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2014–15 Wichita B-52s season

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Wichita B-52s
2014–15 MASL season
OwnerJoseph Pindell
Head CoachJeff Kraft (games 1-5)
Darin Smith (game 6)
Kim Roentved (games 7-)
ArenaHartman Arena
8151 N. Hartman Arena Drive
Park City, Kansas 67147
Major Arena Soccer League4th, Central (regular season)
Top goalscorerMatt Clare (35 goals, 13 assists)
Highest home attendance2,458 (February 21 vs. Tulsa Revolution)
Lowest home attendance885 (November 16 vs. Oxford City FC of Texas)
Average home league attendance1,703 (10 games)[1]

The 2014–15 Wichita B-52s season was the second season of the Wichita B-52s professional indoor soccer club. The Wichita B-52s, a Central Division team in the Major Arena Soccer League, played their home games at Hartman Arena in Park City, a suburb of Wichita, Kansas.

The team was led by team president Joseph Pindell and head coach Kim Roentved. The B-52s finished the season with a 10–10 record, placing them 4th in the Central and out of the MASL playoffs.

Season summary

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Wichita struggled at the start of the season, losing on the road to the Dallas Sidekicks and then defeating the Tulsa Revolution at home before losing their next 3 games. The B-52s began to find their footing with wins over Tulsa and the Chicago Mustangs then losses to the Missouri Comets and Oxford City FC of Texas. A 5-game win streak started with back-to-back road wins over the Seattle Impact and 3 wins over the St. Louis Ambush on 3 consecutive Saturday nights. Wichita lost 4 more games before home-and-road wins over Tulsa to complete the season. The team finished with a 10-10 record, earning fourth place in the Central Division but not qualifying for post-season play.

History

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B-52s defending against the Dallas Sidekicks.
B-52s in action at Hartman Arena.

The B-52s franchise fills a gap left when the second Wichita Wings, a franchise of the third Major Indoor Soccer League, folded in 2013.[2][3] The B-52s' team colors are based on the Wings' team colors.[4][5]

In their inaugural season, the B-52 struggled through their first 4 games, beating only the Illinois Piasa and giving up 43 goals with Nic Martinez as the keeper. Jason Dewey was brought in as the new primary goalkeeper, improving the winning percentage and sharply decreasing the number of goals surrendered per game. Wichita earned a 7–9 record but did not qualify for the Ron Newman Cup playoffs. The team performed better at the box office, drawing an average of 1,650 fans per game, placing them 6th in the 20-team league for average attendance.

Off-field moves

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In May 2014, the Professional Arena Soccer League added six teams from the failed third incarnation of the Major Indoor Soccer League and reorganized as the Major Arena Soccer League.[6][7] The 2014–15 MASL season will be 20 games long, 4 more than the 16 regular season games of recent PASL seasons.[3] With the league expansion and reorganization, the B-52s' Central division rivals for 2014–15 are the Chicago Mustangs, Milwaukee Wave, St. Louis Ambush, Tulsa Revolution, and Kansas City-based Missouri Comets.[7]

After an inaugural season where the team lost more games than they won and failed to make the post-season, Wichita released Larry Inlow as head coach in September 2014. New head coach Jeff Kraft is a veteran player and coach with more than 20 years experience in indoor soccer.[8]

In late October, the team hired Kim Roentved as director of soccer operations, a job combining coaching, recruiting, and community outreach. Roentved has strong ties to Wichita, first as a player for the original Wichita Wings from 1980 to 1987 then as a player/coach from 1991 to 1998, with the last 4 of those years as head coach. He had most recently served as the head coach for the Missouri Comets of the now-defunct MISL.[9]

On November 26, with the B-52s earning only a 1–4 record after 5 games and struggling at the box office, the team released head coach Jeff Kraft and named his assistant coach, Darin Smith, to replace him on an interim basis. At the same time, the team released players Damian Garcia and Carlos "Chile" Farias, citing the need to "rebuild" and "to keep moving forward" as a team.[10] On December 2, the team announced Kim Roentved as their new head coach.[11][12]

