Wave First to Clinch Berth

Published on January 27, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

Thanks to a Greg Howes 2pg at 2:50 of overtime on Saturday night, the Milwaukee Wave became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2003 MISL Playoffs. Howes' tally finished off an 8-6 win over the Dallas Sidekicks, coming on the heels of a 19-2 victory over San Diego on Friday night. The Wave, now 18-5 on the season, can finish no worse than third in the MISL's Western Conference, meaning that Milwaukee will make its 10th consecutive trip to the playoffs. Milwaukee isn't the only team that can call its weekend worthwhile: the Baltimore Blast won consecutive games for the first time this season, defeating the Kansas City Comets 15-7 on Friday night and the San Diego Sockers 17-12 on Saturday, both at 1st Mariner Arena. Defender Dewan Bader and goalkeeper Brett Phillips played key roles in Baltimore's perfect weekend, earning Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively, as the Blast made its presence known in the playoff race.

All good things must come to an end, and such was the case for Philadelphia's 10-game winning streak, as the Cleveland Force posted a 20-10 victory over the KiXX on Friday night at The Convo in Cleveland. Philadelphia protected its perfect home record the following night, however, with a 13-8 win over Kansas City. The KiXX are now 13-0 at the First Union Spectrum this season.

Philadelphia maintains a comfortable seven-game lead over Cleveland in the MISL's Eastern Conference by virtue of a sparkling 18-4 record. The Force (11-11) finished the weekend with a 17-10 loss in Harrisburg; the Heat (10-14) broke a five-game losing streak with the win, and continue to cling to third place in the Conference, a mere one half-game in front of Baltimore.

Aside from Milwaukee's success, the Western Conference had a tough time of it over the weekend, as Kansas City, San Diego, and Dallas went a combined 0-5. The Comets, Sockers, and Sidekicks all remain in the running for the Conference's final two playoff spots as the week unfolds.

MISL teams will play seven games over three days this weekend, highlighted by two consequential Eastern Conference clashes (Philadelphia travels to Baltimore on Friday, and Harrisburg on Saturday), and a match-up between San Diego and Dallas at Reunion Arena on Saturday that could impact the Western Conference playoff picture.

BLAST PLAYERS RECOGNIZED AFTER 2-0 WEEKEND: Offensive:

Baltimore Blast defender Dewan Bader scored nine points (3pg, two 2pgs, two assists) in two games over the weekend, earning MISL Offensive Player of the Week award for the seven-day period ending January 26.

Bader's 2pg at 1:25 of the fourth on Friday night ended a brief Kansas City rally and made it 10-7, helping ensure the Blast's 15-7 win at 1st Mariner Arena; he also assisted on Baltimore's next goal, from Tarik Walker at 8:47.

On Saturday, Bader scored six points on a 3pg, a 2pg, and an assist in a 17-12 win over San Diego. His 2pg at 9:34 of the third ended a Sockers run and tied the game at 9-9, and he assisted on Craig Scheer's game-winning goal at 5:40 of the fourth.

The native of Washington, D.C., has now scored 17 points in the 2002-‘03 campaign. His six-point output on Saturday night exceeded his production for all of last season, when he scored five points.

Others Receiving Consideration:

San Diego midfielder Mariano Bollella posted nine points (four 2pgs, assist) in two Sockers losses over the weekend. Bollella scored the Sockers' only goal in a 19-2 loss in Milwaukee on Friday night, and contributed three 2pgs and seven points in San Diego's 17-12 defeat in Baltimore on Saturday. He has scored 20 points in his last four games.

Defensive:

Baltimore Blast goalkeeper Brett Phillips has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending January 26. Phillips went 2-0 and saved 29 of 37 shots faced (.784 save percentage) this past weekend as Baltimore won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Phillips directed a Blast defense that held the high-scoring Kansas City Comets to a season-low seven points in a 15-7 Baltimore win on Friday night. Phillips turned away 20 of 23 shots in the contest. The 33-year-old saved nine of 14 shots on Saturday night as Baltimore defeated San Diego 17-12.

For the season, the native of Tampa, Florida, is now 4-5 with an 11.47 points against average and a .723 save percentage. This is the second weekly honor for Phillips this season: he was also named the League's Defensive Player of the Week on December 1, 2002.

