Heat vs. Blast Match Preview
December 31, 2015 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Harrisburg Heat News Release
Harrisburg Heat In Action
(Harrisburg Heat)
The Harrisburg Heat play two matches at home this week, both are critical to their place in the standings. Baltimore leads the Eastern Division with a 7-0 record, Detroit follows with a 5-5 record, while Syracuse sits at 3-3. Baltimore comes to the Farm Show Large Arena for a 5:05 scheduled kickoff on New Year's Eve, while Detroit comes in for a crucial Saturday afternoon match scheduled for 2:05pm. The Heat, winless in their first six tries this season, come in badly in need of wins especially in the division.
"Baltimore is very difficult to defend," said Heat head coach Tarik Walker. "They can beat you with strict pattern play, they can beat with creative 1 on 1 play."
Baltimore's potent attack is led by fowards Vini Dantas (12 goals), Levi Houapeu (5 goals), and Lucas Roque (5 goals). Goalkeeper William Vanzela and the Baltimore defense also are adept at keeping the ball out of their net as evidenced by Vanzela's league leading 2.14 goals against average.
Coach Walker believes limiting Baltimore's opportunities off of free kicks will be huge in this contest, his club will work to reduce those when a free kick occurs in the Heat end.
On Saturday the Detroit Waza come to town for a matinee with the Heat. Detroit's offense is led by forward Leonardo de Oliveira (7 goals), defender Thiago Goncalves (7 goals), and midfielder Ricardo Sobreira (5 goals). Three of Harrisburg's six losses on the season have been decided by two goals or less, including it's season opener against Detroit in which the Heat fell 8-7 on the road with several key players missing from the lineup.
"We have given ourselves a chance to win or stay in games because we have improved our 1 on 1 defense," said Walker. Heat keepers Tim Mehl and Scott Krotee continue to battle for playing time making decisions tough for the Harrisburg coaching staff. The Heat hope to use this week to gain on teams ahead of them in the standings.
Images from this story
 Harrisburg Heat In Action |
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from December 31, 2015
- Heat Lose to Blast - Harrisburg Heat
- Wave Lose in Overtime to Arch-Rival Chicago Mustangs - Milwaukee Wave
- Chicago Mustangs Defeat Milwaukee Wave 11-10 in Golden Goal Overtime - Chicago Mustangs
- Blast Defeat Heat 8-3 - Baltimore Blast
- Stars Set to Host Military Appreciation Night - Tacoma Stars
- Comets End 2015 on a Good Note, Defeat Cedar Rapids on the Road - Kansas City Comets
- Dallas Sidekicks Announce Alumni Game Line-Up - Dallas Sidekicks
- San Diego Sockers January 3rd Match Preview and Game Notes - San Diego Sockers
- Heat vs. Blast Match Preview - Harrisburg Heat
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
