UNDEFEATED WINGS PREPARE FOR LATE SUNDAY GAME

UNDEFEATED WINGS TAKE ON RUNNERS IN LATE SUNDAY GAME AT HARTMAN

Park City, KS (January 8, 2020) - The Wichita Wings are taking on the high-scoring New Mexico Runners this weekend at Hartman Arena in Park City. The match was initially scheduled for the early afternoon on Sunday, January 12, however to avoid conflict with the Kansas City Chiefs divisional playoff game the organization has moved the kickoff to 6 p.m.

"We know that Wings fans were having to choose," said Blake Shumaker, owner. "It just made sense to let the Orange Army and Wichita avoid having to make a tough decision. This way they can support both teams. Especially since this is such a pivotal game in our season and we know how important the home crowd is."

The Wings are looking ahead to a great matchup with the New Mexico Runners after coming off an exciting home win against the well-respected Amarillo Bombers, who were also new to the MASL this season. Last weekend, the Wings came away with yet another decisive win against the high-scoring Bombers.They gave the Wings their toughest battle yet in a game that showed the goal-scoring strengths and defensive prowess of the Wichita team.

New Mexico is an established organization that has been around for a few years now, unlike the fledgling Wings. Currently, Wichita is ahead in the standings while the New Mexico Runners are in third place chasing the Wings. They are dangerous around the goal, with a nearly 11 point goals-for tally and a +16-point goal differential.

That makes defense one of the top priorities for the Wings heading into the game.

"If you look at the stat sheet, they dominate almost all the categories," said defender Kevin Ten Eyck. "They have some good players. They can score lots of goals. We will need to be on our defensive best to able to match them. We can't take plays off or lose our concentration, because they will capitalize on those mistakes."

And although the Wings have enjoyed great success so far their first season, Ten Eyck said he recognizes that going up against a well-established team be a difficult task.

"They don't have the challenge of bringing in new players to the indoor game and teaching them the game," said Ten Eyck.

A win on Sunday is important for the young 40th anniversary team, who are already looking ahead to the team that might be their most stiff competition for the season, the powerhouse Chihuahua Savage, who they will meet head-on in back-to-back games January 18 and 19, also at Hartman Arena.

"If the Wings win against New Mexico, it sets up a clash of the two unbeaten teams in the league for the possession of first place on January 17," said Shumaker.

All three games still have tickets remaining. Team leadership and players say that the fans not only inspire their play, but help them to achieve on the field.

The crowd has been loud, excited and supportive and have given the team a definite home-field advantage, said Shumaker. Ten Eyck agreed, adding he hoped to see folks attending their first indoor soccer game alongside the stalwart Orange Army.

Note the time change which puts the Wings are back on the field at 6 p.m. next Sunday, Jan. 12, at Hartman Arena. Tickets still remain for all matches and are available through Ticketmaster online and the Hartman Arena box office.

MERCHANDISE WILL BE AVAILABLE

This week, again, Wings fans quickly scooped up gear from the merchandise table near the front of the arena. Team managers brought hundreds of tee shirts, sweatshirts and jackets to the arena and fans bought nearly the entire shipment for the second week in a row. Haven't picked up yours yet? Don't worry more shirts and other merchandise is slated to be available at the home games versus New Mexico and Chihuahua.

Fans should note that Hartman sales are credit card only. The team is not able to take cash for Wings' merchandise inside the arena