In late May 2015, local media reported that some players and staff had worked this season with little or no pay, some checks written by the team to vendors had bounced, and that the team owed Hartman Arena approximately $2,000.[13] Team owner Joey Pindell told KWCH-DT that the "B-52's are experiencing some struggles" but that he was working with MASL officials to resolve their issues.[14]

Schedule

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  Win   Loss

Pre-season

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Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
1 Sunday October 26 5:05pm Mexican National Indoor Team L 4–9 0–1 Hartman Arena[15]

Regular season

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Game Day Date Kickoff Opponent Results Location[16] Attendance
Score Record
1 Saturday November 1 7:00pm at Dallas Sidekicks L 6–7[17][18] 0–1 Allen Event Center[19] 3,768[20]
2 Saturday November 8 7:05pm Tulsa Revolution W 12–6[21][22] 1–1 Hartman Arena 1,510[23]
3 Sunday November 16 3:05pm Oxford City FC of Texas1 L 9–10 (SO) 1–2 Hartman Arena 885[24]
4 Saturday November 22 7:05pm at Missouri Comets L 3–13[25][26] 1–3 Independence Events Center[27] 4,242[28]
5 Sunday November 23 3:00pm Dallas Sidekicks L 2–3 (OT)[29] 1–4 Hartman Arena[30][31] 991[32]
6 Saturday November 29 7:05pm at Tulsa Revolution W 8–4[33][34] 2–4 Cox Business Center 461[35]
7 Saturday December 6 7:05pm Chicago Mustangs W 8–5[36] 3–4 Hartman Arena 1,539[37]
8 Saturday December 13 7:05pm at Missouri Comets L 3–12[38] 3–5 Independence Events Center[39][40] 3,561[41]
9 Saturday December 20 7:05pm Oxford City FC of Texas L 7–8 3–6 Hartman Arena 1,340[42]
10 Saturday January 3 7:30pm at Seattle Impact W 12–4[43] 4–6 ShoWare Center 723[44]
11 Sunday January 4 4:00pm at Seattle Impact W 10–5[43] 5–6 ShoWare Center 604[45]
12 Saturday January 10 7:05pm St. Louis Ambush W 7–5[46][47] 6–6 Hartman Arena 2,116[48]
13 Saturday January 17 7:05pm St. Louis Ambush W 14–9[49][50] 7–6 Hartman Arena[51] 1,864[52]
14 Saturday January 24 7:05pm at St. Louis Ambush W 9–8 (OT)[53][54] 8–6 Family Arena 6,027[55]
15 Sunday January 25 3:05pm at Milwaukee Wave L 4–12[56][57] 8–7 UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena 2,874[58]
16 Saturday January 31 7:05pm at Chicago Mustangs L 5–8[59] 8–8 Sears Centre[60][61] 1,556[62]
17 Saturday February 7 7:05pm Milwaukee Wave L 12–14[63][64] 8–9 Hartman Arena[65][66] 1,957[67]
18 Sunday February 8 3:05pm Missouri Comets L 4–11[66][68] 8–10 Hartman Arena[69] 2,139[70]
19 Saturday February 21 7:05pm Tulsa Revolution W 12–6 9–10 Hartman Arena[71] 2,458[72]
20 Sunday February 22 3:05pm at Tulsa Revolution2 W 22–4 10–10 Expo Square Pavilion[73][74][75] 208[76]

1 Game originally scheduled for Saturday, November 15.
2 Game rescheduled from December 27 due to a change in home venues.[75]

Awards and honors

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In May 2014, BBC America declared the B-52s as one of "10 British Things About Wichita, Kansas".[77]

Wichita defender Alex Moseley was selected for the 2014-15 MASL All-League Second Team.[78]

Wichita's Abel Sebele earned honorable mention for the league's all-rookie team for 2014-15.[79]

