Wave, KiXX Strengthen Leads

Published on January 13, 2003 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2) News Release

The Milwaukee Wave stood as the Major Indoor Soccer League's only perfect team last week, going 2-0 thanks to a tense 19-18 win in Kansas City on Friday and a 19-13 victory against the Harrisburg Heat at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. The Wave extended their lead over second-place Kansas City to four and one-half games with Friday's victory, and Milwaukee is 7-3 in its last 10.

The Comets saw their four-game winning streak end with the loss to Milwaukee, but they picked up right where they left off on Saturday night, scoring the most points in an MISL game this year in a 26-10 win over the Cleveland Force.

Offensive players stole the show over the weekend, with Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger (14 points), Dallas' Giampaulo Pedroso (13 points), and Kansas City's Dino Delevski (12 points) at center stage. Delevski increased his lead in this year's Spalding Scoring Race to 18 points (he now has 86 on the year), while Reiniger nudged himself closer to the top and enters the week with 66 points (third, overall).

The Harrisburg Heat and Dallas Sidekicks saw their losing streaks stretch to four and six games, respectively, while the Philadelphia KiXX increased their winning streak to a season-long nine games with a win over Baltimore on Saturday.

Philadelphia maintains its hold on the top spot in the Eastern Conference at a League-best 16-3, with Cleveland (1-1 last week) six games out at 10-9. The Heat remains in third place at 9-13, just one-and-a-half games ahead of the Blast, who went 1-1 during the week.

While Milwaukee's lead in the West is not immediately in danger, the Conference picture could change slightly this weekend, as the second-place Comets host the San Diego Sockers (who defeated Dallas on Sunday) twice in two days (January 17 and 18, both games at 8:05 p.m. Central Time) at Kemper Arena, and Milwaukee heads to The Convo on Saturday, January 18, (7:05 p.m. Eastern) where the Cleveland Force is 6-1 this year.

Harrisburg visits Philadelphia in the only other game of the week, on Saturday, January 18 at 7:05 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, January 19 at 5:05 p.m., but has been switched due to the Philadelphia-Tampa Bay NFL game at Veterans Stadium on Sunday.

WAVE SWEEPS WEEKLY AWARDS WITH REINIGER & DUSOSKY:   Offensive:

Milwaukee Wave forward Joe Reiniger has been named the MISL Offensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending January 12. Reiniger nabs the honor after scoring 14 points (two 3pgs, four 2pgs) in two Milwaukee wins last week. Reiniger has now scored 66 points on the season, third in the MISL.

The 32-year-old striker scored three 2pgs in the Wave's 19-18 victory over the Kansas City Comets at Kemper Arena on Saturday night, and followed that with an eight-point effort (two 3pgs, 2pg) in a 19-13 triumph over the Harrisburg Heat at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. Reiniger scored the first two goals of the game, both 3pgs, to put his team up 6-0 in the first quarter against the Heat.

Reiniger wins MISL weekly honors for the first time this season. The forward was the League's Offensive Player of the Week twice in 2001-02.

Others Receiving Consideration:

Dallas Sidekicks midfielder Giampaulo Pedroso scored 13 points in a pair of games last week. Pedroso scored a career-high four goals and nine points in Dallas' 16-11 loss in Baltimore on Friday. Pedroso scored all four of those goals in the second half, tying a Sidekicks record. He added two 2pgs in San Diego on Sunday. The 10-year veteran entered the weekend with 12 points on the season.

Kansas City Comets forward Dino Delevski scored 12 points (3pg, two 2pgs, five assists) in two games over the weekend, including a nine-point performance in the Comets' 26-10 win over Cleveland on Saturday night.

Defensive:

Milwaukee Wave defender Troy Dusosky has been named the MISL Defensive Player of the Week for the seven-day period ending January 12. Dusosky wins the award after recording six points and five blocks in two Wave victories last week.

