Irons Pick Up First Win On The Season

Frederico Moojen

The Ironmen (1-2) earned their first win of the 2008-09 campaign this afternoon when they defeated the Chicago Storm (2-3) by a count of 13-7 at the Sears Centre. The victory snaps a 10-game road skid that dates back to last season.

Ryan Hall opened the scoring for the Ironmen with an unassisted shorthanded goal in the second period. The tally was the veteran defender's first of the season.

Also among the New Jersey scorers was 2007-2008 MISL Rookie of the Year Frederico Moojen, who netted his first and second goals on the year. Both of Moojen's strikes came during a 10-point Ironmen offensive explosion in the second period.

The potent second frame also saw the Ironmen convert their first powerplay of the season when forward Aduato Neto scored off of a Chile Farias feed.

We here at the Local Fe26 are relieved that the Ironmen are finally in the win column. An 0-3 start would have been ugly. The Irons' next match will be this Friday at the Prudential Center. Check back for a game preview.

IRONMEN 13, STORM 7
Scoring
First quarter: No scoring.
Second quarter: 1, NJ, Hall (unassisted), shorthanded, 4:32; 2, CHI, Fabinho (Knezevic), 3PG, 6:07; 3, CHI, Savic (Zebic), PPG, 7:32; 4, NJ, Moojen (unassisted), 8:07; 5, NJ, Neto (Farias), PPG, 10:11; 6, NJ, Martinez (Vasic), 10:56; 7, NJ, Moojen (McNeley), 14:12.
Third quarter: 8, CHI, Fabinho (Morad), 11:20.
Fourth quarter: 9, NJ, Gonzaga (unassisted), 3PG, 13:40.
Penalties
First quarter: No penalties.
Second quarter: 1, NJ, Bonser (pushing), 3:17; 2, NJ, Boney (dissent - yellow), 3:17; 3, NJ, too many men (served by Tiguinho), 7:01; 4, CHI, Knezevic (violent charge), 10:04.
Third quarter: 5, NJ, Martinez (pushing), 14:35.
Fourth quarter: 6, NJ, Farias (protesting a penalty - yellow), 14:51; 7, NJ, Farias (foul language - red), 14:51.
Attendance: 1,308.

Ironmen At Chicago Storm (Game Preview)

Goran Vasic

The Ironmen will be facing an early season test Sunday afternoon when they travel to the Sears Centre to take on the Chicago Storm. The match gets underway at 2:00 PM and can be seen online on the B2 Networks.

The Irons are off to a disappointing 0-2 start in the shortened 20-game season. They dropped their last match on December 21 to the Detroit Ignition after blowing a late four-point lead. The Ironmen power play went scoreless during the two-game slide.

The loss at Detroit did produce a few positives. The offense put up 14 points after their dismal one-goal performance on opening day. Defender Rey Martinez lead the way with two goals and an assist on the day. Captain Shawn Boney's brace brought his career regular season point total to 301.

The Storm are also coming off a defeat in their last contest. They fell 14-10 to the league leading Milwaukee Wave on New Year's Eve. The loss dropped the Storm to 2-2 on the season. They sit in second place on the league table.

The Ironmen dropped their first meeting with the Storm 4-2 at the Prudential Center on December 14.

Meola, Messing And Other Notes

Many of you have asked us why Tony Meola is no longer playing for the Ironmen. Well, it seems that the team parted ways with the Kearny, NJ native just before the season.

Michael Lewis of Big Apple Soccer reported earlier this month that the Ironmen gave Meola a letter of release after deciding to make room on the reduced-sized roster. Meola wanted to return for a second season, but team officials were reportedly only offering to bring him back on a part-time basis. He was uninterested in that scenario.

"I cannot work that way," he said. "It was all or nothing."

Meola hopes to land a goalkeeping job in the MLS. He played 10 years in the league as a member of the MetroStars/Red Bull New York and Kansas City Wizards.

The Ironmen have not released any official word about Meola.

We here at the Local Fe26 are bummed that Tony is not coming back this year. You can check out Michael Lewis's article here.

In other Ironmen related news:

* Shep Messing will be the honorary captain for the Ironmen's next home match against the Chicago Storm on January 9th. Messing played in the North American Soccer League from 1973 to 1979 and won a league championship as a member of the New York Cosmos in 1977. The Bronx native moved his game to the MISL in 1978 and played there until 1987. He is currently an ESPN soccer analyst and a broadcaster on Red Bull New York telecasts.

* Brett Phillips has taken the starting goalkeeper spot so far this season. The 40-year-old veteran keeper began playing indoor in 1992. He has been named goalkeeper of the year twice during his career, most recently in 2006 as a member of the St. Louis Steamers. He is also a member of the United States National Futsal Team.

Ironmen See Late Lead Slip, Falter In OT

The offense showed up, but it was not enough as the Ironmen fell short in overtime by a count of 16-14 to the home side Detroit Ignition (1-1).

