NJ Ironmen Lose Battle

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Press Release www.njironmen.com

For Immediate Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

John Archibald

Director of Communications

New Jersey Ironmen

jarchibald@njironmen.com


MISL PLAYOFFS '08:
BLAST KNOCK IRONMEN
FROM THE POSTSEASON


Photograph by Dan Salvo, DazzlePhotography.com

Newark, N.J. (Saturday, April 12, 2008)- The effort of the New Jersey Ironmen was everything that Head Coach Omid Namazi could have asked, but it was not meant to be. After the Ironmen battled their way into a 4-4 stalemate in the closing minutes of the final frame, former MISL MVP Adauto Neto hit the game-winner to send the Baltimore Blast into a semifinal match-up with the second seeded Milwaukee Wave. The 6-4 loss brings an end to the inaugural season of the Ironmen who reached the postseason in just their first year.

Defenses prevailed in a scoreless first quarter, and the two clubs headed into the second period with a couple of zeros still on the scoreboard.

The first points of the game came at 5:46 of the second frame when Blast defender P.J. Wakefield scored a two-point shot, giving Baltimore a 2-0 edge. Baltimore midfielder Lucio Gonzaga scored an unassisted knock with 32 seconds left in the first half, and the Blast took the 4-0 lead into the locker rooms at intermission.

After no goals were tallied in the third stanza, New Jersey headed into the final 15 minutes of regulation still trailing, 4-0.

Forward Freddy Moojen got the Ironmen on the board at 5:36 of quarter number four when he finished a Shaun David assist, and Goran Vasic knotted the count at four each by putting an Omid Namazi ball in the upper left corner of the net at 6:05. With the intensity level on high, Neto scored the game-winner at 12:40 to send Baltimore into the next round of the postseason.

Former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Tony Meola played well in goal for the home team, registering eight saves in the hard-fought contest.
ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY IRONMEN

The New Jersey Ironmen, operated by Jeff Vanderbeek and Michael Gilfillan of the NHL New Jersey Devils ownership group, join the Baltimore Blast, California Cougars, Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, La Raza de Monterrey (MX), Orlando Sharks, and the Philadelphia KiXX in the 2007-08 MISL regular season, which commenced in mid-October and will conclude at the end of March. The Ironmen play a 15-match home schedule at Prudential Center in the Downtown Core Redevelopment District of Newark. The Ironmen are coached by two-time MISL Coach of the Year Omid Namazi and Assistant Coach Kevin Sloan. For more information on the New Jersey Ironmen, visit www.njironmen.com.



ABOUT THE MISL

The Major Indoor Soccer League, a single-entity organization with a coast-to-coast presence, represents the major league of professional indoor soccer, featuring the finest indoor soccer players from 32 countries around the world. The nine MISL clubs competing in the 2007-08 season are the Baltimore Blast, California Cougars, Chicago Storm, 2007 championship finalist Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and the defending MISL Champion Philadelphia KiXX, with the addition of three expansion clubs, La Raza de Monterrey, New Jersey Ironmen, and the Orlando Sharks. The standings for the 2007-08 regular season are based on a single table of the nine Member Clubs. The MISL regular season commenced on the weekend of October 19-21, 2007 and concludes on the weekend of April 4-6, 2008. Each Club plays a thirty-match (30) regular-season schedule (15 home / 15 away). The 2008 MISL Championship Series consists of six of the nine MISL Member Clubs competing in three rounds, the Quarterfinal Round (April 11-13), the Semifinal Round (April 18-20), and the Championship Series Final (April 26) at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. For more information on the MISL, visit the League's official website www.MISL.net.