Dusosky scored a 2pg and recorded an assist for three points in Milwaukee's 19-18 win over Kansas City on Friday night at Kemper Arena, and notched another three points (2pg, assist) in the Wave's 19-13 triumph over Harrisburg at the Bradley Center on Saturday afternoon. Dusosky blocked three shots against the Comets and rejected two more against the Heat.

This is the first time the 26-year-old backliner has won weekly honors this season. Dusosky has now scored 27 points and blocked 23 shots in 2002-03.

Others Receiving Consideration:

Kansas City Comets defender Alex Zotinca scored nine points (four 2pgs, three assists) in two games last week.

San Diego goalkeeper Nick Vorberg saved nine of 15 shots in the Sockers' 15-12 win over Dallas on January 12.

Peter Pappas held the Baltimore Blast to eight points in a 13-8 win on January 11. The KiXX goalkeeper has now won nine consecutive decisions.

THIS WEEK'S MISL SCHEDULE:

Friday, January 17 San Diego at Kansas City 8:05 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 18 Milwaukee at Cleveland 7:05 p.m. ET
Harrisburg at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m. ET
San Diego at Kansas City 8:05 p.m. CT

MISL GAME RECAPS (January 6 - January 12, 2003)

Games of 1/10/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
CLEVELAND 13 4-5-2-2 5,259 24 2 0-1 Larkin (4-16)
Harrisburg 12 4-2-2-4 22 2 0-1 Salas (11-24)

Cleveland's John Ball scored the game-winning 2pg with just 34 seconds left to play, propelling the host Force over the Harrisburg Heat by a final score of 13-12 at The Convo. Ball's goal came just moments after the Force had killed a two-minute tripping penalty on Joe Mattachione, and erased a 12-11 lead built by Harrisburg with fourth-quarter 2pgs from Marco Lopez (5:43) and Marco Coria (9:17). Ball led the Force with his decisive deuce and a 3pg for five points; Harrisburg's Ato Leone led all scorers with three 2pgs and an assist for seven points, a personal season best. Jim Larkin needed to make only four saves in goal to win this one for the Force, while Raul Salas made 11 stops for the Heat in the loss. Force forward Giuliano Oliviero scored the 700th point of his MISL career with a third-quarter 2pg, and with a second-quarter assist, Cleveland legend Hector Marinaro extended his scoring streak to 56 straight games.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
BALTIMORE 16 2-12-2-0 4,471 18 10 1-2 Hileman (10-21)
Dallas 11 2-0-5-4 22 9 2-4 Sagu (8-24)

A big second quarter helped the Blast to a 16-11 win over the Dallas Sidekicks at 1st Mariner Arena. After Baltimore's P.J. Wakefield and Dallas' Antonio Sutton exchanged first-quarter 2pgs, Rich Daughtridge put the Blast up 5-2 with a 3pg just 14 seconds into the second quarter. Beginning at 11:18 of the second, the Blast exploded for nine points within a stretch of 2:48 to take a 14-2 halftime lead. Giuliano Celenza (a 3pg at 11:18), Billy Nelson (11:51), and Lee Tschantret (12:20 and 13:52) scored during the run. Tschantret led the Blast with five points; his goal at 12:20 of the second was the game-winner. Dallas' Giampaulo Pedroso owned the spotlight in the second half: the 10-year veteran scored four second-half goals, including the final three of the game, and finished with a game-high nine points. Pedroso came into the game with 12 points on the year. Scott Hileman (10 saves) got the win for Baltimore, while Dallas' Sagu (8 saves) took the loss as the Sidekicks' losing streak stretched to five games.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Milwaukee 19 6-4-7-2 4,616 43 11 3-3 Green (15-33)
KANSAS CITY 18 8-2-4-4 32 11 3-3 Ceccarelli (20-37)

