Force Blasts Two-Time Defending Champs For Victory, 7-3

Published on April 1, 2005 under Major Indoor Soccer League 2 (MISL 2)
Cleveland Force News Release


BALTIMORE, MD. - The Cleveland Force used a four goal second quarter and two- goal first half performances from Mentor High and University of Akron graduate Allen Eller and forward Aaron Susi to defeat the two-time defending Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Baltimore Blast by a final score of 7-3 at the 1st Mariner Arena. The game was the first game of back-to-back weekend contests as Cleveland returns home Saturday night.

With the victory, the Force recorded their third straight victory over Baltimore and improved to 17-14 overall, 7-8 on the road, 3-3 versus the Blast this season and 66-69 all-time versus Baltimore teams. With the loss, the Blast dropped their fourth straight game and dropped to 13-19 overall and 9-9 at home.

Cleveland opened the scoring (1-0) when midfielder Eller, who was acquired in a trade on Tuesday, made a perfect run down the middle of the field and scored the goal in his Force debut off the cross from forward Chris Handsor at 12:31 of the first quarter.

Baltimore evened the score (1-1) when defender Billy Nelson banged home a 35- foot shot to tie the game off the cross from forward Tarik Walker at 3:14 of the second quarter. The Force regained the lead (2-1) when forward Antonio Sutton found a wide open Handsor and then Chris hit Sutton at the back post for the unassisted score at 4:38. Cleveland added to its lead (3-1) when Susi stole a pass and hit the shot in for the score just six seconds after the Sutton goal at 4:44. The Force took the largest lead of the game (4-1) when Eller tallied his second goal of the game off the season-high third assist for Handsor at 8:26. Cleveland closed out the first half scoring (5-1) as it was awarded a restart opportunity from the top of the box and Susi connected on his second goal of the game as time expired in the second quarter. Midfielder Robbie Aristodemo made the pass to Susi as he came on as the sixth attacker. The four goal advantage was the largest lead in the first half for either team in the season series.

The Blast snapped a 4-0 run by the Force (5-2) when forward Giuliano Celenza nailed the shot off the cross from former Cleveland forward Sipho Sibiya, who was traded by the Force on Tuesday, at 7:24 of the third quarter. Baltimore cut further into the lead (5-3) when forward David Bascome sent a shot in that went pass Sutton and Force goalkeeper Jim Larkin, who never saw the shot, for the tally off the cross from Celenza at 13:52.

Cleveland snapped a 2-0 run by the Blast (6-3) when defender Genoni Martinez buried a rocket shot into the upper 90 for the power play goal off the assist from forward and team captain John Ball at 8:34 of the fourth quarter. The Force sealed the game (7-3) when Ball hit a shot just in front of the Cleveland yellow line for the empty net goal against the sixth attacker as well as being a short-handed goal at 13:29.

Cleveland will return home for the second game of back-to-back weekend contests to take on first place Milwaukee Wave on Saturday, April 2 at the Wolstein Center. The can be heard live on WHK 1420 AM in Cleveland as well as 1440 AM in Warren/Youngstown or worldwide on the Internet at www.thesportsking.com.

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Major Indoor Soccer League 2 Stories from April 1, 2005


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