 23-12 triumph over Harrisburg on November 22.

Dallas goalkeeper Sagu made 12 saves and surrendered six points during the Sidekicks 12-6 win over Harrisburg on November 24.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE...

Friday, November 29 Kansas City at Dallas 7:05 p.m. CT
Saturday, November 30 San Diego at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. ET
Baltimore at Harrisburg 7:35 p.m. ET
Milwaukee at Dallas 7:05 p.m. CT
Cleveland at Kansas City 8:05 p.m. CT
Sunday, December 1 San Diego at Harrisburg 6:05 p.m. ET MISL GAME RECAPS (November 18 – November 24, 2002)

GAMES OF 11/20/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 10 4-2-2-2 3,473 19 0 1-1 Pappas (8-10)
San Diego 5 0-0-2-3 15 2 0-0 Vorberg (10-15)

Don D'Ambra and Kevin Sloan each scored a pair of goals as the Philadelphia Kixx defeated the San Diego Sockers, 10-5, in a "School Day Game" at the First Union Spectrum on Wednesday, November 20. Sloan opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 3:42 of the first quarter and Joel Shanker followed with a 2-pointer at 8:19 to give the Kixx a 4-0 lead after 15 minutes of play. After D'Ambra scored the second quarter's only goal at 12:19, Matt Johnson got San Diego on the board at 1:07 of the third to produce a 6-2 score. D'Ambra answered, however, at 6:17 to push the Kixx in front, 8-2, through three quarters. Jimmy Wang connected on a 3-point goal at 1:30 of the fourth to cut the Philadelphia lead to three at 8-5, but Sloan answered with the game's final goal, a 2-pointer, at 12:40 to give the Kixx a 10-5 victory. D'Ambra and Sloan each finished with four points to lead Philadelphia while Wang paced the Sockers with three points. Peter Pappas earned the win while Nick Vorberg took the loss.

GAMES OF 11/22/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
CLEVELAND 23 4-6-5-8 6,036 27 4 1-1 Larkin (23-29)
Harrisburg 12 2-0-6-4 56 2 0-2 Petras (9-18)

John Ball, Hector Marinaro and Giuliano Oliviero each posted seven points as the Cleveland Force remained perfect at home with a 23-12 victory over the Harrisburg Heat at the Convo on Friday, November 22. Lee Edgerton opened the scoring with a 2-point goal at 5:54 of the first quarter before Matt Tanzini tied the game at two with a deuce at 11:04. Chris Stathopoulos responded by igniting a 10-0 Cleveland run with a 2-point goal at 14:58. In the second, Oliviero (2:15), and Marinaro (8:00, 9:27) each posted 2-pointers to extend the Force lead to 10-2 at the half. Oliviero then opened the third quarter with his second deuce at 5:38 to put Cleveland ahead by 10 before Martin Hernandez (8:53), Tanzini (9:23) and Horacio Robledo (9:49) each bagged 2-pointers in a span of 56 seconds to produce a 12-8 score. John Ball registered a 3-pointer at 14:57 of the third before Oliviero struck for his third deuce at 2:16 and Nevio Pizzolitto posted a 3-pointer at 5:15 to put the home team ahead, 20-8. Ball then scored a 2-pointer at 12:05 before Marco Lopez (13:41) and David Bascome (14:37) concluded the scoring to produce the 23-12 final. The Force trio of Ball Marinaro and Oliviero paced Cleveland with seven points. Tanzini (two 2-point goals) led Harrisburg with four points. Jim Larkin (23 saves) earned the win while Doug Petras (nine stops) took the loss.

GAMES OF 11/23/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
San Diego 20 7-2-6-5 8,240 30 8 1-2 Horvath (22-26)
BALTIMORE 11 2-2-3-4 39 4 1-4 Hileman (11-19)

