Soccer Spotlight: St. Louis Clips KiXX, 6-5, in Overtime Clubs conclude back-to-back weekend on Sunday, January 30 Saturday, January 29, 2005 By David Deal Philadelphia KiXX Director of Communitions The Philadelphia KiXX (12-8) dropped a 6-5 overtime decision to the St. Louis Steamers (13-8) in front of 6,895 fans at the Wachovia Spectrum. Mariano Bollella recorded the game-winning goal at 3:32 of the extra stanza. Peter Pappas (10-7) took the loss for Philadelphia, stopping 15 of the 21 shots he faced, while Brett Phillips (9-6) earned the victory in net for St. Louis with 10 saves on 15 chances. KiXX rookie Gary Brooks opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 7:59 of the first quarter; the native of Kingston, Jamaica played the balls of the boards and then blasted a right-footer past Phillips and just inside the far post for the score. Steamers forward Joe Reiniger knotted the score, 1-1, with a shoot-out goal at 12:31 of the period. St. Louis received the shoot-out opportunity after Philadelphia defender Ptah Myers received a two-minute holding penalty inside the box. Player/Coach Don D’Ambra broke through the St. Louis defense to regain the club’s one-point advantage, 2-1, at 11:07 of the second stanza; Philadelphia native Pat Morris recorded the assist on the play. Brooks registered the only goal of the third quarter, his second unassisted tally of the night, to extend the KiXX advantage to two, 3-1, at 11:16 of the period. The Steamers bolted out of the gates in the fourth quarter, notching a pair of unanswered goals less than 30 seconds into the stanza. St. Louis player/coach Daryl Doran struck first, a mere 12 seconds into the period, followed by a tally from Shaun David at the 24-second mark; Addae Rique registered the assist on both scores. D’Ambra reclaimed Philadelphia’s lead, 4-3, with his second goal of the evening from Edgar Bartolomeu at 4:25 of the fourth, but Steamers forward Shaun David quickly responded to tie the score, 4-4, on a dish from teammate Sterling Wescott at 8:06. Reiniger then gave St. Louis their first lead of the game, connecting on a pass from Mike Apple at 9:34. Morris concluded the scoring on a feed from Bartolomeu (11:26) to knot the contest at 5-5 at the end of regulation play. At 3:32 of the extra stanza, Mariano Bollella blasted a goal from Jeff DiMaria past Pappas and into the back of the net, giving St. Louis a 6-5 overtime victory. The decision marks the second consecutive head-to-head meeting that the Steamers defeated the KiXX, 6-5, in overtime; St. Louis also earned a 6-5 overtime victory at the Savvis Center on December 5. Notes: Philadelphia native Daniel Antoniuk made his KiXX debut tonight; the 24-year-old forward was acquired with the team’s first-round selection in the 2005 MISL Dispersal Draft and then agreed to terms for the remainder of the 2004-05 season, plus an option for the 2005-06 campaign, on January 28. With his two-point performance, Pat Morris extended his scoring streak to a season-high 11 games. Boxscore: Attendance: 6,895 Philadelphia: 1-1-1-2-0=5 Shots: 35 Goalkeepers: Pappas (L, 15 saves). Scorers: Bartolomeu (two assists), Brooks (two goals), D’Ambra (two goals), Morris (goal, assist). St. Louis: 1-0-0-4-1=6 Shots: 26 Goalkeepers: Phillips (W, 10 saves) Scorers: David (two goals), Reiniger (two goals), Rique (two assists), Apple (assist), Bollella (goal), DiMaria (assist), Doran (goal), Wescott (assist). The KiXX conclude the doubleheader weekend versus St. Louis on Sunday, January 30. The first 3,000 fans, 14 and under, will receive a complimentary Don D’Ambra Bobblehead Doll, courtesy of Ewing Cole. Game-time at the Wachovia Spectrum is scheduled for 5:05 pm ET, with the doors opening at 4:00 pm ET. For additional information or to purchase tickets, please contact the club’s Executive Office at 1-888-888-KiXX (5499) or visit www.kixxonline.com.