MISL News Release
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League announced on Tuesday that Norfolk SharX goalkeeper Jamie Lieberman had been named the league’s Player of the Week for the 11th week of the 2011-12 season. Lieberman had an outstanding weekend, recording 54 saves in two games as Norfolk defeated Eastern Division rivals the Baltimore Blast and Syracuse Silver Knights.
Lieberman put in a strong performance, making 16 saves against Baltimore as the SharX took their second consecutive home victory with a 17-12 win against the Blast last Thursday. But he was outstanding on Sunday afternoon against the Silver Knights, recording 38 saves as Norfolk won its first road game of the season, 12-11.
Lieberman’s performance is indicative of the SharX’s turnaround in general in the past three weeks. After opening the season with nine consecutive defeats, Norfolk is 3-2 in its past five outings with victories against all three of its Eastern Division rivals.
Other players considered for the weekly award included Lieberman’s Norfolk teammate Matt Clare, who had a hat trick that included the game-winning goal against Syracuse on Sunday. Clare now leads the SharX with 11 goals this season. Milwaukee’s Marco Terminesi also announced his return to form with a six-point night as the Wave took a 15-12 win against Syracuse on Friday night, while Wichita’s Daniel Villegas had a goal and assist as the Wings took a thrilling 10-9 victory against the Missouri Comets at the Sprint Center on Saturday night.
The MISL season continues with five games this weekend, with the playoff races in each division heating up. In the Central Division, Wichita will try to gain ground on the Missouri Comets for the second playoff berth, but they will face a tough challenge from defending champion Milwaukee as they two teams play twice at Hartman Arena. Audio for both games will be available on WGSO.com
Meanwhile in the Eastern Division, the Rochester Lancers and Syracuse Silver Knights will meet at the Oncenter War Memorial with second place up for grabs. Both teams will enter with records of 6-9, with the Lancers having taken three of the four meetings between the two teams so far this season. Syracuse will try to buck that trend, with the game also available on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com).
Elsewhere Norfolk will try to continue its rich vein of form as it first travels to face the Baltimore Blast at 1st Mariner Arena on Friday night before hosting the Missouri Comets at Norfolk Scope Arena on Saturday. Both of these contests will be available on MISL Live.