Carlos Farias notched six points as the San Diego Sockers defeated the Baltimore Blast, 20-11, in front of a crowd of 8,240 at the 1st Mariner Arena on Saturday, November 23. After a pair of goals from San Diego's Robbie Aristodemo (2:17) and Baltimore's Gino DiFlorio (8:25), the Sockers went on a 7-0 run and never looked back. Farias punched home a 2-pointer at 8:53 and Aristodemo added a 3-point goal at 12:06 to give San Diego a 7-2 lead after 15 minutes of play. Aaron Susi then added a deuce at the 32-second mark of the second quarter before Denison Cabral made it a 9-4 game with a 2-pointer at 3:09. In the third, Tony Velasquez (5:55) and Matthew Stewart each posted 2-point goals before Lance Johnson answered for the Blast with a 3-point strike at 9:51. Alejandro Cardenas then concluded the third quarter scoring with a 2-point tally at 10:19 that gave San Diego a 15-7 lead. Lee Tschantret opened the fourth quarter scoring by registering a 2-point goal at 1:22, but Mariano Bollella answered for San Diego with a deuce at 8:31. Giuliano Celenza pushed home a 2-pointer at 9:48 before Farias concluded the scoring with a 3-point tally at 12:34. Farias finished with a 3-point goal, a 2-point strike and an assist to lead San Diego while Lance Johnson (3-point goal) and Gino DiFlorio (2-point goal, assist) paced Baltimore with three points apiece. D.J. Horvath earned the win in the Sockers' goal with 22 saves while Scott Hileman (11 stops) took the loss for Baltimore.

GAMES OF 11/24/2002
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
DALLAS 12 4-2-2-4 6,766 18 16 0-0 Sagu (12-15)
Harrisburg 6 2-2-0-2 28 0 0-3 Salas (6-12)

Tatu scored two goals and added an assist as the Dallas Sidekicks downed the Harrisburg Heat, 12-6, in front of a crowd of 6,766 at Reunion Arena on Sunday, November 24. David Bascome opened the scoring and gave the Heat a 2-0 lead with a 2-point goal at the 55-second mark of the first quarter. David Doyle answered for Dallas with a 2-pointer at 3:51 and Nick Stavrou gave the Sidekicks a 4-2 lead with a deuce at 10:01. In the second, Bascome tied the score with his second 2-pointer of the game at 1:13, but Dallas would take the lead for good on a Patrick Shamu deuce at 12:11. Tatu extended the Dallas lead to four with a 2-pointer at 1:58 of the third before Genoni Martinez made it an 8-6 game with a 2-point strike at 6:05 of the fourth. That would be as close as the Heat would get, however, as Doyle (6:27) and Tatu (6:53) each notched 2-point tallies to close out the scoring. Tatu led the Sidekicks with five points while Bascome paced Harrisburg with a pair of 2-point goals and four points. Sagu (12 saves) earned the win while Raul Salas (six stops) took the loss for Harrisburg.

TEAM CAPSULES (November 18 – November 24, 2002)

Baltimore Blast (3-8)
The Blast dropped a 20-11 decision to San Diego on November 23 in the team's only action of the week. Paul Wright leads Baltimore and is tied for 13th in MISL scoring with 24 points. Denison Cabral is tied for 16th in League scoring with 22 points. Cabral is also tied for second in restart goals with three. P.J. Wakefield is tied for 18th in scoring with 21 points. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman is ranked second in the MISL in both minutes (596) and saves (131). Hileman is fifth in points against average at 11.27. Sean Bowers is ranked second in the League in blocks with 27 and Jason Dieter is third with 26. The Blast is tied for the MISL lead in restart goals with seven. Baltimore will travel to Harrisburg on November 30 and Philadelphia on December 7 before hosting the Heat on December 13.
Leading Scorer: Wright (24 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Hileman (3-7; 11.27 paa; .716 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 at Harrisburg, Sat. 12/7 at Philadelphia, Fri. 12/13 vs. Harrisburg

Cleveland Force (5-4)
The Force beat Harrisburg, 23-12, on November 22. The victory moved Cleveland into sole possession of second place in the MISL's Eastern Conference. Hector Marinaro registered seven points in the win over the Heat and is tied for third in League scoring with 33 points. Marinaro is also tied for second in 2-point goals with 11 and third in total goals with 12. Kiley Couch is tied for fourth in blocks with 22. Jim Larkin stopped 23 shots in the win over Harrisburg and leads the MISL in saves with 141. Larkin is ranked third in wins with five and fourth in points against average at 10.78. The Force power play is tied for the top spot in the League at 57.1% while the Cleveland penalty kill is third at 64.3%. The Force defense is also third best in the MISL, allowing 10.7 points per game. Cleveland opens a four-game road swing at Kansas City on November 30 before traveling to San Diego on December 5 and Harrisburg on December 7.
Leading Scorer: Marinaro (33 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Larkin (5-4; 10.78 paa; .754 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 at Kansas City, Thurs. 12/5 at San Diego, Sat. 12/7 at Harrisburg

