WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Saturday, July 2, 2011 – Bring on the Thunder Bay Chill.

After sweeping WSA Winnipeg, the Des Moines Menace turns its attention to its arch-rivals. Thunder Bay comes to town next week for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader that looms large in the playoff picture for the Premier Development League’s Heartland Division.

With a 3-1 win over Winnipeg tonight at Valley Stadium, the second-place Menace (9-3-0) is within a point of division-leading Real Colorado (9-0-1, 28 points). The Foxes host Thunder Bay (6-1-0) for matches on Tuesday and Wednesday – a doubleheader the Menace will be following closely, as these three teams fight for the division’s two PDL playoff spots.

Des Moines stays in postseason contention with its third-straight victory. The Menace is 4-0 against the division’s newcomers, after outshooting them 62-3 these last two nights, including a 37-2 advantage tonight.

Deshorn Brown, Lebogang Moloto and Ben Taylor did the scoring this time around.

The Menace was looking for another shutout after defeating Winnipeg 4-0 last night. A humbling stoppage-time goal by Aaron Badescu kept this from happening, and reminded the Menace there’s work to be done.

“We feel a little deflated right now,” said Taylor. “We wanted to get some more goals, and we really wanted to get another clean sheet. We’ve got a very talented squad. We can go as far as we want, but we can’t have lapses like that.”

Taylor scored a spectacular upper-90 goal on a free kick in the 64th. He also assisted Brown’s ninth goal of the season.

Brown, who also netted two goals last night, has a team-best 21 points after scoring in the 28th minute and assisting Lebogang Moloto two minutes later.

With only four regular-season matches left, Laurie Calloway’s side understands the importance of next weekend’s matches.

“They’re a very talented team,” Taylor said of the Chill, which beat Des Moines 2-0 and 3-0 last month. “We’ve got to be ready.

“All we can worry about is ourselves. I think there’s more to come from this group.”

MR. B MAN of the MATCH goes to: Ben Taylor, who scored his first Menace goal since 2009 and picked up his second assist. Taylor, a native of Dundee, Scotland, and a recent graduate of Drury University, led the 2009 Menace with 13 points.

UP NEXT: The Menace welcomes Thunder Bay for matches on Friday and Saturday at Valley Stadium. The first 300 fans on Friday receive cowbells. Friday’s action is presented by Little Debbie; Kum & Go is the title sponsor on Saturday.

The team’s final two home matches are July 16 and July 23.          


Match: Des Moines Menace vs. WSA Winnipeg
Date: Saturday, July 2, 2011
Competition: Premier Development League regular-season match
Venue: Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa
Attendance: 3, 214
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Weather: 80s, Sunny


Scoring Summary:     1   2   F
MENACE                      2    1    3
WSA                            0   1    1

MENACE – Deshorn Brown (Ben Taylor) 28:00; Lebogang Moloto (Brown) 30:00; Ben Taylor 64:00

WSA – Aaron Badescu 90:00

Stats Summary: MENACE / WSA
Shots: 37 / 2
Saves: 1 / 12
Corner Kicks: 10 / 2
Fouls: 4 / 6
Offside: 1 / 1

Misconduct Summary: WSA Yellow Cards: Michael Allieu 58:00; Omar Amador 68:00; Jordan Smith 87:00 WSA Ejections: Coach Eduardo Badescu