References

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  1. ^ "2014-15 League Attendance". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Schnabel, Mark (July 24, 2013). "New indoor soccer team coming to Wichita". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Ewing, Shane (May 19, 2014). "Wichita B-52s embrace PASL-MISL merger". Wichita, KS: KAKE-TV. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  4. ^ Bates, Jenn (August 20, 2013). "New professional soccer team coming to Wichita". Wichita, KS: KWCH-TV. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Schnabel, Mark (August 23, 2013). "B-52s to take off this season". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  6. ^ Marshall, Raymond (July 29, 2014). "MASL Announces 2014-15 Alignment". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, TX: A. H. Belo. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Spicciarello, Franco (September 10, 2014). "Soccer Indoor, al via la Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)". Soccer Italia (in Italian). Rome, Italy. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  8. ^ "B-52s sign new head coach Jeff Kraft". Wichita, KS: KAKE-TV. September 4, 2014. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Lutz, Jeffrey (November 7, 2014). "Kim Roentved returns to Wichita as part of B-52s front office". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  10. ^ "B-52s Look to Rebuild" (Press release). Wichita, KS: Wichita B-52s. November 26, 2014. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  11. ^ "Rocket returns to B-52's: Wichita soccer club tabs Kim Roentved as next skipper". Wichita, KS: KWCH-TV. December 2, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  12. ^ Seminoff, Kirk (December 2, 2014). "Kim Roentved returns to sideline to coach B-52s indoor soccer team". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  13. ^ Seabrook, Lauren (May 21, 2015). "FF12: Passion trumps profit for B-52 soccer players". Wichita, KS: KWCH-DT. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  14. ^ Seabrook, Lauren (May 20, 2015). "FF12: B-52 soccer team not paying players, staff, vendors". Wichita, KS: KWCH-DT. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  15. ^ "Wichita B-52s Announce Pre-Season Friendly". Wichita B-52s. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  16. ^ "Wichita B-52s Schedule". Major Arena Soccer League. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  17. ^ Marshall, Raymond (November 2, 2014). "Late goal gives Sidekicks win over Wichita, 7-6". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, TX: A. H. Belo. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  18. ^ "B-52s fall in opener". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  19. ^ Welch, Matt (November 5, 2014). "Dallas Sidekicks rally, pick up first MASL win". Allen American. Allen, TX: Star Local News. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  20. ^ "Box Score: Allen Event Center - Sat, Nov 01, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  21. ^ Eldridge, Taylor (November 8, 2014). "B-52s win homer-opener". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  22. ^ "Revolution fall in season opener". Tulsa World. Tulsa, OK: World Publishing Company. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  23. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Nov 08, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  24. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sun, Nov 16, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  25. ^ Husted, Jeff (November 23, 2014). "Comets Crush B-52s". The Blue Testament. Kansas City, MO: Vox Media. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  26. ^ Althaus, Bill (November 24, 2014). "Comets, girlfriend benefit from Harris' anniversary gift". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
  27. ^ Althaus, Bill (November 21, 2014). "Comets proving themselves title worthy again". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  28. ^ "Box Score: Independence Events Center - Sat, Nov 22, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  29. ^ "Sports briefs: B52s set OT record". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. November 27, 2014. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "Sidekicks embark on first road trip of season". Dallas Sidekicks. November 21, 2014. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  31. ^ Marshall, Raymond (November 21, 2014). "Arena Soccer: Sidekicks on the Road For Two This Weekend". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, TX: A. H. Belo. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  32. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sun, Nov 23, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 23, 2014. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  33. ^ "Wichita defeats Revolution in soccer action". Tulsa World. Tulsa, OK: World Publishing Company. November 30, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  34. ^ "Sports briefs: B-52s claim road win". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  35. ^ "Box Score: Cox Business Center - Sat, Nov 29, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  36. ^ "B-52s grab control early, win in Kim Roentved's debut". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  37. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Dec 6, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 6, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  38. ^ Althaus, Bill (December 16, 2014). "Second-half outburst keeps Comets unbeaten". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  39. ^ Althaus, Bill (December 13, 2014). "Comets to see familiar faces tonight". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  40. ^ Bell, Thad (December 13, 2014). "Roentved returns with Wichita to face Comets". The Blue Testament. Kansas City, MO: Vox Media. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  41. ^ "Box Score: Independence Events Center - Sat, Dec 13, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 13, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  42. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Dec 20, 2014". Major Arena Soccer League. December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  43. ^ a b "B-52s complete sweep of Seattle". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  44. ^ "Box Score: ShoWare Center - Sat, Jan 03, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 3, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
