Weekend Preview: Blast Travel to Syracuse and St. Louis
February 24, 2017 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL)
Baltimore Blast News Release
Game Preview
Baltimore Blast vs. Syracuse Silver Knights
Friday, February 24th @ Oncenter War Memorial Arena 7:30 p.m. EST
Baltimore Blast vs. St. Louis Ambush
Sunday, February 26th @ Family Arena 4:05 p.m. EST
Setting the Tone:
Baltimore Blast: 11-6
First place in the Eastern Division
Previous Game: Defeated by Syracuse 7-2
Syracuse Silver Knights: 7-11
Fourth Place in the Eastern Division
Previous Game: Defeated the Blast 7-2
Season Series: 12/29/16 The Blast defeated Syracuse in Syracuse 6-3
2/17/17 The Blast defeated Syracuse in Baltimore 8-4
2/19/17 Syracuse Defeated the Blast in Baltimore 7-2
St. Louis Ambush: 1-18
Fifth Place in the Central Division
Previous Game: Defeated by Tacoma 9-5
Previous Matchup: 1/29/17 The Blast defeated St. Louis 10-1 in Baltimore
Baltimore Players to Watch:
Tony Donatelli is tied for 3rd in the league in assists with 19 and is tied for the team lead in goals with Vini Dantas at 18. Andrew Hoxie and Lucas Roque are also scoring threats for the Blast who are averaging 5.5 goals per game. The Blast offense is well rounded with 18 players recording at least 1 goal so far this season.
Last season's MASL Defender of the Year, Pat Healey and veteran defender Adriano Dos Santos anchor a defense which is allowing 3.6 goals per game. Goalkeeper William Vanzela leads the MASL with a 3.46 GAA.
The Competition- Syracuse Silver Knights
Kenardo Forbes leads the Silver Knights with 34 points. Forbes and Slavisa Ubiparipovic are tied for 5th in the league with 18 assists. Another scoring threat for Syracuse is Joey Tavernese who ranks second on the team in points with 24 goals and 7 assists so far this season. The Blast defense will look to slow down the Silver Knight offense that is averaging 6.6 goals per game. In net for the Silver Knights, Andrew Coughlin, enters 9th in the MASL with a 6.20 goals against average in 13 games this season and veteran keeper Bryan O'Quinn was recently activated and has started in 4 games this season. The Knights are coached by Ryan Hall.
The Competition- St. Louis Ambush
Victor France leads the Silver Knights with 18 points. Lucas Almeida leads the team in assists with 9. Another scoring threat for St. Louis is Richard Schmermund who ranks second on the team in goals with 10 so far this season. The Blast offense will look to break through the Ambush defense led by Chris Mattingly with 48 blocks on the season. In net for the Ambush, Casey Clark, has started 15 of the teams 19 games on the season. The Ambush are coached by Tony Glavin.
Upcoming Games:
March 2 4:05 p.m. EST Harrisburg Heat @ Baltimore Blast
Playoffs:
March 2 7:05 p.m. EST TBA @ Baltimore Blast
Major Arena Soccer League Stories from February 24, 2017
- Blast Win Eastern Division Regular Season Championship, Defeat - Baltimore Blast
- Five Things to Watch Tonight - MASL Honors Ubiparipovic- Real Super-Hero Night - Syracuse Silver Knights
- Weekend Preview: Blast Travel to Syracuse and St. Louis - Baltimore Blast
- Masl Player of the Week - Week Seventeen - MASL
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