Others Receiving Consideration:

Milwaukee's goalkeeping duo of Victor Nogueira and Dan Green held opponents to just eight points in a pair of Wave victories over the weekend. Nogueira was in goal and saved 8 of 9 shots as the Wave downed San Diego 19-2 on Friday night, and Green manned the nets (saving 10 of 13 shots) in Milwaukee's 8-6 overtime victory against Dallas on Saturday – a win that clinched a playoff spot for Milwaukee.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE:

Friday, January 31 Philadelphia at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
San Diego at Cleveland 7:35 p.m. ET
Milwaukee at Harrisburg 7:35 p.m. ET
Saturday, February 1 Milwaukee at Baltimore 7:35 p.m. ET
Philadelphia at Harrisburg 7:35 p.m. ET
San Diego at Dallas 7:05 p.m. CT
Sunday, February 2 Kansas City at Cleveland 3:05 p.m. ET

MISL GAME RECAPS (January 20 - January 26, 2003)

Games of 1/24/2003

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
BALTIMORE 15 2-4-2-7 5,132 30 0 0-0 Phillips (20-23)
Kansas City 7 0-3-4-0 34 0 0-0 Ceccarelli (14-20)

The Blast built an 8-3 lead early in the third and withstood an abbreviated Comets comeback attempt en route to a 15-7 win at 1st Mariner Arena on Friday. Kansas City's Dino Delevski scored a pair of 2pgs in the third, at 2:21 and 14:50, to bring the Comets to within 8-7 before the Blast scored seven unanswered fourth-quarter points to secure the win. Tarik Walker scored a 2pg and assisted on the first two goals of the game for Baltimore. Rich Daughtridge bagged the game-winner at 2:02 of the third against losing keeper Paolo Ceccarelli (14 saves on 20 shots). Brett Phillips got the win in net with 20 saves on 23 shots.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
CLEVELAND 20 4-3-8-5 4,344 26 8 1-1 Larkin (21-26)
Philadelphia 10 0-4-2-4 46 12 2-4 Pappas (9-17)

Lee Edgerton scored four goals and eight points and Chris Stathopoulos added two 2pgs and two assists as the Force downed the first-place KiXX 20-10 at The Convo. Philly's Kevin Sloan (who finished with six points) scored back-to-back 2pgs, at 14:00 of the second and 3:42 of the third, to bring the KiXX within 7-6 before Cleveland went on a 8-0 run to make it 15-6 and put the game away. Stathopoulos and Edgerton scored two goals apiece during the decisive run. Jim Larkin stopped 21 of 26 shots in goal, recording the win, while Peter Pappas made nine saves on 17 shots in the loss. Accentuating his big night, Edgerton recorded the 200th point of his MISL career.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
MILWAUKEE 19 0-15-0-4 8,060 31 0 0-0 Nogueira (8-9)
San Diego 2 0-0-2-0 16 0 0-1 Vorberg (11-19)

The Wave kept the Sockers off the scoreboard for the first 33:34 of Friday night's game at the Bradley Center and received goals from eight different players in a 19-2 win. San Diego's Mariano Bollella ended Victor Nogueira's shutout bid with a 2pg at 3:34 of the third; Nogueira finished with eight saves on nine shots in the win. Milwaukee had built a 15-0 lead before Bollella dented the twine for the Sockers. Brian Loftin, Joe Reiniger, Johnny Torres, Sean Reti, Greg Howes, Pat White, Matt Schmidt, and Marcelo Fontana all scored goals as Milwaukee improved to 10-2 at the Bradley Center this year. Loftin led all scorers with a 3pg and an assist for four points, and Michael King assisted on three goals for the Wave.

Games of 1/25/2003

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
PHILADELPHIA 13 0-2-6-5 6,231 36 7 1-2 Pappas (14-18)
Kansas City 8 2-2-0-4 31 4 0-1 Wade (0-1)

The KiXX improved to 13-0 at home this season behind a 14-save performance from Peter Pappas and a five-point night (3pg, 2pg) from Joel Shanker, who scored the game-winner at 8:16 of the fourth quarter. The Comets led 4-2 at halftime, but a 6-0 run put the KiXX up 8-4 heading into the fourth. K.C. received 2pgs from Dino Delevski (1:18) and Jeff Davis (1:41) to tie the game early in the final stanza, but Shanker's 3pg at 8:16 put Philly up for good. Shawn Boney followed with a final 2pg 40 seconds later. Paolo Ceccarelli started for the Comets and saved 17 of 22 shots. Defender Wes Wade, however, takes the loss: Wade played in goal while Ceccarelli served a tripping penalty in the fourth quarter and surrendered Shanker's decisive trey. Delevski led the Comets with four points (2pg, two assists).

