WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – July 3, 2010 – The Thunder Bay Chill scored two goals in the first ten minutes, and the Des Moines Menace never recovered, losing a Premier Development League match, 3-1, tonight at Valley Stadium.

The loss all but wraps up the Heartland Division for the Chill (10-1-1, 31 points), which now leads Des Moines (5-3-6) and Rochester (6-2-3) by ten points and Real Colorado (5-2-5) by 11. The Menace ‘s postseason hopes are barely alive, with only two games left compared to five for Rochester and four for Real Colorado. The division’s top two teams earn postseason berths.

“I think we need a miracle now,” Menace head coach Laurie Calloway said. “We didn’t do ourselves any good tonight. We found ourselves in a hole early on once again.”

Brandon Swartzendruber, who ranks second in the PDL in points (24) and third in goals (10), put the visitors on the board in the third minute. Sicelo Buthelezi made it 2-0 five minutes later, lofting a shot over goalkeeper Jake Wright.

The Chill caught a break in the 23rd minute, when an own goal by the Menace defense spotted Thunder Bay a three-goal lead. Wright stopped a shot by Gustavo Oliviera, who gathered the rebound and shot the ball towards the net. Menace defender Jack Pearson attempted to clear the ball, but put it in the back of the team’s own goal.

Des Moines responded two minutes later. Logan McDaniel scored off a Clark Bradford free kick to cut the Chill lead to two. It was McDaniel’s fourth goal, which ranks second on the Menace to Bradford’s five. The two also lead the team in points; Bradford has 13 and McDaniel has nine.

The Menace had a man advantage for the final 55 minutes. Nolan Intermoia – the Chill’s second leading scorer, who also ranks near the top of the PDL in points – received a red card for an elbow to the Menace’s Jubril Lawal before a free kick.

This is the third straight year the Menace’s Canadian arch-rivals have won at Valley Stadium on July 4 fireworks night. The Chill has dealt the Menace three of its last four home losses, going back to a 3-0 win here on July 4, 2008.

Thunder Bay heads home with a five-match winning streak on a roadtrip that also included stops in St. Louis, Springfield and Kansas City. The Chill has outscored foes 34-8 on the season, including an 11-4 edge against Des Moines.

The Menace has struggled against the Heartland Division’s top teams this year. Des Moines has not won a game against Thunder Bay (0-2-1), Rochester (0-1-1) or Real Colorado (0-0-3), which does not bode well for its playoff chances.

After an exhibition match next Saturday, the Menace has two more chances to collect points in the regular-season standings. The Menace hosts the St. Paul Twin Stars of the National Premier Soccer League on July 10 – the third of five straight Saturday home games to finish the season. Des Moines hosts Kansas City on July 17 and St. Louis on July 24.

Match: Thunder Bay Chill at Des Moines Menace
Date: July 3, 2010
Competition: Premier Development League Heartland Division regular-season match
Venue: Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Attendance: 3,617
Weather: 80s


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

MENACE – Logan McDaniel (Clark Bradford) 25:00
TB – Brandon Swartzendruber 3:00; Sicelo Buthelezi 8:00; Jack Pearson (Menace own goal) 23:00

Stats Summary: MENACE / TB
Shots: 27 / 19
Saves: 10 / 12
Corner Kicks: 3 / 0
Fouls: 10 / 18
Offside: 8 / 2

Misconduct Summary: MENACE Yellow Cards: Stephen Baker 49:00; Clark Bradford 62:00; Husref Jupic 89:00; TB Yellow Card: Zetroy Robertson 45:00; TB Red Card: Nolan Intermoia 35:00