MISL News Release
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League announced on Tuesday that Rochester Lancers forward Mauricio Salles had been named the league’s Player of the Week for the eighth week of the 2011-12 season. Salles scored nine points, including a pair of 3-point strikes, to lead the Lancers past the Norfolk SharX last Thursday as the club moved back to .500 for the season.
Salles struck first for the Lancers within a minute of the opening kickoff, rifling a free kick from outside the 3-point arc into the SharX’s net to give his side a 3-0 lead. Salles was on target from a set piece late in the second quarter, again firing home from 3-point range, and he then completed his hat trick 21 seconds into the third quarter, shooting home low from the right side. Salles capped his performance in the fourth quarter as he assisted on Jeremy Ortiz’s second goal of the game.
Salles’ performance left him one point shy of tying the current season-high in a single game of 10 points, recorded by Syracuse’s Slavisa Ubiparipovic and Missouri’s Geison. The nine-point night did, however, move Salles into second place in the league with 39 points for the season, with the 33-year-old averaging almost four points per game.
Other players considered for the weekly award included Syracuse’s Eric Reed, who had a standout 24-save performance as the Silver Knights took victory against Missouri to stay within a half-game of Rochester for second place in the Eastern Division. Reed’s teammate Cory Elenio had a good performance in their victory, recording two goals and an assist to lead the Silver Knights with five points.
The MISL season continues with a six games this week, with Rochester aiming to continue its two-game winning streak on Tuesday night. They will face a big challenge as they welcome the undefeated Milwaukee Wave to Blue Cross Arena at 7 p.m.
There are also two key games in the Central Division as the Missouri Comets and Wichita Wings play a home-and-home series on Wednesday and Friday night. The Comets are coming off a defeat at Syracuse, and host the opener of the two games at the Independence Events Center as the Wings try to close the three-game lead the Comets hold for the division’s second playoff place.
Capping the week is a New Year’s Eve doubleheader, with the Syracuse Silver Knights hosting the Norfolk SharX at 1 p.m. ET at the Oncenter before the Baltimore Blast face the Milwaukee Wave at U.S. Cellular Arena in a meeting of division leaders and a rematch of last year’s MISL Championship Game at 3 p.m. ET. Both games, and five of the six contests this week, can be seen free on MISL Live (misllivesoccer.com).