The Irons went up by four points late in the fourth period after they put together a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Shawn Boney two-pointer at the 4:05 mark. The tally brought Boney's career regular season point total to 301.

But the Ironmen defense faltered down the stretch as Detroit scored twice after bringing on a sixth attacker with over 4:00 left in regulation. Detroit's Drew Crawford cut the Ironmen lead to two points at 2:45 and Ryan Mack got the equalizer with 5 ticks left on the clock to make it 14-14.

Mack remained hot in the golden-goal overtime period. The veteran midfielder picked up the game-winner when he finished off a Kyt Selaidopoulus pass at 11:54.

The disappointing loss drops the Ironmen to 0-2 on the season. They will have two weeks to regroup before their next game in Chicago on January 4th.

Ironmen At Detroit Ignition (Game Preview)

The Ironmen will be seeking their first win of the season Saturday night when they travel to Compuware Arena to take on the Detroit Ignition. The match is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 and can be seen live online on the B2 Networks.

The Ironmen are coming off an anemic one goal performance against the Chicago Storm in last week's season opener. A number of Ironmen players will look to get on the scoring track including Chile Farias, who notched 16 goals and 26 assists during last season's campaign.

There is no word yet on who will be in goal for the Irons. Brett Phillips got the starting nod against Chicago, but Patrick Hannigan looked strong in relief.

Last season's MISL rookie of the year Frederico Moojen is listed as questionable for the match due to a toe injury.

Detroit is coming off an 11-4 loss in Milwaukee last week. Forward Mike Apple and midfielder Vahid Assadpour were the two goalscorers for the Ignition in that match.

The Ironmen split last season's head to head meetings with the Ignition 2-2. Detroit finished the regular season in second place while the Ironmen ended sixth.

Ironmen Slip In Opener

Sunday's season opener was not a pretty sight. The Ironmen were able to muster only a single goal on 18 shots during yesterday's 4-2 loss to the Chicago Storm at the Prudential Center.

The Ironmen opened the scoring a little more than a minute into the game when Goran Vasic's free kick found a loosely-marked Aduato Neto, who directed the ball into the net from just outside the far post.

Chicago however got the equalizer about five minutes later when Chris Cerroni took a cross from the left flank and beat Ironmen goalkeeper Brett Phillips for the Storm's first tally of the season.

Both teams would show their off season rust as the game went scoreless for over 40 minutes. The scoring drought ended 1:43 into the fourth period when the Ironmen defense failed to clear a Chicago pass in front of the net. Chicago striker Awadalla Morad collected the ball and struck it past a sprawling Phillips to give Chicago a 4-2 lead.

The Ironmen generated a couple scoring chances down the latter part of the fourth, but could not find the finishing touch.

We here at the Local Fe26 were disappointed with Sunday's result, but we're confident that the talent rich Ironmen can pick up the slack soon. New Jersey's next match will be away against the Detroit Ignition on December 20th. Check back here for a game preview.

Chicago Storm 4, New Jersey Ironmen 2

SCORING SUMMARY:

First quarter: 1, New Jersey, Adauto Neto (Goran Vasic assist), 1:06; 2, Chicago, Chris Cerroni (Zlatko Zebic), 6:09.
END OF 1Q: Chicago 2, New Jersey 2
Fourth quarter: 3, Chicago, Awadalla Morad (Fabinho), 1:43.
END OF GAME: Chicago 4, New Jersey 2
Saves: Chicago 18 (Jeff Richey 18); New Jersey 7 (Brett Phillips 3, Patrick Hannigan 3, Goran Vasic 1).

Ironmen Open Season Sunday (Game Preview)

The season is finally upon us! The Ironmen will get their sophmore campaign underway this Sunday when they take on the Chicago Storm at the Prudential Center. The match is slated kick off at 4:00 PM.

The Ironmen feature an overhauled lineup that includes some of the best talent that the indoor game has to offer. The marquee off season move was the signing of star forward Aduato Neto. The 2005-2006 MISL MVP has notched an impressive 106 goals and 72 assists in 137 career indoor games.

The midfield corps will be lead by Goran Vasic, who is one of only six players to return from last season's squad. The 36-year-old Serb lead the team last year with 29 assists while adding 10 goals.

Defender Ryan Hall will help bolster a retooled back line. Hall's 57 blocked shots was third most in the MISL last season.

Tony Meola's departure will leave three goalkeepers vying for the starting spot. Brett Phillips will get the nod Sunday. Phillips most recently played for the United States National Futsal Team.

Here are a few more notes on the game:

* The Ironmen were 2-1 in head to head meetings with Chicago last season.

* The Storm's attack will be lead by former Red Bull New York first round draft pick Randi Patterson. The Hackensack, NJ native lead the Charleston Battery in scoring this past USL season.

* The Ironmen held a 14-16 record and finished in six place last season.

* Chicago went 15-15 and placed fifth.