Dallas Sidekicks (3-8)
The Sidekicks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 12-6 victory over Harrisburg on November 24. Tatu notched five points in the game and is now tied for fifth in MISL scoring with 28 points. Tatu is also tied for second in the League with 10 assists. David Doyle and Patrick Shamu are tied for eighth in League scoring with 26 points. Antonio Sutton is tied for 18th in MISL scoring with 21 points. Goalkeeper Sagu allowed just six points in the win over the Heat to lower his points against average to 11.52, which ranks him sixth in the MISL in that category. Sagu also ranks third in minutes with 552 and fifth in saves with 118. The Sidekicks didn't allow a goal during three man-down situations vs. Harrisburg and now rank fourth in the League on the penalty kill at 57.1%. Dallas will host Kansas City on November 29 and Milwaukee on November 30 before traveling to Wisconsin to face the Wave on December 8.
Leading Scorer: Tatu (28 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Sagu (2-7, 11.52 paa, .702 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/29 vs. Kansas City, Sat. 11/30 vs. Milwaukee, Sun. 12/8 at Milwaukee

Harrisburg Heat (4-6)
The Heat dropped a 23-12 decision at Cleveland on November 22 and fell, 12-6, at Dallas on November 24. David Bascome recorded six points on the week and is tied for 11th in MISL scoring with 25 points. Bascome leads the League in 2-point goals with 12, ranks second in power play goals with five and is tied for third in total goals with 12. Marco Coria is 15th in MISL scoring with 23 points. Coria is also tied for second in the League in assists with 10. Genoni Martinez is tied for fourth in blocks with 22. Goalkeeper Doug Petras is ranked fourth in the League in both saves (123) and save percentage (.759) while ranking seventh in points against average at 11.99. The Heat penalty kill remains the MISL's best at 77.8% while the offense is generating the second most shots in the League at 32.2 per contest. Harrisburg will look to rebound by opening a four-game homestand with a November 30 date vs. Baltimore. The Heat will then welcome San Diego on December 1 and Cleveland on December 7.
Leading Scorer: Bascome (25 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Petras (3-3; 11.99 paa; .759 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 vs. Baltimore, Sun. 12/1 vs. San Diego, Sat. 12/7 vs. Cleveland

Kansas City Comets (4-5) The Comets were idle last week, but Dino Delevski continues to rank among the League leaders in several categories. Delevski is tied for third in MISL scoring with 33 points and total goals with 12. Delevski is also tied for fourth in 2-point goals with 10. Nino DaSilva is seventh in League scoring with 27 points while Nate Houser is tied for 11th with 25 points. Houser is also tied for fourth in 2-point goals with 10 and tied for third in sixth attacker goals with two. Paolo Ceccarelli leads the MISL in save percentage at .789 and ranks third in saves with 127. Ceccarelli also ranks fourth in wins with four and eighth in points against average at 12.12. The Comets' power play is tied for the League's best at 57.1% while the club's offense is ranked second in the MISL at 13.4 points per game. Kansas City will travel to Dallas on November 29 before opening a three-game homestand, including dates vs. Cleveland on November 30 and Philadelphia on December 14.
Leading Scorer: Delevski (33 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Ceccarelli (4-1; 12.12 paa; .789 save percentage)
Up Next: Fri. 11/29 at Dallas, Sat. 11/30 vs. Cleveland, Sat. 12/14 vs. Philadelphia

Milwaukee Wave (8-2)
The Wave was idle last week. Joe Reiniger is second in MISL scoring with 34 points while leading the MISL in power play goals with six. Reiniger also ranks second in total goals with 13 and is tied for second in 3-point goals with three and knotted for fourth in 2-point goals with 10. Greg Howes is tied for fifth in League scoring with 28 points while Todd Dusosky is tied for second in the MISL with 10 assists. Victor Nogueira leads the League in points against average at 7.63 while being tied for the MISL lead in victories with eight. Nogueira is also tied for second in save percentage at .771 and ranks fourth in minutes played at 550. Milwaukee continues to pace the MISL in both offense (15 points per game) and defense (8.6 points per game). The Wave power play has improved to second-best in the MISL at 69.2%. Milwaukee will travel to Dallas on November 30 and San Diego on December 6 before entertaining the Sidekicks on December 8.
Leading Scorer: Reiniger (34 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Nogueira (8-1; 7.63 paa; .771 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 at Dallas, Fri. 12/6 at San Diego, Sun. 12/8 vs. Dallas