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
BALTIMORE 17 0-7-2-8 3,368 27 2 1-1 Phillips (9-14)
San Diego 12 2-2-8-0 28 9 0-1 Horvath (8-16)

Down 12-9 going into the fourth, the Blast responded with eight unanswered fourth-quarter points to win their second game in as many days. Denison Cabral (at 4:29 and 6:32), Craig Scheer (the game-winner at 5:40), and Danny Kelly scored during the Blast's final run. Dewan Bader scored a season-high six points (3pg, 2pg, assist) in the contest, and assisted on Scheer's fourth-quarter game-winner. Mariano Bollella scored three 2pgs and assisted on another for seven points, and Carlos "Chile" Farias finished with six points (3pg, three assists). Danny Kelly notched five points on two 2pgs and an assist. Brett Phillips saved nine of 14 shots for the win, and D.J. Horvath took the loss with eight saves on 16 shots. Baltimore won consecutive games for the first time this season.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
HARRISBURG 17 2-9-0-6 3,796 28 0 1-2 Damico (10-15)
Cleveland 10 4-2-2-2 29 4 0-0 Larkin (15-22)

Harrisburg used a nine-point second quarter to build an insurmountable advantage en route to a 17-10 win over the Force at the Farm Show Arena on Saturday. After Cleveland's Lee Edgerton scored the first two goals of the game (at 4:23 and 7:54 of the first), the Heat scored nine unanswered points to take a 9-4 lead and led 11-6 at the half thanks to Marco Coria's eventual game-winner with just one second left before intermission. Coria finished with six points (two 2pgs, two assists), as did Ato Leone (two 2pgs, two assists). Chris Damico recorded his first win in goal with Harrisburg, finishing with 10 saves, and Jim Larkin (15 saves on 22 shots) took the loss for Cleveland. Edgerton led the Force with four points.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Milwaukee 8 (OT) 2-2-0-2-2 8,124 29 9 0-1 Green (10-13)
DALLAS 6 2-0-4-0-0 17 2 0-2 Sagu (14-18)

Greg Howes assured the Wave of a spot in the 2003 MISL Playoffs with a 2pg at 2:50 of overtime, sending Milwaukee to an 8-6 win over Dallas. Sipho Sibiya scored a pair of 2pgs for the Wave, including the tying goal at 4:22 of the fourth. Pat White accounted for the other Wave tally. Larry Dube, Antonio Sutton, and Jeff Betts scored the Dallas goals. Sagu made 14 saves on 18 shots on his way to the loss, and Milwaukee's Dan Green turned away 10 of 13 shots for the win. The Wave defense held Dallas to only 17 shots in this contest.

TEAM CAPSULES (January 20 – January 26, 2003)

BALTIMORE BLAST (9-14)
The Blast won consecutive games for the first time all year, defeating Kansas City 15-7 on Friday night and downing San Diego 17-12 on Saturday, both at 1st Mariner Arena. As a result, Baltimore enters the week at 9-14, one half-game behind Harrisburg for third place in the Eastern Conference. Dewan Bader scored eight points over the weekend (two points on Friday, six points on Saturday). Defender Sean Bowers enters the week ranked fourth in the League with 45 blocks; Bowers recorded his 200th career assist on Saturday against San Diego. Denison Cabral, who scored five points over the weekend, leads the team and is tied for 16th in the League with 44 points. Keeper Brett Phillips started and won both games for the Blast, saving 29 of 37 shots. Fellow netminder Scott Hileman remains on the League leaderboard, ranked fifth with an 11.06 points against average. The Blast remains last in the League on the power play (32.1%), but has improved to sixth overall in penalty killing (54.3%). Baltimore will play a pair of home games this weekend, against Philadelphia on Friday and Milwaukee on Sunday, before traveling to Cleveland to take on the Force on February 8.

