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.

The Blast defeated the Chicago Soul, 10-7, in Game Two of the Semifinals to advance to the 2013 MISL Championship Series. This is the team’s third straight trip to the Championship Series and the opponent will be determined Sunday afternoon when the Comets and Wave play their second game. Five different players scored in the win with Adauto Neto recording the game-winning goal.

Just like in Game One, the Soul scored the first goal of the match, when Fred Degand opened the scoring with 11 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

After a scoreless second quarter and a three-point goal from the Soul to start the second half, the Blast came alive, scoring five straight goals in less than seven minutes.  Ptah Myers continued his scoring streak, knocking in the Blast’s first goal, followed by Lucas Roque and then Neto who gave the Blast their first lead of the night at 6-5. J.T. Noone scored the fourth goal to put the Blast on top 8-5 and Machel Millwood added a goal to make it 10-5.

The Soul scored the last goal of the match, with just about a minute to go but were unable to come back from the third-quarter deficit.

The Blast will host either the Wave or Comets in Game Two of the Championship Series on Saturday, March 16.  For tickets, call 410-73-BLAST or go to www.TicketMaster.com.

BLAST ANNOUNCES 2012-13 SCHEDULE

The 33^rd Season of Indoor Soccer in Baltimore Will Begin on November 3

Baltimore – The Baltimore Blast released its 2012-13 schedule today, with the action slated to kick off on Saturday, November 3 at 1st Mariner Arena against the Chicago Soul, the MISL’s newest addition.  The Blast will play 26 regular season games, 13 at home and 13 on the road, and will compete against teams from Milwaukee, Missouri, Syracuse, Rochester, Wichita and Chicago.

In a rematch of the 2011 and 2012 MISL Championships, the Blast and Wave will meet for the first time this season on November 16 in Baltimore.  The two teams, who boast the fiercest and longest-standing rivalry in the MISL, will play each other four times during the 2012-13 regular season.

The MISL Playoffs will begin with the semifinals March 8-10, featuring matchups between the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds and the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds. Each pair will meet in a home-and-home series with a mini game following the second game if needed.  The championship will follow the same format on March 15-17. The higher seed will have the option to choose which game it hosts.

The MISL Board of Governors increased each team’s number of regular season games from 24 to 26 beginning with the 2012-13 season, adding two games for each team without increasing the length of the regular season. The Governors also voted for a single-table format, eliminating the past divisional alignment.

Keeping with the Baltimore Blast tradition of affordable family entertainment, fans will be treated to various promotional items throughout the season.  The team will also host a variety of theme nights including Hall of Fame night, Boy and Girl Scout nights and a post-game Christian concert featuring Thousand Foot Krutch on January 25.

Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2012-13 Blast season will go on sale soon.  Season tickets and mini plans will be available through the Blast office at 410-73-BLAST.  Single-game tickets will be available at the 1^st Mariner Arena Box Office and at all TicketMaster outlets including TicketMaster phone charge at 410-547-SEAT.  Tickets can also be purchased online atwww.ticketmaster.com.  For additional information on Blast tickets, call the Blast at 410-73-BLAST.

BALTIMORE BLAST 2012-13 SCHEDULE

Date                                                  Opponent                                Eastern Time

Saturday, November 3                                 vs. Chicago Soul                                   7:35 p.m.

Friday, November 9                                      vs. Chicago Soul                                   7:35 p.m.

Saturday, November 10                               vs. Syracuse Silver Knights                 7:35 p.m.

Friday, November 16                                    vs. Milwaukee Wave                            7:35 p.m.

Saturday, November 17                                    at Rochester Lancers                               7:00 p.m.

Friday, November 23                                        at Wichita Wings                                     8:35 p.m.

Saturday, November 24                                    at Missouri Comets                                  8:35 p.m.

Friday, December 7                                       vs. Wichita Wings                                 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, December 15                               vs. Missouri Comets                             7:35 p.m.

Friday, December 21                                        at Chicago Soul                                       8:30 p.m.

Saturday, December 22                                    at Milwaukee Wave                                  7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 1                                          at Rochester Lancers                               4:00 p.m.

Friday, January 4                                          vs. Rochester Lancers                          7:35 p.m.

Saturday, January 5                                     vs. Rochester Lancers                          7:35 p.m.

Friday, January 11                                            at Chicago Soul                                       8:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 12                                       at Milwaukee Wave                                  7:00 p.m.

Friday, January 18                                            at Syracuse Silver Knights                        7:30 p.m.

Sunday, January 20                                          at Syracuse Silver Knights                        1:30 p.m.

Friday, January 25                                        vs. Rochester Lancers                          7:35 p.m.

Saturday, January 26                                   vs. Missouri Comets                             7:35 p.m.

Friday, February 1                                            at Syracuse Silver Knights                        7:30 p.m.

Saturday, February 2                                    vs. Syracuse Silver Knights                 7:35 p.m.

Friday, February 8                                            at Wichita Wings                                     8:35 p.m.

Sunday, February 10                                        at Missouri Comets                                  4:10 p.m.

Saturday, February 16                                 vs. Wichita Wings                                 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, February 23                                 vs. Milwaukee Wave                            7:35 p.m.