NEW JERSEY IRONMEN TOP ORLANDO SHARKS 13-7 AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER

NEWARK, NJ- The New Jersey Ironmen (6-3) hosted the Orlando Sharks (0-12) tonight at Prudential Center in a battle of expansion teams, and a crowd of 5,192 fans saw the home team end their two-game skid, 13-7. The game, which was telecasted live on Fox Soccer Channel, featured as honorary captain Giovanni Savarese, the second all-time leading goal scorer for the New York/ New Jersey MetroStars (now Red Bull New York).

Brazilian Frederico Moojen netted the first goal of the contest when he headed in a feed from teammate Mauricio Salles, giving the Ironmen an early 2-0 lead. Moojen put a second header into the net when MISL assist leader Goran Vasic hooked him up at the 8:58 mark of the first frame. Salles then stretched the New Jersey advantage to 7-0 when he scored a Lazo Alavanja assist from outside the three-point arc. At 9:56 of the opening stanza, Tiguinho tallied his first career goal after finishing off a pass from defender Gordon Kljestan.

Shark midfielder Miodrag Djerisilo got Orlando on the board at 12:33 of the second quarter by knocking in a ball from Mauricio Ruiz, placing a 9-2 count on the scoreboard.

Orlando hit the first tally of the second half on a Jorge Valle goal, and he followed that solo knock with an three-pointer to bring the Sharks within two points, 9-7. The newly-signed Shawn Boney registered the assist. The Ironmen finally ended their scoring drought at the 12:06 mark on a Dan Antoniuk to Osni Neto power play goal.

A minute after winning goalkeeper Tony Meola came within a foot of netting a ball he threw the length of the field, Shaun David sent home an unassisted score to hang the final count in favor of the host Ironmen, 13-7.

New Jersey now heads out west before finishing up a three-game road swing in Baltimore. The Ironmen return to Newark on Saturday, January 5, to host the Detroit Igniton.

The Ironmen are currently offering a "We Win, You Win" Holiday Pack. Included in this ticket package, fans will receive discounted tickets to two games, free parking and an Ironmen soccer ball (while supplies last). The entire package starts at $35, and it is available now by calling the New Jersey Ironmen ticket line at 1-800-IRONMEN. Call us today to catch the Xtreme Xcitement of Ironmen indoor soccer!

ABOUT THE NEW JERSEY IRONMEN

The New Jersey Ironmen, operated by Jeff Vanderbeek and Michael Gilfillan of the NHL New Jersey Devils ownership group, will 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, scheduled to commence in mid-October and conclude at the end of March. The Ironmen will 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.

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 commences 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.

Courtesy John ARchibald/ NJ Ironmen