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MISL 2 Milwaukee Wave

Wave's Impressive Postseason Streak Hits 14 Years

March 31, 2007 - Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Milwaukee Wave News Release


STOCKTON, CA (March 31, 2007) - With the playoff road laid bare before them, the Milwaukee Wave traveled across the country, faced a go-for-broke California Cougars squad and met the challenge Saturday. Before a national television audience on Versus network, two-time MISL MVP Greg Howes recorded a hat trick to lead the Wave over California 9-6, securing a spot in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.

By defeating California, the Wave (15-14) are assured of no worse than a tie with Baltimore, which lost Friday and Saturday to end the season 15-15. Milwaukee, which ends the regular season next Saturday at Chicago, can finish no worse than 15-15 and owns the tiebreaker over the Blast. "This is a tough game to play because they have nothing to lose, they came out flying and we really didn't want to get involved in that," said Wave Head Coach Keith Tozer. "I think this team came into a tough situation, playing on national television, and I think this team responded really well, and I couldn't be more proud of them." After the Cougars' Enrique Tovar scored early in the second half to make the score 5-4, Howes - the No. 2 scorer in the MISL - gave the Wave a more comfortable cushion with a pair of classic "Howitzer" bombs. The first came from the left point with 9:16 remaining in the quarter, and he added a restart goal for the hat trick on a feed from Goran Vasic with 6:38 remaining. Brett Phillips added a key stop later on a breakaway by bullet-fast forward Brian Farber to help fend off the Cougars (7-23), who concluded their season with an aggressive effort that gave the Wave little margin for error. Milwaukee held a 5-0 lead early in the second quarter on the strength of a 3-point restart goal from Joe Hammes and Howes' first two-pointer. That goal, with 13:14 left in the second quarter, came courtesy of a nifty backheel leave by Johnny Torres. The Wave did not convert on four power-play opportunities, missing chances to put the Cougars away. California was also unsuccessful on a pair of power plays, and failed to score in more than 2 minutes of sixth-attacker time at the end of the team.

"I thought our man-down team was huge," Tozer said. It was the second consecutive game Phillips was called for a penalty - this time for a trip on an onrushing Farber - and Dan Green was pressed into shootout action. Vicente Figueroa beat him for that score to make it 5-2 late in the second quarter. Despite some heart-stopping moments throughout for Wave fans, Saturday's game was the fourth in the last five that the Wave has held an opponent to 10 points or fewer. Saturday's game is at 1 p.m. at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from March 31, 2007


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