Wave wins second straight NPSL title

by NPSL Press Release
Published on May 12, 2001 under National Professional Soccer League (NPSL)

NPSL Press Release

Milwaukee wins third championship in four years

(Philadelphia, PA, May 11) - The Milwaukee Wave captured the 2000-01 National Professional Soccer League Championship on Friday, defeating the Philadelphia KiXX, 10-8, at the First Union Spectrum in Game Three of the 2001 NPSL Finals. Victor Nogueira (7-1) made 16 saves in recording the decisive victory. Peter Pappas (4-4) took the loss, making 10 saves.

Neither Nogueira nor Pappas had much to concern themselves with in the first quarter, with both sides clamping down in their defensive thirds and denying quality opportunities. Philadelphia initiated the scoring when Pappas' long toss skimmed off Don D'Ambra's head and squeaked past Nogueira for a 2-point goal at 7:29. Philly's Cesidio Colasante made the score 4-0 when he played the ball to himself off the right corner boards and buried a drive low to the near post at 10:39. The score moved to 6-0 in favor of the home squad when Joe Scigliano beat Nogueira from deep on the left wing for a 2-point tally at 13:03.

A similarly defensive pace characterized the second. Milwaukee bagged the stanza's only points, narrowing the gap to 6-2 when Brian Loftin redirected a powerful Joe Reiniger restart over Pappas for a 2-point at the 40 second mark. The KiXX held a 6-2 lead at the half.

Milwaukee continued to methodically chip away the deficit in the third. Reiniger brought the Wave to within two points with a blue collar tally 26 seconds into the quarter, poking home his own rebound to make the score 6-4. Milwaukee tied the score at 4:07 when Greg Howes and Matt Tirschman worked an impeccable give-and-go at the top of the arc, a maneuver which ended with Howes cracking a shot over Pappas' right shoulder for a 6-6 score. Michael King gave the visitors their first lead of the night when his half volley from the top right side of the box skipped past Pappas for a 2-point goal at 14:42. Milwaukee led 8-6 at the end of three periods.

Philly's Matt Brooks nudged home a point-blank shot at the 1:20 mark of the fourth, restoring momentum to the KiXX bench and tying the score at 8-8. Todd Dusosky answered with a 2-point goal of his own at 6:01 (a result of a thoughtful cross field pass from Reiniger), and the Wave led again, 10-8. As the clock wound down, the Spectrum crowd was treated to a sustained stretch of frantic end-to-end action. KiXX player/coach Omid Namazi donned the sixth attacker jersey with 2:23 to go, but the Wave threw five men behind the ball and absorbed every Philly assault until the final buzzer sounded and the men from Milwaukee officially entered the record books as the 2000-01 National Professional Soccer League champions.

Notes: Milwaukee's sweep is the fifth in NPSL Finals history and the first since Kansas City defeated Cleveland 4-0 in the 1997 Finals...Wave forward Joe Reiniger, who led all scorers with 4 points (2pg, 2 assists) on the night, finished the 2001 Playoffs with 26 points and now ranks fourth in NPSL postseason history with 187 points, behind Hector Marinaro (431), Zoran Karic (367), and Mark Moser (222). Reiniger was named the 2001 NPSL Finals Most Valuable Player following the game...Philadelphia midfielder Kevin Sloan, who led all scorers during the 2001 NPSL Playoffs with 31 points, was held scoreless by the Wave in Game Three...Nogueira's victory was the 26th of his playoff career, good for third place in NPSL postseason history behind Jamie Swanner (49) and Otto Orf (44)...Milwaukee (also champs in 1999-00 and 1997-98) becomes the third franchise in NPSL history to win three or more NPSL titles. Canton leads all clubs with four championships, followed by Cleveland and now the Wave with three each. Kansas City (2) is the only other club to own multiple NPSL crowns.

2001 NPSL FINALS QUOTE SHEET

Game Three

"We had some good shots, Victor (Nogueira) came up with some good saves and they sacrificed themselves in front of the goal. You have to give them credit, they're an excellent team, very disciplined."
-Philadelphia player/coach Omid Namazi

"In the first half we executed our game plan to perfection. All week we worked on playing our defenders in the zone and trying to avoid Victor playing the ball into areas where their targets get the ball. We did a good job in the first half. In the second half I thought they adjusted a little better and in the end we got away from our plan. We started following people and gave them lanes where they could play the ball. We had our chances, we just didn't put them away."
-Philadelphia player/coach Omid Namazi

"I'm disappointed with the outcome of the series right now, but when I look back at the season I think I couldn't be anything but delighted at the way the season went. We came out strong, we set some goals and we achieved them. We went on a nine-game winning streak, which was a franchise record. We hit a patch where we struggled with illness and injuries, but we regrouped and made a good run again. Being the fourth seed in the playoffs and getting into the Finals and playing three tight games against Milwaukee, I couldn't ask for anything more. I think as a team we progressed immensely and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come."
-Philadelphia player/coach Omid Namazi

"Collectively as a group, the 16 guys that dress each game are willing to put the work in, one quarter here, one game there. Don and coach (Namazi) set the tempo for the whole team."
-Philadelphia goalkeeper Peter Pappas on the KiXX's defense

"I have one championship with St. Louis. This is by far the best feeling I've had in my career. It was special the first time, but I was so young in my career, I don't think I appreciated it. It's been a long road back. I've been in the Finals three other times and come up short, this one is very special."
-Milwaukee forward/NPSL Championship MVP Joe Reiniger

"I looked up and saw it was going to be a two-on-one, so I kept running down the right side for Joe (Reiniger). I stopped because the defender was taking the back post away. Joe played the ball straight across, I played it with my left foot - I really don't know how it went in. I toed it, lucky goal, lucky bounce."
-Milwaukee forward Todd Dusosky on his game-winning goal at 6:01 of the fourth quarter

"You have to give Pappas (Peter) credit, he played great all series and season long. By far one of the best keepers in this league."
-Milwaukee forward Todd Dusosky

"Well, I think championships are all like children - they all have a different a personality, they all bring something. I think this one was special because we won on the road, we were 1-7, people wrote us off. "
-Milwaukee Wave head coach Keith Tozer

"To win a championship - I don't care what sport, what league, or how you are doing it - to win back-to-back is unbelievable and everybody knows how tough it is. These men will never have it taken away from them. Three (championships) in four years sets a standard."
-Milwaukee Wave head coach Keith Tozer

National Professional Soccer League Stories from May 12, 2001

• Wave wins second straight NPSL title - OSC Original by NPSL Press Release
• Over & back - OSC Original by Steve De Rose

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