For The Record: Home: 7-6 Road: 2-8 vs. Eastern Conference: 4-8 vs. Western Conference: 5-6

Up Next: Friday 1/31 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 2/1 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/8 at Cleveland; Saturday 2/15 vs. Dallas

CLEVELAND FORCE (11-11)
The Force improved to 7-2 at home with a 20-10 win over Philadelphia at The Convo on Friday night, and fell 17-10 in Harrisburg on Saturday. Lee Edgerton scored six goals and 12 points in the two games, including a four-goal, eight-point performance on Friday. Chris Stathopoulos scored six points (two 2pgs, two assists) against the KiXX and added a 2pg against the Heat. Jim Larkin started both games in goal, finishing the weekend with 36 save on 48 shots; he remains the only keeper in the League to start all of his team's games this season. Larkin ranks eighth in the MISL with a 12.17 PAA, is tied for third with 11 wins, and ranks second in both minutes played (1,266) and saves (319). Giuliano Oliviero leads the team and ranks 13th in the League with 47 points. Defender D.J. Newsom is fifth in the MISL with 40 blocks. Leading scorer Hector Marinaro (46 points, tied for 14th in the League) did not play this weekend – his scoring streak remains intact at 57 straight games. Cleveland will play seven of its next eight games at The Convo, including two this weekend (San Diego on Friday, Kansas City on Sunday).

For The Record: Home: 7-2 Road: 4-9 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-6 vs. Western Conference: 6-5

Up Next: Friday 1/31 vs. San Diego; Sunday 2/2 vs. Kansas City; Wednesday 2/5 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/.8 vs. Baltimore

DALLAS SIDEKICKS (6-18)
The Sidekicks saw their losing streak reach seven games with an 8-6 overtime loss to Milwaukee on Saturday night at Reunion Arena. Dallas (6-18) enters the week three and one-half games behind third-place San Diego in the MISL's Western Conference. Larry Dube, Antonio Sutton, and Jeff Betts scored the Sidekicks goals on Saturday night, and Sagu took the loss with 14 saves on 18 shots. Sagu leads the League in minutes played (1,280) and ranks third with 270 saves; his 11.24 PAA is sixth overall. David Doyle and Tatu were both held scoreless against Milwaukee; Doyle leads the team and is tied for seventh in the MISL with 59 points, while Tatu is tied for 10th with 50 points. Doyle is also tied for the third in the League with five power play goals. Tatu's 22 assists are the fourth-most in the League. Nick Stavrou (tied for 16th with 44 points) also appears among the League's scoring leaders. The Sidekicks will face Western Conference opponents in their next two games: the San Diego Sockers come to town on this Saturday, and the Sidekicks travel to Kansas City on February 7. Dallas is now just 1-11 against Western Conference rivals this season.

For The Record: Home: 5-7 Road: 1-11 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-7 vs. Western Conference: 1-11

Up Next: Saturday 2/1 vs. San Diego; Friday 2/7 at Kansas City; Saturday 2/8 at Philadelphia; Saturday 2/15 at Baltimore

HARRISBURG HEAT (10-14)
The Heat snapped a five-game losing streak with a 17-10 win over Cleveland on Saturday night at the Farm Show Arena. Harrisburg trails the second-place Force by two games heading into the week, and holds a mere half-game lead over last-place Baltimore. Ato Leone and Marco Coria scored six points apiece (two 2pgs, two assists) on Saturday; Coria scored the game-winning goal with just one second left in the first half. Leone now ranks 12th in the League with 48 points, and is fifth with 21 assists. Coria is tied for 14th with 46 points. Defender Genoni Martinez scored four points and blocked five shots against the Force, giving him 59 points (tied for 7th) and 55 blocks (second) on the season. David Bascome was held scoreless on Saturday but continues to lead the team in scoring with 61 points (sixth in the League). Bascome leads the MISL with 11 power play goals, is tied for third with 27 total goals, and is second with 27 2pgs. Goalkeeper Chris Damico recorded his first win with Harrisburg on Saturday, making 10 saves. The Heat hosts Milwaukee this Friday and Philadelphia this Saturday before embarking on a six-game road trip that will keep them away from home until March 5.