Milwaukee's Michael King converted a penalty kick at 3:34 of the fourth quarter, following an intentional handball penalty on Kansas City's Wes Wade, to give the Wave a 19-18 win over the Comets at Kemper Arena. The game featured five lead changes, and the Comets took an 18-17 edge at 3:14 of the fourth on Jake Dancy's 2pg – King's game-winner came just 20 seconds later. Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger scored three 2pgs and six points to lead the Wave, and Nino DaSilva and Alex Zotinca both scored a pair of 2pgs and assisted on another for five points to pace the Comets. Both teams were a perfect 3-3 on the power play in this game (including the penalty kick and a shootout for Milwaukee). Dan Green got the start and the win in goal for Milwaukee, saving 15 of 24 shots. Paolo Ceccarelli took the loss, stopping 20 of 28 shots, as Kansas City's four-game winning streak came to an end. The Comets dropped to 1-6 at home this season.

Games of 01/11/2003
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
MILWAUKEE 19 6-7-4-2 7,072 36 4 2-3 Nogueira (9-22)
Harrisburg 13 0-4-5-4 30 6 1-2 Damico (16-35)

The host Wave built a 13-4 halftime lead and held a 17-9 edge after three quarters en route to a 19-13 win over the visiting Heat on Saturday afternoon. The Heat pulled to within six points at 7:03 of the fourth with Genoni Martinez's 2pg to make it 17-11, but Milwaukee's Brian Loftin answered just 12 seconds later to regain the momentum and restore the lead to eight at 19-11. Joe Reiniger scored the first two goals of the game for the Wave, both first-quarter 3pgs, and finished the day with eight points on those two 3pgs and a 2pg. Milwaukee's Greg Howes added two 2pgs and an assist for five points. Chris Morman led the Heat with a 3pg and an assist for four points; he also blocked five shots in the game. Chris Damico, signed by the Heat on Tuesday, made his first start in goal for Harrisburg and finished with 16 saves on 24 shots. Victor Nogueira stopped nine of 15 shots in the win for the Wave as Milwaukee improved to 8-2 at the Bradley Center this season.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
Philadelphia 13 2-2-4-5 4,213 24 4 1-1 Pappas (7-15)
BALTIMORE 8 2-0-0-6 20 2 2-2 Hileman (13-23)

Baltimore scored the first goal of the game, a P.J. Wakefield 2pg at 4:10 of the first, but visiting Philadelphia then proceeded to go on a 10-0 run, which began at 7:28 of the first and ended 13 seconds into the fourth, to assume a decisive advantage. Following Cesidio Colasante's 2pg 13 seconds into the final stanza, the Blast responded with three consecutive 2pgs (at 2:09, 2:42, and 4:40, respectively) to come back to within 10-8, but KiXX defender Glenn Carbonara iced the win with a 3pg against Blast sixth attacker Danny Kelly at 14:56. Joel Shanker scored a pair of 2pgs for four points to lead the KiXX; Philadelphia also received goals from Carbonara, Colasante, Gary DePalma, and Don D'Ambra. Giuliano Celenza, Tarik Walker, Lee Tschantret, and Wakefield scored the Blast goals. Peter Pappas made seven saves on 11 shots to notch the win for the KiXX; Scott Hileman took the loss with 13 saves on 18 shots. Philadelphia improved to a League-best 16-3 on the season.

(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
KANSAS CITY 26 10-6-3-7 5,124 31 4 2-2 Ceccarelli (11-21)
Cleveland 10 2-2-4-2 29 4 0-2 Larkin (8-20)

Five different Comets recorded at least four points as Kansas City exploded for an MISL season-high 26 points en route to a 26-10 win over the Cleveland Force at Kemper Arena. The Comets put themselves in good position early with five goals in the first 8:43 of the game, and led 16-4 at the half. Dino Delevski finished the game with a 3pg, two 2pgs, and two assists for nine points to lead all scorers. Comets Nino DaSilva (3pg, two 2pgs, seven points), Nick Corneli (two 2pgs, four points), Miodrag Djerisilo (two 2pgs, four points, game-winning goal at 11:30 of the second), and Alex Zotinca (2pg, two assists, four points) also enjoyed productive nights. Myles Stoddard scored two 2pgs for four points to lead the Force. Jim Larkin (eight saves on 14 shots) started in goal for the Comets and took the loss, but left with an injury in the second quarter and was replaced for the remainder of the game by Denny Ciornei (four saves on 10 shots). Paolo Ceccarelli saved 11 of 16 shots for the Comets in the victory. Kansas City won their second home game in eight chances this year; Cleveland fell to 4-8 on the road. Hector Marinaro upped his scoring streak to 57 straight games with a 2pg and an assist for three points.

