Milwaukee Wave Game Preview - Saturday, February 4th
Published on February 1, 2012 under Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Milwaukee Wave News Release
Wave (14-2) vs. Baltimore Blast (13-4), 6 p.m.
QUICK FACTS:
BALTIMORE SERIES RECORD: 45-30 Wave lead
BALTIMORE COACH: Danny Kelly
MILWAUKEE COACH: Keith Tozer (646-388/27 seasons)
THE SKINNY:
The Milwaukee Wave will look to pay back Baltimore for its first defeat of the season when the Blast comes to Milwaukee Saturday night. Revenge won't be the only motivating factor in the match-up as the winner will have the inside path to home field advantage throughout the MISL playoffs.
Baltimore has been a thorn in the Wave's regular season the past two seasons. Since January 2011, Milwaukee is 13-3 at home, with all three losses sharing a similar trait. The defeats all came at the hands of Baltimore, who holds a 5-2 advantage in head-to-head match-ups in the regular season.
That is not to say the Blast own the Wave. Milwaukee got the last laugh last season when it took down the Blast in Baltimore to claim the 2011 MISL Championship. The teams share a long history, dating back to the 1992-93 season when the teams played each other for the first time with the Wave leading the all-time regular season series, 45-30. The teams have combined to win 10 of the last 14 league championships with Milwaukee winning five and Baltimore winning five.
Much like the Wave, the Blast boasts a very balanced offense with three players topping the 40 point mark and 11 players' notch double-digit points. They average 13.65 points per game and have been held to single digits only five times. Where Baltimore truly shines is on the defensive end though. It is giving up a league low 8.64 points per game thanks in part to the play of goalkeeper Sagu. He leads the league with a 7.62 goals against average and a 76.7 save percentage.
The Wave will look to penetrate the iron curtain on the legs of Greg Howes and Marco Terminesi. Howes has notched 19 points in his last four games while Terminesi has scored 24 in his last four. These two will have to continue their scoring streaks if Milwaukee wants to avoid a repeat of last time Baltimore came to town, holding the Wave to a season low four points.
WAVE MILESTONE WATCH:
Josh Rife: 100 career points (97)
Giuliano Oliviero: 100 blocks (99)
Marco Terminesi: 9th on Wave's 3-point goals list (11, needs 1 more)
Greg Howes: 2nd on Wave's 2-point goals list (165, needs 3 more)
Giuliano Oliviero: 500 points with Wave (495)
UPCOMING WAVE SCHEDULE:
Friday, February 10th vs. Wichita, 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 12th vs. Missouri, 3 p.m.
Saturday, February 18th at Baltimore, 6:35 p.m.
Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from February 1, 2012
- SharX Take It on the Jaw, Lose to Blast 26-4 - Norfolk SharX
- Geison Named Offensive Player of the Month - Kansas City Comets
- Blast, Wave Meet in Championship Rematch - MISL
- MISL January Players of the Month Named - MISL
- Milwaukee Wave Game Preview - Saturday, February 4th - Milwaukee Wave
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