KiXX Blast Over Baltimore 9-4 In Home Opener

Saturday, November 1, 2003

By David Deal
Philadelphia KiXX Director of Communitions

The Philadelphia KiXX (3-1) kicked-off the their 18-game home schedule with a thrilling 9-4 victory tonight over reigning Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Champion Baltimore Blast (2-3) in front of 6,878 fans at the Wachovia Spectrum. The nine-point performance tonight marks the highest output for the squad this season. Philadelphia captain Kevin Sloan connected on a game-high four goals in the contest, while forward Shawn Boney recorded the game-winner at 7:59 of the second quarter. Sloan’s performance ties his highest output as a member of the KiXX. Goalkeeper Peter Pappas (3-1) earned the victory between the posts for the KiXX, recording 22 saves on the 26 shots he faced, while Karim Moumban (0-1) took the loss for the Blast (4 saves on 11 shots).

Philadelphia opened the contest rattling off six unanswered goals in the first two quarters of play. KiXX forward Goran Vasic connected on the first goal, converting on a pass across the box from Ze Roberto at 11:32 of the first. Kevin Sloan followed suit with two consecutive tallies, followed by a goal from Drew Kopp, Shawn Boney and player/coach Don D’Ambra.

Blast forward Denison Cabral finally broke the Baltimore scoreless streak with a strike from Lee Tschantret at 14:04 of the second period. The 6-1 Philadelphia advantage held entering the half.

Sloan sandwiched a tally from David Bascome with a pair of goals to extend the KiXX lead to six, 8-2. Former KiXX forward Chris Handsor and Cabral each struck the scoreboard to bring the cut the Philadelphia lead to four, 8-4, but D’Ambra sealed the victory with his second strike of the contest at 13:25 of the fourth quarter.

Notes: Andy Guastaferro recorded an assist in the first quarter to mark his first professional point scored.

Philadelphia concludes their three-game road trip, as they square-off against the Dallas Sidekicks on Wednesday, October 22. The contest is a School-Day Game with a special 11:45 am ET start time at Reunion Arena. The KiXX return home to the Wachovia Spectrum to kick-off their 18-game home schedule against the Blast on November 1 at 7:05 pm ET. The first 3,000 fans to walk through the gates will receive a Philadelphia KiXX magnetic schedule, courtesy of SEPTA. For ticket information, contact the KiXX Executive Office at 1-888-888-KiXX (5499) or log onto the team’s official website, www.kixxonline.com.

The Philadelphia KiXX are a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League, a single-entity organization that features a coast-to-coast presence across the United States. The club is entering its eighth season of play at the Wachovia Spectrum located in Philadelphia, PA.

For more information regarding the Philadelphia KiXX, please contact David Deal, KiXX Director of Communications, at 215.952.5431 or via cell at 267.688.4127. Fans can also log onto our website at www.kixxonline.com.