  45. ^ "Box Score: ShoWare Center - Sun, Jan 04, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  46. ^ "Sport shorts: Ambush lose". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  47. ^ Tipton, Lionel (January 10, 2015). "B-52s beat St. Louis for third straight win". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  48. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Jan 10, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 10, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  49. ^ "Sport shorts: Ambush lose". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  50. ^ Tipton, Lionel (January 17, 2015). "B-52s top St. Louis 14-9 for fourth straight win". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  51. ^ "Sports shorts: Ambush on the road". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  52. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Jan 17, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 17, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  53. ^ "B-52s' comeback sinks Ambush". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  54. ^ "Sport shorts: Ambush lose". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, MO: Lee Enterprises. January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  55. ^ "Box Score: Family Arena - Sat, Jan 24, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  56. ^ Boehler, Dave (January 25, 2015). "Tony Walls' 3 goals power Wave past Wichita". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  57. ^ DeLong, Katie (January 25, 2015). "Milwaukee Wave face Wichita B52's at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, win 12-4". Milwaukee, WI: WITI-TV. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  58. ^ "Box Score: UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena - Sun, Jan 25, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  59. ^ "Mustangs beat B-52s 8-5". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  60. ^ "Sports briefs: Moseley named to team of week". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  61. ^ Halberstadt, Doug (January 20, 2015). "Sears Centre offers variety of sporting events". Rock River Times. Rockford, IL. Archived from the original on October 14, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  62. ^ "Box Score: Sears Centre - Sat, Jan 31, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. January 31, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  63. ^ "Ian Bennett puts on a show for Wave fans". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI: Journal Communications. February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  64. ^ Eldridge, Taylor (February 7, 2015). "B-52s unable to hold back the Wave". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  65. ^ DeLong, Katie (February 9, 2015). ""It feels good:" Milwaukee Wave secure spot in Major Arena Soccer League playoffs". Milwaukee, WI: WITI-TV. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  66. ^ a b Bell, Thad (February 9, 2015). "Comets win twice but old friends Roentved and Andonovski steal the show". The Blue Testament. Kansas City, MO: Vox Media. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  67. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Feb 07, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  68. ^ "Coach helps Comets remain undefeated". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  69. ^ Althaus, Bill (February 5, 2015). "Comets not taking nights off despite clinching early". The Examiner. Independence, MO: GateHouse Media. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  70. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sun, Feb 08, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 8, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  71. ^ "B-52s face Tulsa in final games of regular season". The Wichita Eagle. Wichita, KS: The McClatchy Company. February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  72. ^ "Box Score: Hartman Arena - Sat, Feb 21, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 21, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  73. ^ "Game on Dec 27th Rescheduled". Tulsa Revolution. December 24, 2014. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  74. ^ "Tulsa Revolution home games moving to Expo Square; Saturday's game rescheduled". Tulsa World. Tulsa, OK: World Publishing Company. December 25, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  75. ^ a b Schnabel, Mark (December 26, 2014). "B-52s game postponed". The Newton Kansan. Newton, KS: GateHouse Media. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  76. ^ "Box Score: Expo Square Pavilion - Sat, Feb 22, 2015". Major Arena Soccer League. February 22, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  77. ^ Brown, Brigid (May 1, 2014). "10 British Things About Wichita, KS". BBC America. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  78. ^ "MASL Announces 2014/15 All-League Teams". Major Arena Soccer League. March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  79. ^ "MASL Announces 2014/15 All-Rookie Team". Major Arena Soccer League. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
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