Games of 1/12/03
(Home CAPS) SCORING ATTN SHOTS PIM PP W/L GOALIE (SV-SF)
SAN DIEGO 15 0-3-7-5 3,820 25 7 1-2 Vorberg (9-21)
Dallas 12 4-2-4-2 22 9 0-1 Sagu (10-23)

The Dallas Sidekicks led 4-0 at the end of the first quarter and remained in the lead until 13:24 of the third quarter, when San Diego's Chris Garcia Fimbres tied the contest at 10-10 with a 3pg. Sockers' midfielder Robbie Aristodemo then gave his team its first lead of the game – and all the points they would need – at 2:30 of the fourth with another 3pg to make it 13-10. Aristodemo consolidated the Sockers' edge with a deuce at 14:22 to make it 15-10. Giampaulo Pedroso and Nick Stavrou scored two 2pgs for four points to lead the Sidekicks. Aristodemo finished a well-rounded night with a 3pg, a 2pg, and an assist for six points, and San Diego's Alejandro Cardenas scored a 3pg and assisted on two others for five points. Nick Vorberg stopped nine shots in the Sockers' triumph; Sagu took the loss with 10 saves on 15 shots for Dallas, as the Sidekicks dropped their sixth straight contest. TEAM CAPSULES (January 6 – January 12, 2003)

BALTIMORE BLAST (7-14)
Baltimore went 1-1 at 1st Mariner Arena over the weekend, defeating Dallas 16-11 on Friday, January 10, and falling to Philadelphia 13-8 on Saturday, January 11. The Blast led the Sidekicks 14-2 at halftime on Friday; on Saturday, Baltimore scored one goal in the first 47:09 of the game. Lee Tschantret scored three goals and six points over the weekend to lead the team. Scott Hileman got both starts in net, saving 23 of 33 shots. Hileman ranks fifth in the MISL with an 11.06 points against average. Denison Cabral continues to lead the team with 39 points on the year; Cabral is tied for 17th in the League. Defender Sean Bowers is third in the League with 40 blocks on the season. The Blast ranks last in the League on the power play (29.6%) and seventh out of eight teams in penalty killing (52.9%). Baltimore's next four games are at 1st Mariner Arena, where the club is 5-6 this year (as opposed to 2-8 on the road). Baltimore's Denison Cabral played in the 200th game of his MISL career on Saturday against Philadelphia, and Rich Daughtridge and Giuliano Celenza both scored the first 3pgs of their career on Friday against Dallas.

For The Record: Home: 5-6 Road: 2-8 vs. Eastern Conference: 4-8 vs. Western Conference: 3-6

Up Next: Friday 1/24 vs. Kansas City; Saturday 1/25 vs. San Diego; Friday 1/31 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 2/1 vs. Milwaukee

CLEVELAND FORCE (10-9)
The Force used a 2pg from John Ball with 34 seconds left in regulation to defeat the Harrisburg Heat 13-12 at The Convo on January 10, and dropped a 26-10 decision to the Kansas City Comets at Kemper Arena on January 11. Forward Giuliano Oliviero scored five points in two games over the weekend, including the 700th of his indoor career on January 10 against Harrisburg; Oliviero has scored 45 points this season, tied for 12th in the MISL. Force defender D.J. Newsom leads the team and ranks fourth in the League with 35 blocks. Hector Marinaro, who is ranked 10th in the League with 46 points, scored in both games to extend his scoring streak to 57 consecutive games. Goalkeeper Jim Larkin, who left Saturday's game in the second quarter with an injury, has started all 19 of Cleveland's games, and eighth in the MISL with a 12.18 PAA and is second in both minutes played (1,088) and saves (271). Defender Nevio Pizzolitto leads the League with 43 penalty minutes. The Force is now 6-1 at home, and 4-8 on the road; Cleveland will play nine of its next 11 games at The Convo.

