Friday, November 9, 2012
WICHITA, Kan. – 2012 MISL Champions the Milwaukee Wave took victory against the Wichita Wings in the opening game of their title defense on Friday night as Hewerton scored twice and Nick Vorberg conceded just twice to lead their side to a 12-4 victory at Hartman Arena. The defeat was the Wings' third in a row to open the season.
From the outset it seemed as though the Wings were doomed to repeat the outcomes of their first two games of the season. About two minutes into the game, the Wave’s Nick Perera found the back of the net against Nick Martinez, putting the Wave up 2-0. Although the Wings were tight defensively throughout the first quarter, they could not prevent a second goal by Hewerton, but the Wings remained in the contest as Geison pulled a goal back with eight seconds left in the first quarter to cut the Wave’s lead in half.
The Wave were able to restore their four-point advantage four minutes into the second quarter, though, as Jonathan Santos made it 6-2. The Wings were able to kill off a penalty midway through the period, but stills struggled to find a way through the disciplined Wave defense, and which maintained the lead to the halftime break.
Hewerton added his second goal of the game 4:30 into the third quarter, with Jonathan Greenfield adding another goal for the Wave two minutes later to make it 10-2. The Wings tried to mount a rally, with midfielder Bryan Perez coming close to a goal with two minutes to play only for Vorberg to deny him. Wichita’s best opportunity to get back into the game came late in the quarter as back-to-back blue cards less than a minute apart for the Wave gave the Wings a 5-on-3 power play, but they were unable to take advantage.
Wichita was finally able to find the back of the net for the second time off a set piece, Geison sweeping home his second goal of the game to cut the Wave’s lead to 10-4. Again, though, the Wave were able to respond as Giuliano Oliviero was able to finish off a counter-attack about a minute later, restoring an eight-point advantage. Oliviero’s goal would be the last of the game, leaving the Wings winless at home.
The Wings will continue their effort to lock in their first win of the season on Sunday, November 18th when they host the Syracuse Silver Knights at 3:05 p.m. CT. Tickets for the game can be purchased at the Hartman Arena box office, by phone at (316) 927-3999 or online at www.wichitawingsindoorsoccer.com. For more information about the team and news, follow the Wings on Facebook, Twitter (@wichita_wings), Foursquare and Gowalla.