Lake Orion, MI (August 4, 2007) -- The defending PDL champion Michigan Bucks survived their toughest challenge of the 2007 season as they battled the Brooklyn Knights to a 1-1 tie, thirty minutes of  scoreless overtime and a 5-4 penalty kick shootout win to advance to their second consecutive championship match in as many years.  The Bucks will have to travel to Laredo, Texas next Saturday to take on the Heat in a rematch of last year’s title game, in the same venue.  The Bucks won their first North American championship last year by defeating the Heat 2-1, before 7,000 fans on a 107 degree evening.  Laredo advanced to the final with an 85th minute goal to defeat the Fresno Fuego 1-0.   The Bucks thrilling victory in front of an overflow crowd at Lake Orion High School was said to be by many the greatest soccer match ever to be played at the complex.

The Knights jumped out early on the Bucks when forward Tarik Smith took a pass from Jeff Matteo and quickly slotted home a shot past Bucks goalkeeper Steve Clark in the fifteenth minute.  Clark would not let the early strike affect his game, as he would end up being the "Man of the Match", in a game that had several quality performances, including that of Brooklyn keeper Steven Diaz.    In addition to Smith, midfielder Danny Dragoi and forward Ricky Charles kept the Bucks competent back line busy for the majority of the first half.  The high scoring team from Michigan would finally get their counterattacking offense on track following a corner kick in the 33rd minute.  As the Knights attempted to clear the corner, Bucks striker Khelli Dube stole the ball at the edge of the 18 yard box and ripped a shot high off the near post that ricocheted off the far post and into the net to tie the score at 1-1.

The second half was filled with lots of chances for both teams with Dube, defensive midfielder Piotr Nowak and striker Kenny Uzoigwe hitting both goal posts and the cross bar in an attempt to take a second half lead.  Brooklyn launched several counter attacks of their own, only to be thwarted on several occasions by the outstanding goal keeping of Steve Clark.  The Bucks looked to score the game winner in the 88th minute when Uzoigwe’s header was pinned on the goal line by Diaz to send the game to extra time.   Kenny’s shot off the post and constant pressure had the sellout crowd ready to explode for the victory, but it wasn’t meant to be.  After 120 minutes of battle, both teams, who earned the respect of every fan in the stadium, put their championship hopes in the hands of their goalkeepers and at the feet of their most reliable strikers. 

Former St. Johns University and Columbus Crew player Jeff Matteo stepped up to take the first Brooklyn PK and coolly put the ball high past Clark for a 1-0 lead in penalties.  Uzoigwe stepped up to take the first Bucks PK and rolled his shot to the right of keeper Diaz for a 1-1 tie.  Kenny not only got the crowd into the extra session with his goal, but then became team cheerleader as MVP Steve Clark took control of the game.  Brooklyn’s Danny Dragoi, who had an outstanding match, made his only mistake of the evening, when Clark guessed right and came up with the save the Bucks needed to take control of the penalty shootout.  Second half sub Nik Djokic calmly hit the second Bucks shot, making it 2-1 for the home team.  The Knights would score their next three attempts (Ricky Charles, Hemir Niebles and Michigan native Dan Belke), as would the Bucks (Eric Brunner and Ty Shipalane).  With the penalty score tied at 4-4, Bucks captain (and Clarkston native) Mike Holody stepped up with the game on the line.  An ecstatic crowd got behind Holody as he smashed home the game winner to lead his team back to Texas to defend their title from 2006. 

The Bucks and Heat will match up on Saturday, August 11 to decide the 2007 North American PDL Champion.  The match will be televised nationally on Fox Soccer Channel following Saturday night’s MLS game of the week.   The Bucks will be heading to Texas later in the week to prepare for the big match and will attend the United Soccer League (USL) year end awards banquet on Friday night, where several Bucks players will be honored for their outstanding individual and team efforts during the course of the 2007 season.

For further information, please visit the Bucks web site at buckssoccer.com.