Heartbreak in Milwaukee as Blast Lose to Wave 2-1
April 28, 2019 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Jamie Thomas of the Baltimore Blast (right) attempts a tackle against the Milwaukee Wave
(Baltimore Blast, Credit: Milwaukee Wave)
Baltimore, MD - The Blast fell to the Milwaukee Wave 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Final to sink the Blast's hope of their fourth consecutive championship.
The Blast would open the scoring with Andrew Hoxie's fifth goal of the postseason to give the Blast an early 1-0 lead. Milwaukee charged back into the game with a goal from Marcio Leite later in the first quarter. The Milwaukee Wave out shot the Blast 12-4 in the first quarter, but William Vanzela kept the score even going into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw no goals, but plenty of action from both teams. The Blast created a couple chances, but the definitive highlight was Adriano Dos Santos' bicycle kick clearance to deny Milwaukee a point-blank shot on goal. William Vanzela tallied 13 saves in the first half to keep the score level at one heading into the second half.
Andrew Hoxie almost pulled the Blast back ahead late in the third quarter, but could not direct his sliding shot on target. Milwaukee almost scored the go-ahead at the buzzer as Andre Hayne's last second shot went just wide. Through three quarters, William Vanzela totaled 15 saves to keep the Blast and Wave level.
The fourth quarter opened with William Vanzela making an incredible point-blank save off a Wave shot. Ian Bennett scored the go-ahead goal, as he ran down the right flank of the Blast defense to put Milwaukee ahead 2-1. The Blast elected to stick with their trademark possession-oriented offense and were able to create several great chances, including a shot from Tony Donatelli that missed just wide. Tony Donatelli entered the game as sixth attacker with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Blast blitzed the Wave defense with a man-advantage attack. Juan Pereira's shot hit the crossbar as time expired, as the Blast fell to the Wave 2-1.
Andrew Hoxie and Jamie Thomas led the Blast in scoring with one point each, while William Vanzela recorded seventeen saves in the losing effort. The Wave out shot the Blast 25-15 in today's game. The Blast exit the postseason without a championship for the first time in four years, and will look to reclaim the championship crown next season at the SECU Arena.
MASL Match Report April 28, 2019
Baltimore Blast @ Milwaukee Wave Venue: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Kickoff: 3:05 p.m. EDT / 2:05 p.m. CDT
Scoring Summary:
Quarter 1 2 3 4 F
Milwaukee 1 0 0 1 2
Baltimore 1 0 0 0 1
Images from this story
 Jamie Thomas of the Baltimore Blast (right) attempts a tackle against the Milwaukee Wave (Milwaukee Wave) |
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from April 28, 2019
- Wave Will Host Championship Game Sunday, May 5th at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena - Milwaukee Wave
- Wave Advance to Championship Game After Defeating Rival Baltimore Blast - Milwaukee Wave
- Heartbreak in Milwaukee as Blast Lose to Wave 2-1 - Baltimore Blast
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