Philadelphia Kixx (9-3)
The Kixx downed San Diego, 10-5, in a "School Day Game" on November 20. The win was Philadelphia's second straight and moved the club to 6-2 under interim head coach Don D'Ambra. The Kixx's player/coach is tied for eighth in MISL scoring with 26 points. D'Ambra is also tied for the MISL lead in game-winning goals with four and is knotted for fourth in 2-pointers with 10. Joel Shanker is tied for 13th in League scoring with 24 points while Gary DePalma is tied for second in the MISL with three 3-point goals. Goalkeeper Peter Pappas leads the League in minutes with 604 and is tied for the League lead in wins with eight. Pappas ranks third in points against average at 8.83. The Kixx win over San Diego improved the club to a perfect 7-0 at home on the campaign. Philadelphia's offense is the MISL's third-best at 11.2 points per game while the club's defense is the League's second-best at 9.1 points per contest. The Kixx will host San Diego on November 30 and Baltimore on December 7 before traveling to Harrisburg on December 8.
Leading Scorer: D'Ambra (26 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Pappas (8-2; 8.83 paa, .727 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 vs. San Diego, Sat. 12/7 vs. Baltimore, Sun. 12/8 at Harrisburg

San Diego (6-6)
The Sockers split a pair of road dates last week with a 10-5 setback at Philadelphia on November 20 and a 20-11 victory at Baltimore on November 23. Carlos Farias, who sat out the Philadelphia game, recorded six points in the win at Baltimore to increase his lead in the Spalding Scoring Race to 14 points. Farias has posted 48 points this season and also leads the MISL in total goals with 16, 3-point goals with five and assists with 11. Farias is tied for second in 2-pointers with 11. Alejandro Cardenas is tied for 16th in MISL scoring with 22 points while Gaston Pernia leads the League in blocks with 30. Farias and Matthew Stewart are two of just five players to notch a short-handed goal this season. Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg is second in the MISL in points against average at 7.64 and tied for second in save percentage at .771. D.J. Horvath made a season-high 22 saves in the victory over Baltimore to lower his points against average to 13.49. The Sockers are tied for the League lead in 3-point goals with scored with 12. San Diego will travel to Philadelphia on November 30 and Harrisburg on December 1 before hosting Cleveland on December 5.
Leading Scorer: Farias (48 points)
Leading Goalkeeper: Vorberg (3-3; 7.64 paa; .771 save percentage)
Up Next: Sat. 11/30 at Philadelphia, Sun. 12/1 at Harrisburg, Thurs. 12/5 vs. Cleveland

LEAGUE NOTES...

- Cleveland forward Hector Marinaro is just one goal shy of 1,200 for his career; Marinaro will become the first player in indoor soccer history to reach the 1,200-goal plateau with his next tally

- Hector Marinaro extended his scoring streak to 51 games last week with seven points vs. Harrisburg on November 22; Marinaro has posted at least one point in 83 of his last 84 games and 190 of his last 193 outings

- Milwaukee defender Lovelace Ackah has played in 115 consecutive games; the Wave team record for consecutive games played (regular season and playoffs) was set by Steve Morris with 161

- Baltimore forward Gino DiFlorio has amassed 496 career assists and needs just four more dishes to become the seventh player in indoor soccer history to collect 500 career assists

- The Baltimore Blast honored the club's 1983-84 MISL Championship team on November 23; the team retired the #10 jersey of indoor great Stan "the magician" Stamenkovic; the majority of the championship club was on hand, along with a crowd of 8,240 fans, at the 1st Mariner Arena

QUOTE CORNER...

"It was a great experience...you could see the guys wanted to come out and play and make it like the olden days...I told them before the game to make it a night to remember like back in '84 and it was."

- Former Baltimore Blast head coach Kenny Cooper after the Blast Legends downed the Baltimore Legends in a game played to honor the 1983-84 MISL Champion Baltimore Blast

"I don't think it was all of a sudden...we've been progressing over the last few weeks and outside of Hector, I think most of the team's been snake-bitten and tonight we were able to pull out of it."

- Cleveland forward Giuliano Oliviero commenting on the Force's offensive outburst in a 23-12 victory over Harrisburg on November 22

"We only allowed three goals tonight, and that was a fantastic effort...we still have a lot to correct, but at least it's one game, so let's enjoy it."

- Dallas player/coach Tatu following the Sidekicks' 12-6 victory over Harrisburg on November 24



Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from November 25, 2002


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