BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Blast scored four second half goals to claim an 8-6 victory against the Missouri Comets in Game 2 of the MISL Championship Series on Saturday night at 1st Mariner Arena, giving the Blast a 2-0 series victory and their seventh MISL Championship. Blast goalkeeper William Vanzela claimed Most Valuable Player honors for the series, as he finished with 30 saves in two games to key Baltimore’s pair of victories.

The Blast trailed Missouri 4-0 at the halftime break, with Byron Alvarez scoring both goals for the Comets and Danny Waltman making eight saves to keep Baltimore off the scoreboard. The Blast finally broke through three minutes, 44 seconds into the third, as Max Ferdinand scored a spectacular power play goal to reduce the deficit to two. Baltimore then drew even, again on the power play, as Tony Donatelli stole in to score his fourth goal of the series, firing home a low cross by Ferdinand to make it 4-4 at the end of the third quarter.

Baltimore took its first lead of the night four minutes into the fourth quarter, Adriano Dos Santos finding the back of the net, and the Blast were able to bolster their lead with a spectacular bicycle kick finish by All-Rookie Team selection Lucas Roque as he controlled his effort after a shot off the end boards by Chris Williams.

Missouri kept its hopes of forcing overtime, and potentially a Game 3 mini-game alive with 5:39 to play as Alvarez completed his hat trick. The Blast’s defense, led by MISL Defender of the Year Mike Lookingland, limited their opportunities in the final five minutes, however, and Vanzela finished with 12 saves as Baltimore claimed its first title since 2009.

After falling 21-12 on Thursday night, Missouri had got off to an ideal start. Following a tense opening, the Comets finally took the lead with 5:02 to play in the first quarter as they caught the Blast on a counter-attack, Alvarez finishing from the left after being found by Cristiano as Missouri held a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes.

Missouri goalkeeper Danny Waltman then had a standout second quarter, keeping the Blast off the board with a number of outstanding saves. The Comets were also able to double their lead, with Byron Alvarez converting a shootout opportunity after Robert Palmer had been brought down on a breakaway by Ferdinand.

2012-13 MISL Award Winners Announced

TAMPA, Fla. – The Major Indoor Soccer League honored its top performers of the season today, announcing the Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2012-13 season. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony in Independence, Missouri, site of tomorrow’s first leg of the 2013 MISL Championship Series featuring the Missouri Comets and the Baltimore Blast.

MISL award winners were selected through a vote by MISL team management and select media members.

Most Valuable Player – Doug Miller, Rochester Lancers

Miller’s record-breaking season at the age of 43 proved the veteran still had much to offer the game. The first player in the current era of the MISL to surpass 100 points, finishing with 102, Miller also set a record for goals in a season with 44 as he led the Lancers to within one win of the playoffs. Miller also finished the season with five game-winning goals, and tied an MISL record with a six-goal game against Missouri

Rookie of the Year – Luan Oliveira, Milwaukee Wave

Quickly becoming an integral part of Keith Tozer’s squad after being suggested as a signing by Wave teammate and childhood friend Marcio Leite, Oliveira led all rookies, and the Wave, with 68 points. The Brazilian averaged a goal per game in his first season in the league, with a three-goal, two-assist night against Rochester a highlight of his first season.

Coach of the Year – Danny Kelly, Baltimore Blast

Taking the honor for the third time in four seasons, Kelly led the Blast to the top of the MISL standings in a season that saw the Blast open the season with nine consecutive victories, and end it on a six-game winning streak that allowed it to edge the Milwaukee Wave for the regular season championship. With some key offseason departures, Kelly quickly integrated the new faces in his squad seamlessly as the Blast continued their tradition of excellence.

Defender of the Year – Mike Lookingland, Baltimore Blast

Lookingland was selected for the second consecutive season after a standout two-way campaign that saw him record 49 points, make 35 blocks and commit only 16 fouls. A master of positioning in his defensive end, the Blast’s captain also showed an uncanny knack for knowing when to join the attack, and proved crucial on special teams as he led the side with four power-play goals.