For The Record: Home: 8-5 Road: 2-9 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-8 vs. Western Conference: 5-6

Up Next: Friday 1/31 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/1 vs. Philadelphia; Thursday 2/6 at San Diego; Saturday 2/8 at Kansas City

KANSAS CITY COMETS (11-12)
The Comets lost two games last weekend, falling 15-7 in Baltimore on Friday and 13-8 in Philadelphia on Saturday, to drop to 11-12 on the season. Dino Delevski (twice) and Miodrag Djerisilo scored the K.C. goals in Friday's game, which marked the team's lowest offensive output of the season. Nick Corneli, Nino DaSilva, Delevski, and Jeff Davis scored on Saturday. Delevski continues to lead the MISL in scoring with 109 points, 25 ahead of San Diego's Carlos Farias. Delevski also leads the League with 38 total goals and 31 2pgs, and is second in both 3pgs (7) and assists (26). DaSilva ranks fourth with 67 points, fourth in 2pgs (23), and is tied for third with five power play goals. Defender Jeff Davis is third in the MISL with 48 blocked shots. Goalkeeper Paolo Ceccarelli, who saved 31 of 42 shots over the weekend, is seventh in the League with an 11.66 PAA, but is first with 346 saves and second with a .760 save percentage. He is also third with 1,168 minutes played. Kansas City wraps a brief three-game road trip with a game in Cleveland this Sunday, then returns to Kemper Arena for five straight games beginning February 7 against Dallas.

For The Record: Home: 3-7 Road: 8-5 vs. Eastern Conference: 6-5 vs. Western Conference: 5-7

Up Next: Sunday 2/2 at Cleveland; Friday 2/7 vs. Dallas; Saturday 2/8 vs. Harrisburg; Saturday 2/15 vs. Philadelphia

MILWAUKEE WAVE (18-5)
Greg Howes' 2pg at 2:50 of overtime in Dallas on Saturday night not only gave Milwaukee an 8-6 victory, it also made the Wave the first team to secure a spot in the 2003 MISL Playoffs. The win in Dallas followed a 19-2 triumph over San Diego on Friday at the Bradley Center. Milwaukee built a 15-0 lead in that game before the Sockers found the net at 3:34 of the third quarter. Eight different Wave players scored against San Diego; Brian Loftin led all of them with a 3pg and an assist for four points. Victor Nogueira was in goal versus the Sockers and turned away eight of nine shots. Dan Green got the win in Dallas with 10 stops. Sipho Sibiya scored twice against the Sidekicks, including the tying 2pg at 4:22 of the fourth. Joe Reiniger leads the team and is third in the MISL with 73 points; Reiniger leads the League with eight 3pgs and six restart goals, and is second with nine power play goals. Howes is fifth in the League with 65 points, and his game-winner against the Sidekicks gave him a League-high six on the season. Howes is third in the MISL with 24 2pgs and is tied for third with 27 total goals. Todd Dusosky leads the MISL with 29 assists, and is tied for 10th with 50 points. Victor Nogueira has lowered his League-leading PAA to 7.55, and also leads the circuit with a .763 save percentage and 16 victories. Milwaukee is the best in the MISL in defense (8.7 points per game), on the power play (56.8%), and in penalty killing (72.7%), and is tied for first in offense (14.3 points per game). The Wave continues its current road trip this weekend with games in Harrisburg on Friday and Baltimore on Saturday; Milwaukee's 9-3 road record is the best in the League.

For The Record: Home: 9-2 Road: 9-3 vs. Eastern Conference: 6-3 vs. Western Conference: 12-2

Up Next: Friday 1/31 at Harrisburg; Saturday 2/1 at Baltimore; Wednesday 2/5 at Cleveland; Saturday 2/8 vs. Milwaukee

PHILADELPHIA KIXX (18-4)
Philadelphia's 10-game winning streak was snapped with a 20-10 loss in Cleveland on Friday, but the KiXX kept their home winning streak alive with a 13-8 win over Kansas City at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday. Philly is now a perfect 13-0 at the Spectrum this season. Joel Shanker scored eight points over the weekend, including the game-winner on Saturday night. Shanker leads the team and is ninth in the MISL with 54 points, and has now scored in 16 straight games. Peter Pappas went 1-1 over the weekend; his personal winning streak ended at 10 games with the loss in Cleveland. Pappas is second in the MISL in both wins (14) and PAA (9.14). The KiXX are third in the League in offense (11.7 points per game) and second in defense (9.2 points per game).

