Blast Survive Scare, Defeat Lancers in OT 6-5
February 22, 2020 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Baltimore Blast News Release
ROCHESTER, MD - Both the Blast and Lancers entered the game playing for the second night in a row. The Lancers lost to Utica 8-2 at home extending their losing streak to 14 games, where the Blast defeated Orlando 13-3 at home. It was a quick turnaround for the Blast as they boarded the bus and headed to Rochester immediately after their game. The last time these two teams match up was two weeks ago when the Blast cruised to a victory at home 14-5.
The Lancers opened the game fast bringing early pressure to the Blast defenders. Andriy Demydiv was able to capitalize on miscommunication by the Blast defense to put the Lancers up 1-0 early in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Gary Boughton extended the lead to two. The other story of the first quarter was the Lancer defense.
Goalie Brian Wilkins came up with save after save facing ten shot in the opening quarter. The backline of the Lancer defense came up with timely saves and shutting down opportunities.
The Blast opened the second quarter by making a goalkeeper switch taking Mike Zierhoffer out and putting William Vanzela in. The other adjustments were made, and they paid off 1:34 into the second as Lucas Roque put the Blast on the board and a feed from Jamie Thomas. The Blast started to control the pace of play and possession throughout the quarter. Towards the end of the half, Juan Pereira scored on a penalty kick to tie the game at two.
They would take that score into halftime as it seemed to be the tale of two quarters for the first half.
The Blast took the lead 2:36 into the third quarter on a goal from Victor France with an assist from Jonatas Melo.
This was the first lead for the Blast in the game. They continued their style of play for the entire third quarter as they held Rochester to just two shots in the quarter. The Blast kept the pressure on Rochester totaling 17 shots in the quarter and with 2:30 left in the quarter, Tony Donatelli set up France for his second goal of the game.
It seemed like the Blast were pulling away with the game when they netted their fifth unanswered goal of the game on a strike by Thomas just 1:57 into the fourth. The Lancers had a different idea as they set up their own scoring streak. Almost two and a half minutes after the Blast went up by three, Rafa Godoi struck for a goal cutting the lead to two. The Blast struggled with possession and penalties in the fourth. The Lancers went on the power play twice in the fourth from a blue card on Pereira for handling and Donatelli for boarding. They were able to capitalize on both power plays to tie the game. Boughton netted his second goal of the on the first power play and Diego Mayanga tied the game with 2:06 remaining on a rocket to the upper left corner of the goal. Vanzela stopped a late rush to put the game into overtime.
Overtime did not last long as Juan Pereira scored his second goal of the night just 55 seconds in. He received a back pass from Donatelli and sent a laser past Wilkins to win the game for the Blast. The Blast improve to 13-7 on the season with four games remaining. They travel to Harrisburg tomorrow to take on the Heat in a game with major playoff implications. Kickoff is at 5:05 at the PA Farm Show Arena. Make sure to follow the Blast on social media to stay up to date on all news, alerts and scores.
The Major Arena Soccer League represents the highest level of professional arena soccer in the world. The MASL features teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The MASL is currently incorporated as a 501(c)6 not for profit corporation formed to promote the business and sport of arena soccer.
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 22, 2020
- Blast Survive Scare, Defeat Lancers in OT 6-5 - Baltimore Blast
- Lancers Fall to Blast in Overtime - Rochester Lancers
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