Goalkeeper of the Year – Nick Vorberg, Milwaukee Wave

Claiming the honor for the second time in three seasons, Vorberg was a standout in goal for the league’s best defense. Vorberg faced an average of 18.5 shots per game, finishing with an outstanding .812 save percentage, while also leading the league with a 7.76 points-against average. In his 14 regular-season appearances, Vorberg never conceded more than five goals.

Baltimore and Missouri will face off in the best-of-three 2013 MISL Championship Series starting Thursday at the Independence Events Center in Missouri (8:35 p.m. ET, MISLNation.com), with the second leg set for Saturday at 1^st Mariner Arena in Baltimore (7:35 p.m. ET, MISLNation.com). A deciding mini-game will be played immediately following Game 2 if needed.

MISL All-League, All-Rookie Teams Announced
League’s top performers honored

The Major Indoor Soccer League honored the top performers from the 2012-13 regular
season, naming the All-MISL First and Second Teams as well as the All-Rookie Team.

Six MISL clubs are represented in the teams, with the Baltimore Blast and Rochester Lancers leading
the way with four selections each. The Milwaukee Wave and Chicago Soul each had three players
honored, while the Syracuse Silver Knights and Missouri Comets had two each.

The All-MISL and All-Rookie teams are selected through a vote by MISL team management and select
media members.

Baltimore and Missouri will face off in the best-of-three 2013 MISL Championship Series starting
Thursday at the Independence Events Center in Missouri (8:35 p.m. ET, MISLNation.com), with the
second leg set for Saturday at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore (7:35 p.m. ET, MISLNation.com). A
deciding mini-game will be played immediately following Game 2 if needed.

2012-13 All-MISL First Team
GK – Nick Vorberg, Milwaukee Wave
D – Leo Gibson, Missouri Comets
D – Mike Lookingland, Baltimore Blast
MF/F Doug Miller, Rochester Lancers
MF/F Neto, Syracuse Silver Knights
MF/F Mauricio Salles, Rochester Lancers

2012-13 All-MISL Second Team
GK – Jeff Richey, Chicago Soul
D – Pat Healey, Baltimore Blast
D – Nelson Santana, Syracuse Silver Knights
MF/F Vahid Assadpour, Missouri Comets
MF/F Carlos Farias, Chicago Soul
MF/F Luan Oliveira, Milwaukee Wave

2012-13 MISL All-Rookie Team
GK – William Vanzela, Baltimore Blast
D – Stephen Basso, Rochester Lancers
D – Pedrinho, Rochester Lancers
MF/F Luan Oliveira, Milwaukee Wave
MF/F Carlos Munoz, Chicago Soul
MF/F Lucas Roque, Baltimore Blast

The Missouri Comets scored three unanswered second-half goals to beat the Blast 14-11 Saturday night and snap Baltimore’s nine-game home win streak.  MISL Player of the Week Leo Gibson led the way with three goals. The Blast will return to 1st Mariner Arena on February 2 to host the Syracuse Silver Knights.

The Comets struck first, taking a 4-0 lead off goals from Coady Andrews and Gibson.  Lucas Roque and Ptah Myers scored late in the first quarter to tie it at 4-4.

Lucio Gonzaga scored the only goal of the third quarter, a three-pointer, to give Baltimore its first lead of the night at 7-4.

Blast team captain Mike Lookingland extended the Blast lead to 9-4 in the sixth minute of the third quarter, shortly before John Sosa cut the Blast lead to 9-6.  Gibson’s second second goal of the night made it 9-8 but Blast rookie Tino Nunez answered by chipping the ball over the head of Comets goalkeeper Danny Waltman, putting the Blast on top 11-8. Gibson’s third goal cut it to 11-10 and kicked off the Comets’ three-goal run.

Stefan St. Louis recaptured the lead for the Comets just 19 seconds into the final quarter and Cristiano sealed the 14-11 victory.

The Blast will play in Syracuse on Friday, February 1 before returning to 1st Mariner Arena on the 2nd to host the Silver Knights.

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.