Des Moines Menace Press Release - www.menacesoccer.com
Friday, July 24, 2009
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – The 2009 Heartland Division champion Des Moines Menace welcomes the Thunder Bay Chill and the Real Colorado Foxes to Valley Stadium for this weekend’s Premier Development League playoffs. The division’s second and third-place teams will battle on Friday, with the winner advancing to play the Menace on Saturday. Both matches kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can purchase a playoff pack ($15 for adults, $12 for youth, ages four to 12) for admission to both games or can purchase a single-game playoff ticket ($9 for adults, $7 for youth). Playoff tickets are available at MenaceSoccer.com or at the stadium on the night of the games.
The winner of Saturday’s game will move on to the Premier Development League’s Elite Eight. The second round of playoffs will take place July 31 and Aug. 1. The matches’ hosts will be announced at the start of next week.
Des Moines (11-1-4) has won eight of its last nine matches and is undefeated in 25 of its last 28. Casey Mann’s team is going into the playoffs with the most points (37) in the Central Conference, which is comprised by the seven-team Heartland Division and the nine-team Great Lakes Division.
The only teams with more points than Des Moines are the Reading Rage (41), Ottawa Fury (40), Kitsap Pumas (39) and Long Island Rough Riders (38).
SCOUTING THE PLAYOFF TEAMS
DES MOINES MENACE
The 2009 Heartland Division champions have outscored the opposition 19-4 at home, where they are 6-1-1.
Record: 11-1-4 (37 points), first in the Heartland Division
Goals Scored: 35
Goals Allowed: 13 (six shutouts)
Leading Scorers: Ben Taylor (13 points, four goals, five assists); Armin Mujdzic (12 points, five goals, two assists); Sterling Copeland (nine points, three goals, three assists)
Goalkeeper: Sean Molony (0.87 Goals Against Average, 49 saves and 125 shots faced in 15 matches, including five shutouts)
Playoff History: This is the ninth playoff appearance and the second division title in the Menace’s 16-year history. Des Moines made it to the divisional semifinals in 1995 and 1997, the conference semifinals in 2002 and 2003 and the PDL semifinals in 1998 and 2001 before being crowned the 2005 PDL champions. The last time the Menace made to the playoffs was in 2006.
Head Coach: Casey Mann (48-19-13, fifth season)
General Manager: Todd Meiners
THUNDER BAY CHILL
With a late start, the 2008 PDL champions entered the season behind the other division teams but quickly found their way to playoff contention by playing two consecutive games four weekends in a row. The Chill has a 5-2-1 record on the road, including a 1-0 win against the Menace at Valley Stadium on July 4. Thunder Bay brings a seven-match unbeaten streak into the postseason.
Record: 8-3-5 (29 points), second in the Heartland Division
Goals Scored: 27
Goals Allowed: 16 (six shutouts)
Leading Scorers: Christian Fernandes (28 points, 13 goals, two assists); Nolan Intermoia (12 points, six goals); Marcos Da Silva (7 points, one goal, five assists)
Goalkeeper: Stephen Paterson (0.93 GAA, 45 saves and 86 shots faced in 15 matches, including six shutouts)
Playoff History: The Chill is making its third-straight playoff appearance, after winning the division’s regular-season title the two previous years. Thunder Bay’s 2008 title run culminated with a shootout win (4-1) at Laredo. The Chill became the first PDL champ from Canada, one year after exiting in the first round of the team’s playoff debut.
Head Coach: Tony Colistro (10th season)
General Manager: John Marrello
REAL COLORADO FOXES
One of two expansion teams in the Heartland Division (along with the Rochester Thunder), the Foxes were particularly strong on their home field. Real Colorado picked up six of its eight wins at Shea Stadium in Littleton, a Denver suburb. All five of Real Colorado’s losses came on the road, including a 1-0 setback against the Menace on May 16.
2009 Record: 8-5-3 (27 points), third in the Heartland Division
Goals Scored: 28
Goals Allowed: 19 (three shutouts)
Leading Scorers: Chris Salvaggione (15 points, seven goals, one assist); Brad Stisser (14 points, six goals, two assists); Byron Cephers (10 points, three goals, four assists)
Goalkeepers: Dominique Griffith (0.75 GAA, 19 saves, 48 shots faced in four matches, including two shutouts);Tyler Picard (1.50 GAA, 20 saves, 38 shots faced in four matches); Joe Willis (1.60 GAA, 20 saves, 39 shots faced in five matches).