For The Record: Home: 6-1 Road: 4-8 vs. Eastern Conference: 4-5 vs. Western Conference: 6-4

Up Next: Saturday 1/18 vs. Milwaukee; Friday 1/24 vs. Philadelphia; Saturday 1/25 at Harrisburg; Friday 1/31 vs. San Diego

DALLAS SIDEKICKS (6-17)
The Sidekicks saw their losing streak reach six games with a pair of defeats this weekend. Dallas dropped a 16-11 contest in Baltimore on January 10 and lost 15-12 in San Diego on January 12. The Sidekicks are now 1-11 on the road this season. Giampaulo Pedroso scored 13 points in two games over the weekend; he had scored 12 points all season coming into Friday. Pedroso scored the final three goals of the game and finished with a 3pg, three 2pgs, and nine points in Baltimore on Friday night, and added two 2pgs for four points in San Diego on Sunday. David Doyle ranks sixth in the League with 59 points on the year; Doyle is third in the League with five power play goals. Tatu is tied for second in the MISL with 21 assists and ranks ninth in the League with 49 points. Nick Stavrou (14th, 44 points) and Patrick Shamu (20th, 38 points) also appear on the scoring leaderboard. Sidekicks keeper Sagu is ranked seventh in the League with an 11.43 PAA, leads the circuit in minutes played (1,217), and is third in saves (256). Having completed their seven-game road trip, the Sidekicks will play their next two games (against Milwaukee on January 25 and San Diego on February 1) at Reunion Arena, where the club is 5-6 this year.

For The Record: Home: 5-6 Road: 1-11 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-7 vs. Western Conference: 1-10

Up Next: Saturday 1/25 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/1 vs. San Diego; Friday 2/7 at Kansas City; Saturday 2/8 at Philadelphia

HARRISBURG HEAT (9-13)
The Heat dropped two road contests last week, 13-12 in Cleveland on January 10 and 19-13 in Milwaukee on January 11, and have now lost four in a row. The club is now 2-8 away from home this season. Ato Leone scored nine points in two games over the weekend (including a season-high seven in Cleveland on Friday), and now has 41 points on the year, tied for third on the team and tied with teammate Marco "Chikis" Lopez for 15th in the League. Leone is fourth in the League with 18 assists. David Bascome is fourth in the MISL with 61 points, leads the League with 27 2pgs and 11 power play goals, and is second with 27 total goals. Genoni Martinez remains the MISL's highest-scoring defender with 53 points (eighth overall), and ranks second in the League with 43 blocks. Goalkeeper Chris Damico made 16 saves on 24 shots in his Heat debut on Saturday in Milwaukee. Raul Salas started Friday night in Cleveland; he is now 0-5 with a 13.09 PAA this year.

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

Up Next: Sunday 1/19 at Philadelphia; Saturday 1/25 vs. Cleveland; Friday 1/31 vs. Milwaukee; Saturday 2/1 vs. Philadelphia