For The Record: Home: 13-0 Road: 5-4 vs. Eastern Conference: 10-2 vs. Western Conference: 8-2

Up Next: Friday 1/31 at Baltimore; Saturday 2/1 at Harrisburg; Saturday 2/8 vs. Dallas; Thursday 2/13 at San Diego

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS (10-15)
The Sockers lost both of their weekend games, falling 19-2 in Milwaukee on Friday and dropping a 17-12 decision in Baltimore on Saturday. The Sockers are two games behind Kansas City in the MISL's Western Conference. Mariano Bollella scored the team's lone goal in Milwaukee (at 3:34 of the third quarter), and followed up with three 2pgs and an assist for seven points in Baltimore. Bollella is now tied for 16th in the League with 44 points on the year. Carlos "Chile" Farias was held scoreless against the Wave but scored six points (3pg, three assists) against the Blast, and is second in the MISL with 84 points on the season. Farias is third in the League with six 3pgs and 24 assists, tied for third with 27 total goals, and fifth with 21 2pgs. Defender Gaston Pernia continues to lead the MISL in blocks with 57. Goalkeeper Nick Vorberg is third in the League with a 10.04 PAA, and ranks fourth with a .736 save percentage. The Sockers wrap up their current six-game road trip with games in Cleveland this Friday and Dallas this Saturday.

For The Record: Home: 6-6 Road: 4-9 vs. Eastern Conference: 2-9 vs. Western Conference: 8-6

Up Next: Friday 1/31 at Cleveland; Saturday 2/1 at Dallas; Thursday 2/6 vs. Harrisburg; Saturday 2/8 at Milwaukee

LEAGUE NOTES:

- The MISL and Fox Sports World International announced today that they have agreed to a two-year television package beginning with the current 2002-03 MISL season. Fox Sports World, the premier worldwide soccer television provider, will televise 10 MISL games beginning on Friday, January 31, with the Cleveland Force taking on the Milwaukee Wave at the Bradley Center - Kansas City entered Friday's game in Baltimore averaging a League-best 14.9 points per game; the Comets scored 15 points in a pair of road losses this weekend

- Cleveland forward Hector Marinaro did not play over the weekend; his scoring streak remains intact at 57 consecutive games

- Baltimore defender Sean Bowers recorded his 200th career assist in a 17-12 win over San Diego on Saturday night

- The Dallas Sidekicks drew 8,124 fans to Reunion Arena for Saturday night's 8-6 overtime loss to Milwaukee; Dallas leads the MISL in attendance with an average of 7,417 per game

- Philadelphia (13-0) remains undefeated at home this season. Entering this season, only one team in MISL history has gone a full season without a home loss: the 2001-02 Milwaukee Wave went 22-0 at the Bradley Center

QUOTE CORNER:

"We showed that we're not going to be counted out. It was just a good feeling. The heads didn't go down like I'd seen in the past. We wanted so badly to put two wins together. It's all about the players - just great character."

- Baltimore Blast coach Bobby McAvan after a 17-12 Blast win over San Diego on Saturday; the victory marked the first time Baltimore has won consecutive games this season

"I'm extremely proud of our team. We were down, 6-4, but we didn't panic. We were able to tie it up, then win in overtime. This was a big one for us."

- Milwaukee coach Keith Tozer, after the Wave came back to beat Dallas 8-6 in overtime on Saturday night; the win clinched a playoff spot for Milwaukee

DELEVSKI WIDENS GAP WITH EIGHT-POINT WEEKEND:

Kansas City's Dino Delevski scored eight points in a pair of games over the weekend to give him 109 on the season, 25 ahead of San Diego's Carlos "Chile" Farias in this season's Spalding Scoring Race. Behind Farias are Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger (73 points), Kansas City's Nino DaSilva (67), Milwaukee's Greg Howes (65), and Harrisburg's David Bascome (61).

Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 27, 2003

• Wave First to Clinch Berth - MISL 2
• Home Grown - Cleveland Force
• MISL Comes to Fox Sports World - MISL 2
• Heat Weekly - Harrisburg Heat
• Kickin with the Comets Goes On The Road - Kansas City Comets

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.