KiXX Drop Second Game Of Weekend To Milwaukee, 8-3

Sunday, February 22, 2004

By David Deal
Philadelphia KiXX Director of Communitions

The Philadelphia KiXX (16-10) dropped their second decision of the weekend with a 8-3 loss to the Milwaukee Wave (19-7) in front of 4,768 fans at the Wachovia Spectrum today. Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) point-leader Greg Howes led all scorers with four goals, including the game winner at 2:12 of the third quarter. Peter Pappas (15-6) took the loss in the net for Philadelphia, stopping nine of the 16 shots he faced, while Dan Green (10-3) earned the victory for the Wave, turning away seven of 10 chances.

Milwaukee jumped out quickly as Greg Howes launched a shot from just beyond the arch past Pappas to put the Wave up 1-0 just 28 seconds into the contest. Midfielder Leighton O’Brien added to the lead at the 8:20 mark, as he deposited a Todd Dusosky rebound into the net to give Milwaukee a 2-0 advantage. The KiXX responded less than two minutes later (10:13), as Kevin Sloan accepted a long pass from Pappas and banked a shot off Green to cut the Milwaukee lead to 2-1. After Todd Dusosky stripped the ball from Philadelphia midfielder Andy Guastaferro, he quickly centered the ball to Guiliano Oliviero, who connected with O’Brien for his second goal of the game to extend the Wave’s advantage to 3-1.

The KiXX tallied twice late in the second quarter to knot the game even, 3-3, after two full periods of play. Guastaferro converted a pass across the box from Drew Kopp at 13:26, before defender Jeremy Aldrich placed a Mauricio Vincello pass into the top corner of the net a mere 22 seconds later.

After the break, Philadelphia’s second half-struggles continued, allowing three unanswered goals in the third quarter. Todd Dusosky took a long pass from Wave defender Chris Morman and found Howes, who notched his second tally of the day at 2:21 into the quarter. Less than four minutes later (5:48), O’Brien connected with Oliviero for the second time of the game to complete his hat-trick. Howes completed his own hat trick after stealing the ball from KiXX defender Tony McPeak and blasting a shot into the open net at 9:36 of the stanza. Philadelphia entered the final quarter trialing the Wave by three, 6-3.

Milwaukee’s offensive assault continued with two unanswered goals in the final period to earn an 8-3 victory. Oliviero connected with Wave captain Michael King at 4:56, followed by Howes fourth notch of the contest at 10:26. Chris Morman registered the assist on the play.

Notes: The KiXX have been outscored 7-2 in the third quarter over their last two games and 11-2 overall in the second half of play.

Boxscore:
Attendance: 4,768

Philadelphia: 1-2-0-0=3 Shots: 22
Goalkeepers: Pappas (L, nine saves).
Scorers: Sloan (G), Guastaferro (G), Aldrich (G), Pappas (A), Kopp (A), Vincello (A)

Milwaukee: 3-0-3-2=8 Shots: 21
Goalkeepers: Green (W, seven saves).
Scorers: Howes (4- G), O’Brien (3-G), Todd Dusosky (2-A), Oliviero (G, 2-A), Morman (A), King (A)

The KiXX now 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. For more information or to purchase tickets for any remaining KiXX home game, contact the club’s Executive Office at 1-888-888-KiXX or visit the team’s official website, www.kixxonline.com.