KANSAS CITY COMETS (10-9)
The Comets fell to the Milwaukee Wave 19-18 on January 10 thanks to Michael King's fourth-quarter penalty kick goal, but Kansas City rebounded on Saturday with a 26-10 win over the Cleveland Force at Kemper Arena. Those 26 points are the most scored in an MISL game this season. Five different Comets finished with at least four points in the game, led by Dino Delevski's nine (3pg, two 2pgs, two assists). Delevski scored 12 points over the weekend and now has a League-leading 86 points on the season (18 points ahead of San Diego's Carlos Farias). The reigning MISL MVP leads the League with 29 total goals and seven 3pgs, and is second in 2pgs with 22. Defender Alex Zotinca scored nine points over the weekend; he now has 30 points on the season and leads the team with 27 blocks. Nino DaSilva added seven points in Saturday's win and ranks second on the team (tied for 5th in the League) with 59 points. DaSilva is fourth in the League with 24 total goals and third with 21 2pgs. Nate Houser is tied for 19th in the League with 38 points. Paolo Ceccarelli started both games for the Comets, saving 31 of 48 shots. Ceccarelli is sixth in the League with an 11.33 PAA and leads the League in both saves (287) and save percentage (.772). The Comets play the San Diego Sockers, who are two games behind them in the Western Conference, twice in two days at Kemper Arena this weekend.

For The Record: Home: 2-6 Road: 8-3 vs. Eastern Conference: 6-3 vs. Western Conference: 4-6

Up Next: Friday 1/17 vs. San Diego; Saturday 1/18 vs. San Diego; Friday 1/24 at Baltimore; Saturday 1/25 at Philadelphia

MILWAUKEE WAVE (15-5)
The Wave continued to roll with a pair of wins over the weekend, 19-18 in Kansas City on Saturday and 19-13 over Harrisburg on Sunday. Joe Reiniger scored 14 points in the team's two games to give him 66 on the season, good for third in the MISL. Reiniger is second in the League with nine power play scores and six 3pgs, and ranks third in total goals (26) and fourth in 2pgs (20). Greg Howes, who ranks fifth in the League with 19 2pgs, enters the week seventh in the League with 54 points. Todd Dusosky leads the MISL with 26 assists and is tied for 11th with 45 points. Goalkeeper Victor Nogueira leads the League with 14 wins and an 8.08 points against average, and is second in save percentage (.753) and third in minutes played (1,032). Milwaukee leads the League in both power play efficiency (60%) and penalty killing (68.4%), and is second offensively (14.5 points per game) and defensively (9.4 points per game).

For The Record: Home: 8-2 Road: 7-3 vs. Eastern Conference: 5-3 vs. Western Conference: 10-2

Up Next: Saturday 1/18 at Cleveland; Friday 1/24 vs. San Diego; Saturday 1/25 at Dallas; Friday 1/31 at Harrisburg

PHILADELPHIA KIXX (16-3)
The KiXX won their only game of the weekend, 13-8 over Baltimore on January 11, to improve to a League-best 16-3 this season. Philadelphia's winning streak has now reached nine games, the longest such streak in the League this year. The KiXX allowed the first goal of the game to the Blast, but then went on a 10-0 run in the game and secured the victory on Cesidio Colasante's 2pg 13 seconds into the fourth quarter. Joel Shanker scored four points against the Blast and leads the team with 45 points, tied for 11th in the League. Peter Pappas, who made seven saves against the Blast, is second in the League with an 8.97 PAA and 12 wins, and ranks fifth with a .730 save percentage. Pappas is the cornerstone for the League's best defense (8.9 points allowed per game). The KiXX are third in the League offensively at 11.8 points per game. Philadelphia is now 9-1 against Eastern Conference rivals this year, the best intra-conference record in the League.

For The Record: Home: 11-0 Road: 5-3 vs. Eastern Conference: 10-1 vs. Western Conference: 7-2

Up Next: Sunday 1/19 vs. Harrisburg; Friday 1/24 at Cleveland; Saturday 1/25 vs. Kansas City; Friday 1/31 at Baltimore

SAN DIEGO SOCKERS (9-12)
San Diego was victorious in its only game of the weekend, a 15-12 win over Dallas on January 12. The Sockers were down 4-0 in the first and trailed until Chris Garcia Fimbres bagged a 3pg at 13:24 of the third quarter that tied the game at 10-10. At 2:30 of the fourth, Robbie Aristodemo ripped the game-winning 3pg to make it 13-10 and allow the Sockers to improve to 6-6 at home this season. Aristodemo then added an insurance 2pg at 14:22 against sixth attacker David Doyle. Nick Vorberg made 9 saves in goal for the win; he enters the week third in the League with an 8.98 PAA and a .752 save percentage. Carlos "Chile" Farias was held to an assist against the Sidekicks and ranks second in the League with 68 points on the year. Farias is fifth in the League with 23 total goals and third in the League with five 3pgs, and is tied for fifth with 17 assists. Defender Gaston Pernia leads the League with 46 blocks. The Sockers, who are 3-6 on the road, face Western Conference opponent Kansas City twice in two days (January 17 and 18) at Kemper Arena this weekend.

