Strong Third Quarter From St. Louis Defeats KiXX, 8-3

Saturday, February 21, 2004

By David Deal
Philadelphia KiXX Director of Communitions

The Philadelphia KiXX (16-9) watched their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt end tonight, as the St. Louis Steamers (10-15) used a four-goal performance in the third quarter to defeat the KiXX by a score of 8-3 at The Family Arena. St. Louis player/coach Daryl Doran recorded the game-winning goal at Defender Pat Morris recorded the game-winning goal on an assist from Jeff DiMaria at 14:02 of the third quarter. Stuart Dobson (1-3) took the loss between the posts for Philadelphia, turning away 11 of the 18 shots he faced, while Brett Phillips earned the victory for the Steamers, stopping 22 of 25 chances.

After 26 minutes of scoreless action, Steamers newcomer Franck M’Bemba notched a tally at 11:50 of the second quarter to give St. Louis a 1-0 advantage. Less than two minutes later (13:13), KiXX player/coach Don D’Ambra knotted the score at 1-1 on a feed from forward Goran Vasic. The 1-1 tie held after two full periods of play.

Steve Butcher connected with Sipho Sibiya to regain the one-point, 2-1, St. Louis lead at 4:28 of the third period, but Pat Morris and Matt Brooks responded with pair of goals to give the KiXX a 3-2 lead. Morris notched his goal at 5:47 on a dish from Vasic, his second dime of the game, while Brooks recorded an unassisted tally at 6:47. The Steamers ended the third period scoring with a three unanswered goals to take a 5-3 lead into the final stanza of action. All-Stars Butcher and St. Louis player/coach Daryl Doran tied the score (3-3) at 7:35, before Doran and Sibiya each registered a tally of their own just over 30 seconds apart, 14:02 and 14:36 respectively.

St. Louis continued their scoring spree with three more unanswered goal sin the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 8-3. Doran and Sibiya each recorded their second tally of the night, while Sterling Wescott added a notch of his own. Despite the use of a sixth-attacker the final 4:25 of regulation play, Philadelphia fell 8-3 tonight.

Notes: In their three meetings this season, Philadelphia has been outscored by the Steamers, 11-5, in the third quarter of play, including a 6-0 shutout at the Wachovia Spectrum on January 3.

Boxscore:

Attendance: 3,301

Philadelphia: 0-1-2-0=3 Shots: 34
Goalkeepers: Dobson (L, 11 saves).
Scorers: D’Ambra (two goals), Vasic (two assists), Morris (goal).

St. Louis: 0-1-4-3=8 Shots: 30
Goalkeepers: Phillips (W, 22 saves).
Scorers: Sibiya (two goals, assist), Butcher (two goals), Doran (two goals), DiMaria (assist), M’Bemba (goal), Phillips (assist), Wescott (goal).

The club returns home to conclude the back-to-back series with a battle versus the League-leading Milwaukee Wave on Saturday, February 22. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is slated for 1:05 pm ET and can be viewed on CN8 beginning at 2:00 pm ET. The KiXX then break for the 2004 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) All-Star Game to be played on Sunday, February 29 at the Family Arena, home of the St. Louis Steamers, in St. Charles, MO. The All-Star Classic will be televised live on CN8 at 2:05 pm ET.