Blast fall to Soul for just third loss of season

Chicago Soul Pull off the 13-8 Upset

In his 100th Blast game, forward Adauto Neto scored the first goal of the night but the 2-0 second-quarter lead was Baltimore’s only lead of the game.  The 12-3 Blast will now head to Milwaukee to take on the 10-2 Wave Saturday afternoon at 5.

Blast defender Pat Healey tied the game at 8-8 at the midpoint of the final quarter but two late-quarter Chicago goals put an end to Baltimore’s comeback.

Chicago’s leading scorer Carlos Munoz tied the game at 2-2 late in the first half and the Soul took their first lead midway through the third quarter when Fred Degand scored to put the Soul on top 4-2.  The final two minutes of the third quarter saw four goals and seven penalty minutes as Blast rookie Marco Mangione tied the game at 4-4 just 13 seconds before Erik Lukin put the Soul back on top 6-4.  Carlos Farias added to the Soul’s lead late in the quarter, making it 8-4 before Munoz was sent to the penalty box for a striking penalty. Blast team captain Mike Lookingland capitalized on the ensuing power play opportunity, cutting the Soul lead to 8-6 with 35 seconds left in the quarter.

The Blast kicked off their 33rd season of professional indoor soccer in Baltimore with nine straight wins before losing two games on the road to end 2012.  The team rebounded from the two losses with three convincing wins over the Rochester Lancers to open 2013.

There’s no Place Like Home
The Blast, 9-3 at home last season, started 2012-13 with four home games in the span of just 13 days.  The team, 8-0 at home this season, has boasted winning records at home each of the last six seasons and has had winning home records in 18 of the last 20 seasons.  The Blast are currently on a 17-game regular-season home win streak and have set a franchise record for most home wins to start the season (eight).

Blast vs. Wave
Dating back to the 1992-93 season, the Blast vs. Wave rivalry is the fiercest and longest-standing rivalry in indoor soccer.  The Blast is 31-47 all-time against the Wave in the regular season while holding a 9-6 edge in postseason play.  Since the 2003 postseason, the Blast and Wave have played each other six times in the playoffs with Baltimore winning the Championship matchups in 2003 and 2004 and Milwaukee beating the Blast for the title in 2011 and 2012.  The Blast defeated the Wave, 15-4, in Baltimore on November 16 but the Wave earned a 6-5 win in Milwaukee on December 22.

The Wave defeated the Comets, 18-6, Thursday night.