For The Record: Home: 6-6 Road: 3-6 vs. Eastern Conference: 2-8 vs. Western Conference: 7-4

Up Next: Friday 1/17 at Kansas City; Saturday 1/18 at Kansas City; Friday 1/24 at Milwaukee; Saturday 1/25 at Baltimore

LEAGUE NOTES:

The League has re-scheduled the Harrisburg Heat at Philadelphia KiXX contest originally set for Sunday, January 19 at 5:05 p.m. – the game will now take place at the First Union Spectrum on Saturday, January 18 at 7:05 p.m. The change was made due to the Philadelphia Eagles-Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL game that will take place at Veterans Stadium on Sunday, January 19.

Cleveland Force forward Giuliano Oliviero scored the 700th point of his MISL career in Cleveland's 13-12 win over Harrisburg on January 10

Baltimore Blast striker Denison Cabral appeared in his 200th career MISL game on January 11 against Philadelphia

Dallas' Giampaulo Pedroso scored 13 points in two games this weekend, including a career-high four goals and nine points against Baltimore on January 10; he entered the weekend with 12 points on the season

The Philadelphia KiXX (11-0), Milwaukee Wave (8-2), and Harrisburg Heat (7-5) are the only teams in the MISL with winning records at home thus far this season

Philadelphia's last home loss came on January 26, 2002, when the club lost 11-4 to the Milwaukee Wave

The Force's Hector Marinaro extended his scoring streak to 57 games with three points (2pg, assist) against Kansas City on Saturday night

QUOTE CORNER:

"Any time that you've got a lead all game then you squander it with less than four minutes to go and you come back and win, it's going to build character with the team."

- Cleveland defender John Ball, who scored the game-winning 2pg with just 34 seconds left to play in a 13-12 Force victory over Harrisburg on January 10; the Force had relinquished an 11-8 fourth-quarter lead in the game

"That's about as good as we've played this year. I think you saw a determined bunch that came out to show it can play as well at home as it can on the road."

- Kansas City Comets coach Zoran Savic, after his team's 26-10 win over Cleveland on January 11

"First, you have to be competitive, the guy who hates to lose. The second thing is being afraid to be embarrassed. I think that's one thing I've always feared. I've always wanted to do the best I can and I'm not afraid to go out and work as hard as I can."

- Dallas Sidekicks legend Tatu, on how he has maintained his high level of play for nearly 20 seasons of professional indoor soccer

DELEVSKI MAINTAINS LEAD, REINIGER'S 14-POINT WEEK PULLS HIM CLOSER:

Kansas City Comets Dino Delevski continued his hot streak with 12 points in two games over the weekend, including a nine-point night against Cleveland on Saturday. With his efforts, the reigning MISL MVP extended his lead in this year's Spalding Scoring Race to 18 points over San Diego's Carlos "Chile" Farias, who enters the week with 68 points after recording an assist against Dallas on Sunday. Milwaukee's Joe Reiniger posted 14 points in two games to give him 66 on the year (ranked third). Harrisburg Heat forward David Bascome (61) ranks fourth in the League, followed by Kansas City's Nino DaSilva and Dallas Sidekicks veteran David Doyle, both with 59 points.

Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from January 13, 2003

• Wave, KiXX Strengthen Leads - MISL 2
• Heat Contest Rescheduled - Harrisburg Heat
• Home Sweet Home - Cleveland Force

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.