Blast Outscores Pa. Roar, 50-2, to Take Two Weekend Wins

By Nicholas Murray, MISL Public Relations

In weekend indoor soccer action, the Baltimore Blast beat the Pennsylvania Roar 29-2 in an away game Friday, and then continued its domination of the team Saturday night in Baltimore, winning 29-0.

From around the league:

Friday, Dec. 20

Baltimore 21, Pennsylvania 2: Max Ferdinand had a hat trick as the Baltimore Blast took a dominant victory against the Pennsylvania Roar at Santander Arena. Lucas Roque added a goal and three assists as the Roar remained winless.

Baltimore scored a pair of goals in each of the first three quarters, with six different players finding the back of the net. Ferdinand scored his first 18 seconds into the fourth quarter before Corey Maret got the Roar on the board, denying Troy Hernandez a shutout, but the Blast rounded out their victory as Ferdinand added another pair of goals, the last coming from 3-point range.

Saturday, Dec. 21

Baltimore 29, Pennsylvania 0: Max Ferdinand picked up where he left off on Friday night as he had a four-goal night to lead the Baltimore Blast to a shutout victory against the Pennsylvania Roar in front of 5,638 fans at Baltimore Arena.

The Blast scored four goals in both the first and second quarters as Ferdinand, Frederico Moojen and Drew Yates each scored twice on the way to a 16-0 halftime lead. Ferdinand then scored two goals in the third quarter as the Blast ran away with victory, while William Vanzela recorded eight saves for his second shutout of the season.

Forbes opened the scoring after 58 seconds, and the Silver Knights were able to maintain their lead despite conceding three power-play opportunities to the Lancers in the first half. Syracuse extended its lead in the final minute of the first half, as Forbes scored a power-play goal with 40 seconds to play before Cory Elenio struck with 4.5 seconds remaining on the clock for a 6-0 halftime lead.

Stephen Basso got the Lancers on the board 3:47 into the third quarter, but Syracuse restored its six-point lead as Elenio added an assist to his earlier goal as he set up Nate Bourdeau for a finish that made it 8-2. Nelson Santana converted a power-play opportunity early in the fourth quarter to make it 10-2. Special teams played a big role in the contest, with the Silver Knights going 2-for-3 on the power play, and Rochester only 1-for-5.

Rochester was able to get back into the game as the fourth quarter went on as Gary Boughton put home a finish with just less than six minutes to play. Elliot Fauske fired home a power-play goal from 3-point range with 3:04 to play to make it 10-7, but the Lancers were unable to find another goal as the Silver Knights held on for victory.

SUNDAY, Dec. 22

Missouri 24, St. Louis 13: Bryan Perez had two goals and three assists as the Missouri Comets took victory against the St. Louis Ambush in front of 3,104 fans at the Independence Events Center. John Sosa added a goal and four assists as the Comets won their fourth consecutive to move into a tie for second place in the league standings with Milwaukee.

Perez opened the scoring 1:24 into the game as the Comets took an 8-0 lead at the end of the first quarter with Byron Alvarez adding a goal and an assist. The Ambush pulled within three points as Mike Mesle struck from 3-point range and Odaine Sinclair pulled the score to 8-5, but the Comets responded with goals by Alvarez and Perez to make it 12-5.

Both teams exchanged goals, with the Ambush unable to bridge the gap despite a hat trick from Jeff DiMaria. Vahid Assadpour had a pair of fourth-quarter goals as the Comets stretched their lead with two late goals to give them an 11-point victory, and their third win of the season against their I-70 rivals.

SCHEDULE

Friday, Dec. 27

Pennsylvania at Rochester, 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, Dec. 28

St. Louis at Milwaukee, 7 p.m. ET

Syracuse at Missouri, 8:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, Dec. 29

Syracuse at St. Louis, 4:35 p.m. ET

The Baltimore Blast is a locally-owned professional indoor soccer team with team headquarters in Edgemere. The team practices at a public recreation center in Parkville and plays its league games at the Baltimore Arena (formerly known as First Mariner Arena).