A Whole Lot of Soccer Going On

A Whole Lot of Soccer Going On!

Hershey Wildcats
• The Hershey Wildcats will kick off the 2001 season with a home game, taking on the Indiana Blast on April 29 at the Hersheypark Stadium. Tip off is at
6:05 p.m.

• The 2001 season consists of 30 games, 15 of which will be played at the Stadium. The last regularly scheduled season game is set for September 8 at the Connecticut Wolves. The last home game is scheduled against the Wolves on September 7.

• Returning to the team will be veteran defender Kyle Swords. Swords inked a deal to keep him with the Wildcats for two more years. Swords has been with the team since the 1997 inagural season.

• Two new additions to the 2001 line-up are defender Chad Evans and goalkeeper Jon Busch. Last year, Evans played with the Boston Bulldogs, although he sat out much of the season due to an injury. Busch spent the past three years with the Hampton Roads Mariners in Virginia Beach. While with the Mariners, he played 66 games and earned team MVP honors for the 1998 and 1999 seasons, during which he posted 13 shutouts.

• This season, the Wildcats will be playing in a new conference. The United Soccer League has restructured the A-League into three conferences, North, Central, and Western. The Wildcats are a part of the North Conference.

Harrisburg Heat
• During regular season play, midfielder David Bascome wrote his way into the Heat history books. In a March loss to the Kansas City Attack, Bascome became the all-time leading goal-scorer in team history. Earlier in the season, he became the Heat’s all-time leading scorer in points scored.

• With a win over the Buffalo Blizzard on March 24, the Heat moved their record to 24-15, tying the single-season franchise record for wins. In the 1991-1992 season, the Heat earned a record of 24-16.

• The last regular season game for the Heat is March 30 at home. The Heat will square off against the Baltimore Blast at 7:35 p.m.

• Heading into the play offs, the Harrisburg Heat are owners of the National Professional Soccer League’s American Conference title. With a Baltimore Blast loss to the Philadelphia Kixx, the title marks the second time in its 10-year history that the franchise has won a regular season division or conference title. More importantly, the nod marks the first time the Heat has entered into post-season play with the league’s best record and the resulting home-field advantage.

• The Heat’s first playoff game is scheduled for Sunday, April 8 against the Conference’s fourth seed. Kick-off takes place at 6:05 p.m. at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg.