Led by Tony Donatelli the Blast earned a convincing 21-12 MISL Championship Series Game One road victory Thursday night over the Missouri Comets. Game Two is set for Saturday night at 1st Mariner Arena. Donatelli recorded at hat trick and Ptah Myers, Adauto Neto and Machel Millwood added two goals each while goalkeeper William Vanzela recorded 18 saves.

The Blast wasted no time scoring the first goal of the game as Donatelli knocked in a goal just 33 seconds into the match. Missouri’s Byron Alvarez tied the game at 2-2 but the tie was short-lived and the Blast jumped out to a 6-2 lead thanks to goals from Neto and Myers before the end of the first quarter.

Donatelli opened the second quarter with another first-minute goal and the Blast turned his goal into a four-goal scoring run that resulted in a 14-2 lead midway through the quarter. Rookie Lucas Roque scored next, followed by Millwood and a second goal from Neto.

The Comets fought back in the third quarter, outscoring the Blast, 6-2, and cutting Baltimore’s lead to 16-8. Milan Ivanovic opened the second-half scoring one minute before Myers scored his second goal of the game to keep the Blast on top 16-4. Ryan Junge and Lucas Rodriquez followed up with goals to continue the Comets scoring streak (16-8).

Millwood’s second goal came in the eighth minute of the final quarter to make it 18-8 but the Comets scored the next two goals, both with their sixth attacker on the field. Donatelli’s three-point goal with just 25 seconds remaining sealed Baltimore’s victory.

Game Two will take place Saturday night in Baltimore, with a deciding Mini Game to be played immediately following regulation, if needed. The Comets are no strangers to a Game One loss, having rallied in the Semifinals to beat the Milwaukee Wave in Game Two and again in the Mini Game.

2013 MISL Championship Series – Baltimore Blast vs. Missouri Comets

Game One: Blast 21-12

Game Two: Saturday, March 16, 1^st Mariner Arena – 7:35 p.m.

By the Numbers:

Baltimore Blast: First Seed, 21-5 regular season record, 3-0 Postseason record

Missouri Comets: Third Seed, 13-13 regular season record, 2-2 Postseason record

The Blast ended the regular season on a six-game win streak, en route to claiming the 2012-13 MISL regular season title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. With two wins over the Chicago Soul in the MISL Semifinals, the Blast have extended that win streak to eight straight games.

The team opened the regular season with nine straight home wins, a win streak that was broken by a 14-11 loss to this weekend’s opponent, the Missouri Comets. Prior to the first home loss, the Blast set a franchise record for most home wins to start the season (nine).

Veteran Adauto Neto led the Blast in the Semifinals with four goals and one assist for nine points; rookie Lucas Roque followed with four goals (eight points). Lucio Gonzaga will miss the Championship Series after suffering a knee injury Saturday night against the Soul.

The Competition

After losing Game One of the Semifinals, 12-10 in overtime to the Wave, the Comets fought back to win Game Two, 9-8 to tie the series. They went on to win the Mini Game, 5-4, to knock the Wave out of the postseason and advance to the Championship Series.

MISLNation

The MISL Championship Series can be seen live on the Internet at www.MISLNation.com.
Tickets

Tickets for Saturday’s home MISL Championship Series Game Two against the Comets are available by calling 410-73-BLAST or by going to www.TicketMaster.com.

Led by Lucio Gonzaga, the Blast defeated the Syracuse Silver Knights, 27-13, Sunday afternoon to improve to 14-4 on the season.  Eight Baltimore players scored in the win including three goals from Gonzaga and two each from Machel Millwood and Adriano Dos Santos.

The Blast came out fast, scoring four goals in the first four minutes of the game to take an early 8-0 lead.  J.T. Noone extended the lead to 10-0 before the Silver Knights’ Andriy Budnyy got Syracuse on the scoreboard with a three-point goal.  Syracuse’s Neto scored a power play goal to end the first quarter and cut the Blast lead to 10-5.  Baltimore’s team captain, Mike Lookingland, opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the match and Millwood, Ptah Myers and Gonzaga followed suit in the next three minutes.

The teams played more than 14 scoreless minutes in the second quarter before Tony Donatelli extended the Blast lead to 12-5 just 23 seconds before halftime.

The third and fourth quarters were similar to the first with the Blast surging ahead with goal after goal.  Baltimore opened the second half with four quick, the first coming from Dos Santos at 2:35.  Millwood and Gonzaga each added their second goals of the game and rookie Marco Mangione scored a three-pointer to give the Blast a 21-5 lead after just six minutes.  Syracuse’s Neto scored his second goal of the game, with just seconds to go in the quarter, to cut the Blast lead to 21-7.

The teams combined for six goals in the final quarter with Silver Knights adding five quick points to cut the Blast lead to 21-11.  Dos Santos and Max Ferdinand scored the next two goals and Gonzaga completed his hat trick in the 10th minute.

The Blast will return to 1st Mariner Arena Friday night to host the Rochester Lancers and Saturday night to host the Missouri Comets.  Friday night fans will be treated to a FREE post-game concert by Thousand Foot Krutch.
MISLNation
Every MISL game this season can be seen live on the Internet at www.MISLNation.com.

Upcoming Games
Friday, January 25 vs. Rochester Lancers – FREE post-game concert featuring Thousand Foot Krutch
Saturday, January 26 vs. Missouri Comets

In another typically hard-fought battle between the Blast and the Wave, the Wave’s Josh Rife scored just 40 seconds into overtime to claim the 10-8 victory.

Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Blast jumped out to an early 4-0 lead as Tony Donatelli opened the scoring midway through the first quarter and leading scorer Machel Millwood added a goal in the 10th minute to extend Baltimore’s lead.

After being held scoreless for 21:43, the Wave scored two goals in less than two minutes to tie the game at 4-4 in the second quarter.  Former Blast player Fabinho scored Milwaukee’s first goal, cutting Baltimore’s lead in half, before Ian Bennett tied the game at four apiece.

Milwaukee took their first lead of the game, 6-4, early in the third quarter but the Blast fought back and tied the game at 6-6 on a Lucas Roque goal.

With seven minutes to go, Rampa knocked in a goal to give the Wave the 8-6 lead but the Blast battled back again, with Donatelli scoring his second goal of the game to tie it at 8-8.

With the Wave on the power play, Rife scored the game-winner less than a minute into overtime to push the Blast into second place, a half game behind Milwaukee.

The Blast defeated the Rochester Lancers, 15-5, Saturday night for their eighth straight home win of the season, improving to 12-2.   Leading scorer Machel Millwood led the way with two goals as the Blast set a franchise record for most home wins to open the season.

Rochester’s Mauricio Salles scored a three-point restart goal late in the first quarter to give the Lancers a 3-0 lead before J.T. Noone struck twice in four minutes to put the Blast on top, 4-3.  Former Blast player Rey Martinez scored next to put the Lancers back on top, 5-4, but Blast rookie Lucas Roque scored late in the first half to make it 6-5 at halftime.  Roque also scored two goals in Friday’s 23-12 win over the Lancers and two goals in Tuesday’s victory in Rochester.

Millwood scored his first goal of the night, the only goal of the third quarter, to extend the Blast lead to 8-5.  His second goal, a three-pointer, came on the power play midway through the final quarter. Tony Donatelli and Lucio Gonzaga added late goals to seal the 15-5 victory.

The Blast are on a 17-game regular-season home winning streak.

Upcoming Games
Friday, January 11 at Chicago Soul
Saturday, January 12 at Milwaukee Wave

Max Ferdinand recorded a hat trick Friday night to lead the Blast to a 23-12 victory over the visiting Rochester Lancers.  The Blast, 11-2, will host the Lancers again Saturday night for the third game between the teams in the first five days of 2013.

Ferdinand opened the scoring in the fifth minute of play to give the Blast an early 2-0 lead before Rochester’s Mauricio Salles tied the game and Jeremy Ortiz gave the Lancers a 4-2 lead late in the quarter.

Blast team captain Mike Lookingland scored early in the second quarter to tie the game at 4-4 and Ferdinand’s second goal put the Blast back on top, 6-4.  Rookie Lucas Roque, who scored two goals in Tuesday’s 17-4 win over the Lancers, added a goal to increase the the Blast lead to 8-4 at halftime.

The Lancers came out fast in the second half, scoring two quick goals to tie the games at 8-8. Elliot Fauske scored in the third minute to cut the Blast lead to 8-6 and Salles recorded his second goal of the game a minute later to tie it up. Roque’s second goal of the game kicked off a four-goal run for the Blast to end the quarter with a 17-8 lead.  Machel Millwood, the team’s leading scorer, knocked in two goals in the last five minutes and Lucio Gonzaga added a long-range three pointer.

“We had to dig deep to come back and win this game,” said Millwood of the team’s third-quarter scoring frenzy.

The teams traded goals in the final quarter with Alan McGreal scoring first for the Lancers to cut the Blast lead to 17-10.  Ferdinand completed his hat trick in the ninth minute (19-10) before former Blast player Rey Martinez cut the score to 19-12. Ptah Myers scored next and Adauto Neto ended the game with a shootout goal to make it 23-12.

Notes:

• The Blast have started the 2012-13 season with seven straight home wins, trying the team record set by the 1993-94 then-Baltimore Spirit; a win tomorrow would break the record
• Seven different Blast players scored in the win
• The Blast are on a 16-game regular-season home win streak

Upcoming Games
Saturday, January 5 vs. Rochester Lancers
Friday, January 11 at Chicago Soul
Saturday, January 12 at Milwaukee Wave

The Blast improved to 9-0 on the season and held the Comets scoreless for 46 minutes in Saturday’s 15-9 victory.  Lucio Gonzaga led the way with two goals and rookie goalkeeper William Vanzela recorded 16 saves in his fifth win of the season.

Baltimore started and ended the first quarter in similar fashion – with goals.  Team captain Mike Lookingland got things started, just 40 seconds into the game, giving the Blast an early 2-0 lead and Lucio Gonzaga added a goal late in the quarter to extend the Blast lead to 4-0.

The Blast scoring streak continued into the second quarter with Gonzaga scoring a three-point goal and Mike Deasel knocking in another goal to put the Blast on top, 9-0. Tony Donatelli scored late in the half to give the Blast an 11-0 halftime lead.

Lucas Roque and Machel Millwood added goals in the third quarter to increase Baltimore’s lead to 15-0.

After holding the Comets scoreless for 46:21, the Blast gave up four goals in the final quarter as Missouri continued to fight through their second road game in 24 hours.  Ryan Junge ended Vanzela’s shutout at 1:21 of the fourth quarter and Brian Harris cut the Blast lead to 15-4 less than two minutes later.  Lucas Rodriguez scored a three-point goal to make it 15-7 and Byron Alvarez concerted a penalty kick to make the final score 15-9.

The Blast has kicked off their 33rd season of professional indoor soccer in Baltimore with nine straight wins, marking the seventh time since the 1992-93 season the team has started with five or more wins.  The team will look to match the 1993-94 Baltimore Spirit squad’s record of 10 straight wins to open the season.

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, 6-0 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 15-game regular-season home win streak.

In another high-scoring affair between Baltimore and Chicago, the Blast defeated the Soul 17-9 Friday night at 1st Mariner Arena.  With a goal and an assist in the first half, Blast forward Machel Millwood moved into fifth on the team’s all-time scoring list.

Unlike last week’s opening night match between the Blast and Soul, the Blast scored the first goal of the game tonight, when Lucio Gonzaga found the back of the net for the 2-0 lead.  The teams traded goals for the rest of the first quarter, as Carlos Munoz tied it at 2-2 before Pat Healey regained the Blast lead (4-2).  Chicago midfielder Matthew Stewart scored next, giving the Soul a short-lived 5-4 lead until Blast team captain Mike Lookingland put the Blast on top 6-5 to end the quarter.

Rookie Marco Mangione, the son of original Blast player Nick Mangione, scored the first goal of his career early in the second quarter to extend Baltimore’s lead to 8-5.  With Adriano Dos Santos serving a tripping penalty, CC Meza converted on a power play opportunity to cut the Blast lead to 8-7 before Neto and Millwood scored back-to-back goals two minutes apart to make it 12-7.  Tony Donatelli, who scored three goals last weekend against the Soul, scored a three-pointer to end the first half and extend the Blast lead to 15-7.

After a scoreless third quarter and nearly 10 scoreless minutes in the fourth quarter, Healey knocked in a power play goal to give the Blast a 17-7 lead.  Shortly after Healey’s second goal of the night, Stewart scored his second goal to cut Baltimore’s lead to 17-9.

The Blast will return to 1st Mariner Arena Saturday night to host the 1-1 Syracuse Silver Knights.

The Blast kicked off their 33rd season of professional indoor soccer in Baltimore last weekend with a 23-13 win over Friday night’s opponent, the Chicago Soul.  The Soul, led by former Blast player Carlos Farias, jumped out to a 7-2 lead after just four minutes of play but Blast newcomer Tony Donatelli recorded three first-quarter goals to lead the Blast to a come-from-behind victory.  Millwood, Baltimore’s longest-tenured player, recorded two goals and one assist in the victory as eight different Blast players scored in the game.

There’s no Place Like Home
The Blast, 9-3 at home last season, starts 2012-13 with four straight home games in the span of just 13 days.  The team has boasted winning records at home each of the last six seasons and has had winning home records in 17 of the last 19 seasons.  The Blast enters this weekend’s games on a seven-game regular-season home win streak.

Welcome to Baltimore
Donatelli, who was named to the MISL Team of the Week after his opening-night performance, recorded three goals in 14 minutes to keep the Blast in the game and lead the team to victory.  Donatelli added an assist late in the game for seven total points in his return to the indoor field.  Goalkeeper Troy Hernandez made his Blast debut last weekend, turning away nine of the 15 shots he faced and Lucas Roque, another newcomer, contributed one assist.

The Competition:

The Silver Knights, who lost their season opener to the Soul, bounced back the following night for a 16-10 win over the Rochester Lancers.  Led by Nelson Santana (eight points), Matt Clare (five points) and Andre Berenzen (four points), the Knights placed two players, Santana and goalkeeper Bryan O’Quinn, on this week’s MISL Team of the Week.

Upcoming Games
Friday, November 16 vs. Milwaukee Wave – 7:35 p.m.
Saturday, November 17 at Rochester – 7 p.m.

It wasn’t exactly the start that the Blast were looking for but in the end a tremendous offensive outburst, some solid defensive play and a good job of possession soccer propelled the Blast to a 23-13 victory over the Chicago Soul. Tony Donatelli was the offensive star of the night scoring seven points on a hat trick and an assist.

Donatelli scored in a bunch of different fashions. His first goal in a Blast uniform was a by-product of persistence. Donatelli took a feed down the right wing and had his shot deflected not once but twice. Donatelli got a third crack at it off the volley at the top of the box and this time he drilled it past Soul Goalkeeper Jeff Richey for Baltimore’s first goal of the 2012-2013 season. His second goal was a thing of beauty. The former Philadelphia Kixx player headed a wide shot by Audato Neto that ricocheted off the boards up under the bar. Donatelli finished off the hat trick when the Blast took advantage of a quick restart. Donatelli took a feed at the top of the box and drilled a shot past Richey at the 14:03 mark of the first quarter.

Things didn’t start out great for the home team. Carlos “Chili” Farias was a one man wrecking crew for Chicago. Farias notched his hat trick in the first four minutes of the first quarter. Farias took advantage of the inexperience of Blast rookie Goalkeeper Troy Hernandez. A mis-communication between Hernandez and his defenders allowed a loose ball to pop free at the top of the box. The ball rolled back to Farias, who blistered a three-point goal past Hernandez to give the Soul a quick 3-0 lead :18 seconds into the game. Farias completed the hat trick later in the first with two goals :23 seconds apart. He scored a restart goal at the 3:41 mark and then beat Hernandez on a shoot-out goal after Hernandez had been called for a tripping penalty. At that point the Blast were down 7-2 four minutes into the game but they were far from out of it.

Baltimore’s forwards would take over from there. Machel Millwood and Audato Neto dominated the rest of the first quarter. Neto set up Donatelli to cut the lead to 7-4, then Millwood scored to cut the lead to one. Just seconds later Millwood set up Lucio Gonzaga for a goal and the Blast had their first lead of the game 8-7. It was Gonzaga’s first goal since tearing his ACL in training camp last year and missing the entire 2011-2012 campaign.

The Blast would control the game the rest of the way. The Blast forwards would continue to dominate and Blast Goalkeeper Hernandez settled in. After giving up seven points in the first four minutes he would allow just six points the rest of the way. The effort was a combination of Hernandez and some great defense from the rotation of four Blast Defenders. Captain Mike Lookingland and second year player Stephen Deroux continuously ran Farias and the rest of the Soul attackers off the ball. Deroux also added a three point goal in the third quarter that gave the Blast a 15-9 lead. The Soul answered just over a minute later when Robert Gallo’s second chance goal cut the lead to 15-11. The Blast started to pull away in a key sequence late in the third. Baltimore got their first Power play at the 7:11 mark when Alex Megson went off for elbowing Donatelli.  :24 seconds later Will Kletzien was called for a handball in the box and the Blast were awarded a Penalty Kick. Richey stoned Millwood on the Kick and the Soul proceeded to kill off the 5 on 3 advantage. It looked like the Soul would kill both penalties until Mike Lookingland pounced on a rebound to the left of Richey and buried a shot to give the Blast a 17-11 lead with just :08 seconds left on the Power play. Just :26 seconds later Adriano Dos Santos took  Lucas Roque’s feed in the box and beat Richey off the volley to give the Blast an eight point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was vintage Blast. They played keep away from the Soul while outscoring them 6-2 to come away with the 23-13 win. Eight different players scored a goal for the Blast led by Donatelli’s hat trick. Troy Hernandez turned away nine Soul shots to earn his first victory.

Don’t forget to tune into the Baltimore Blast report this Wednesday on Catch The Buzz on WNST.NET 1570 AM. We will recap the win over the Soul and look forward to this weekend’s big doubleheader at 1^st Mariner Arena when the Blast play a rematch against Chicago on Friday night and take on the Syracuse Silver Nights on Saturday night.

Blast Announces 11 Returning Players

Millwood and Lookingland are Among the Veterans Set to Return to the Field

Baltimore – Baltimore Blast President and General Manager Kevin Healey announced today that the team has re-signed 11 players from last year’s squad, pending league approval.  The returning players are forwards Machel Millwood, Adauto Neto, Lucio Gonzaga, Adriano Dos Santos and J.T. Noone; midfielder Max Ferdinand and defenders Mike Lookingland, Pat Healey, Ptah Myers, Mike Deasel and Stephen DeRoux.  The Blast will open the 2012-13 MISL season on November 3 against the Chicago Soul at 1^st Mariner Arena.

Head coach Danny Kelly and assistant coach David Bascome will also return for their seventh season together as the team’s coaching staff.  Millwood, a 2012 All-MISL Second-Team selection, becomes the team’s longest-tenured player as he prepares to return for his ninth season in Baltimore.  Millwood was among the team’s scoring leaders last season with 26 goals and 16 assists for 71 points.  Lookingland, the team captain and the 2012 MISL Defender of the Year, will be back for his eighth season with the Blast.  A three-time champion, Lookingland led the Blast’s defensive core with 34 points in 2011-12.  Ferdinand led the Blast with 72 points last year and was named First-Team All-MISL, just two seasons after being named Rookie of the Year in 2010.

“This group has a lot of offer, ” said Blast head coach Danny Kelly.  “There’s experience and youth, as well as guys that can change a game on both sides of the ball.  With the willingness to prepare and put in the work, I believe this group can help us compete for an MISL Championship.”

Healey, the 2009 NISL Rookie of the Year, moved to a defensive position last season and led the team with 33 blocks.  Neto, the 2006 MISL MVP who has won two championships with the Blast, is entering his sixth season in a Blast uniform.  He ranked third on the team with 49 points last season and boasts 150 career goals.  Gonzaga, who missed the entire 2011-12 season while recovering from knee surgery, will be back on the field for his fifth season in Baltimore.

Myers, a nine-year veteran, is back for his second season with the Blast after recording 11 points and 18 blocks last season.  Dos Santos, is back for his third season in Baltimore, and Noone, DeRoux and Deasel, rookies last season, all are returning for another season.  DeRoux was named to the MISL All-Rookie team after posting 10 goals and one assist for 22 points; Noone ranked sixth on the team with 33 points.