Nate Jafta scored the game winner in a 3-1 victory at Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo, MI (June 22, 2008)- The Michigan Bucks recovered from an early miscue at Kalamazoo to score three second half goals in beating the Outrage 3-1 Saturday at Mayor’s Riverfront Park. The Pontiac based side with the Premier Development League’s (PDL) best record spotted the home team a goal in the second minute of play, following a miscue in the Buck’s six yard box. While preparing to clear what looked to be a harmless ball in front of the goal, captain Mike Holody fell victim to the less than perfect field conditions when the ball he went to clear jumped over his foot to a gracious Outrage striker Tom Warmer, who calmly put the ball past Bucks keeper Steve Clark for a 1-0 lead. The early goal didn’t discourage the Bucks, who proceeded to pound the ball at the Kalamazoo goal relentlessly for the entire first half. The half ended with the same score, but the momentum was clearly in the Bucks favor. Besides missing three point blank range chances, Kenny Uzoigwe headed one off the cross bar and newcomer Billy Weaver dented the right post with a laser from ten yards away.

Bucks third year head coach Dan Fitzgerald was pleased with the work rate in the first half but more impressed with the veteran team’s patience. "Sometimes in soccer you feel a bit snake bitten, like nothing is ever going to go in the back of the net. We could have scored four goals against Toronto and four more in the first half tonight- but the ball just wasn’t going our way. Assistant coach Mark Ellis made a couple of tactical changes at halftime and the boys did the rest. When we came back from the halftime break we knew something good was going to happen."

Ellis and Fitzgerald didn’t have time to take their seats before something good did in fact happen. Right from the second half kickoff, the Bucks worked speedy midfielder Ty Shipalane up and down the right flank. Ty took the ball clear down the right side of the field, beat two defenders and crossed the ball to fellow South African and college teammate Nate Jafta. Jafta did what he does best, with a deft touch, coolly slotting the ball waist high across the six yard box where he knew his running mate Kenny Uzoigwe would be anxiously waiting the feed. The 6’4 striker left his feet to meet Jafta’s cross with a diving header to get the Bucks level in the 48th minute. Before the Bucks fans in the crowd finished celebrating their first goal in two games, Weaver took a ball from the left side and sent Jafta in alone on Outrage goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Jafta gave the keeper no chance in finishing his second goal of the season to go with his eight assists. Nate’s goal came just sixty seconds after the first goal and put the visitors in front for good.

The Bucks solid defense made amends for the early gift they gave the home side and held Kalamazoo to only one more shot the entire game. Steve Clark finished the game with one save, but was able to raise his record to a league leading 9-0 on the season. Defenders Kyle Russell and Dave Hertel held down the flanks with solid physical play, while newly acquired Adam Brent joined Holody as the two central defenders who shut down Kalamazoo’s talented strikers. The Bucks did have several other chances to put the game away, but it wasn’t until the 88th minute when Piotr Nowak picked the top right corner for his free kick of 20 yards that left Shuttleworth with no chance. Nowak’s second goal of the season closed out the scoring at 3-1.

The Bucks travel to Chicago on Wednesday to play the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park and renew an old rivalry for the first time this year. Chicago is battling Kalamazoo at the top of the Midwest Division of the Central Conference, while the Bucks sit alone atop the Great Lakes Division, ten points clear of second place Toronto with six regular season matches left to play. The Bucks return home on Saturday, July 5 for a holiday home match against the Cincinnati Kings at Ultimate Soccer Arenas (7:30 kickoff). Tickets are $14 VIP, $10 Adult reserved and $5 Youth reserved and can be purchased online at Ticket Master or at the box office at Ultimate Soccer. To keep up with all the Bucks latest information, including youth camps this summer, please visit the Bucks web site at buckssoccer.com . To learn more about the 67 team PDL, please visit the United Soccer Leagues web site at uslsoccer.com.