Head Coach: Lorne Donaldson
General Manager: Harold Thurman
MATCH-UPS
Thunder Bay vs. Real Colorado: These teams, separated by 1,000 miles of pavement, split their season series, 1-1-2. Each club notched a home victory, with Real Colorado winning 4-2 on May 30 and Thunder Bay grabbing a 2-1 win on June 19. The season series started and ended with 1-1 ties on May 29 and June 20. The Chill outshot the Foxes, 46-29, and the teams combining for 93 fouls in these four physical matches.
Menace vs. Thunder Bay: The Menace holds leads the all-time series, 20-13-2. The two teams met three times this year for a 1-1-1 outcome. Thunder Bay gave Des Moines its sole loss of the season, ending the team’s 15-game unbeaten streak on July 4 at Valley Stadium – exactly one year after handing the Menace its most recent loss. The Menace beat the Chill, 3-1, at Chapples Park on June 13, a day after the teams tied the series opener, 1-1. The Menace was the only team to defeat or tie the Chill (17-2-1) during its 2008 PDL title run.
Menace vs. Real Colorado: Des Moines and Real Colorado met just once in the Foxes’ inaugural season. Thomas Ostrander’s header was the only goal in the Menace’s 1-0 win on May 16. These teams played a pair of exhibitions in 2008, when Real Colorado’s provisional club won 2-0 at home (May 25) and earned a 2-2 draw at Valley Stadium (July 12).
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Menace closed the regular season with its third- and fourth-straight wins.
Des Moines beat the Kansas City Brass 3-2 on Thursday at William Jewel College in Liberty, Mo., clinching sole possession of the division title and home-field advantage for the playoffs. The Menace shut out the St. Louis Lions, 3-0, in front of 4,093 fans at Valley Stadium for Saturday’s regular-season finale.
Des Moines 3, Kansas City 2
Yuki Kariya did something on Thursday night that the Menace had not done in the team’s first 14 matches – he scored two goals in the first half.
Kariya knotted the game at one in the 30th minute, 15 minutes after Kansas City’s Colton Hemming gave the Brass the early lead. The native of Osaka, Japan gave the Menace the halftime edge, scoring his second goal of the season in the 42nd minute, assisted by Sterling Copeland.
Playing against his former team, Garrett Webb collected his first two assists. The Kansas City native set up Kariya’s first score, then found Ben Taylor in the 62nd minute. Taylor’s goal proved to be the game-winner, as the Brass’ Curt McDonald put one in the back of the net in the final minute of regulation.
The score – Taylor’s fourth – added the final points to the Scotsman’s team-leading 13. The Menace will go the rest of the way without Taylor, who has joined his Drury teammates for preseason training in England.
Des Moines 3, St. Louis 0
Saturday’s win was Des Moines’ first against St. Louis at home, and the first time the Menace has defeated the Lions since taking the teams’ inaugural matchup, in May 2006. Goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck recorded a shutout in his first action of the season, with Sean Molony resting for the playoffs.
Joe Salem started the night’s scoring with his first goal of the season, a 35-yard blast in the 38th minute.
Hunter Kennedy scored in the 65th minute and assisted Armin Mujdzic three minutes later. Mujdzic scored his team-leading fifth goal only one minute entering the match. The Grand View standout is second on the team with 12 points.
Kennedy has three goals in the last four matches. The forward from Drake entered the match after Sterling Copeland went down with a concussion from a collision in the match’s opening seconds.
After regaining consciousness, Copeland was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He was released from the hospital on Sunday afternoon and will be out the remainder of the season. Copeland, whose nine points are third on the team, will be cheering on his teammates from the sidelines.
ABOUT THE MENACE: In its 16th season as Iowa’s Premier Soccer Team, the Menace competes in the 68-team Premier Development League (PDL), the highest amateur level of the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The Menace plays its home matches in a fun, family-friendly environment at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines.
For information on the Menace organization and its youth-soccer programs, please visit www.MenaceSoccer.com.
