FINALS BOUND MILWAUKEE SEND THE BLAST BACK TO BALTIMORE.

By Henry Amini. 

MILWAUKEE, WI - The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave defeated the historic Baltimore Blast, earning their ticket to the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Ron Newman Cup Finals. 

Game 2 Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 5, Baltimore Blast 1

Game 3 Final Score: Milwaukee Wave 2, Baltimore Blast 1

The Milwaukee Wave arrived at home to the UW-Milwaukee Panther arena on Monday understanding exactly what needed to be done. The task at hand was to defeat the Baltimore Blast, one of the most dominant teams in arena soccer, in two games with a chance at the championship on the line. 

Leading off the scoresheet was the golden boot winning Alex “Saucy” Sanchez, granted the assist by Andre Hayne. The Blast’s dangerous attacking pair of Juan Pereira and newcomer Kevaughn Frater connected for the equalizer and sparked what turned out to be an incredibly balanced heavyweight matchup. 

“I thought the fans believed we were amazing. I believe all the goals that Baltimore scored, in the second game and in the third game, were all in transitions,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. 

The Wave’s talented newcomers connected on their second goal. It was Tanner Hodgson who scored, granted the assist by Oscar Flores, this marked Hodgson’s first career playoff goal. 

The Blast marked a response and Pereira netted an equalizer to carry a 2-2 scoreline into the half. 

“Baltimore's a great side and they definitely didn't make it easy. Honestly, there were points in the game where I think it could have gone either way and the team just showed a lot of character,” Javier Steinwasher said after the game. The Blast claimed the second best offense in the regular season, only behind the Milwaukee Wave, and their resilient production made things challenging for Leite’s team in the second half. 

Jonatas Melo claimed the first and only lead of the game for the ambivalent Baltimore Blast with his third quarter goal. Flores remained a difference maker on the night, scoring when it mattered most, and he received the assist from pass master Mario Alvarez to equalize the game before the final quarter. 

The fourth quarter saw tensions rise to their absolute highest. In one particularly heated moment, Pereira struck Alex Steinwasher hard before his brother, Javier, came to defend him and a minor scuffle arose.  Throughout all of its physicality, not one card was shown in the game. 

“
I feel like I gave up some goals, but that didn't put us down… I trust every single one of us,” Cesar Correa said. The tide shifted for the Milwaukee Wave in the final 15 minutes of the game. When Oumar Sylla of the Blast found himself under pressure, he played a lackluster clearance which Correa drove into the net on his first touch. 

Flores is a name which has echoed throughout the MASL season as the league’s most exciting newcomer. The young man from Venezuela scores big time goals at crucial moments, Monday night was no different. When Stuart Grable found himself against the boards, he played a ball over the head of Flores who netted a scorpion kick which made its way into the number one spot on SportCenter’s Top Ten plays. 

With the Wave holding onto a 5-3 lead, the Blast employed a sixth attacker. Baltimore scored a consolation goal with less than a minute to play and the second game would end with a Milwaukee Wave victory and the third knockout game was to be underway shortly after. 

“They couldn't break us down today. They couldn't break us down when we were pressing or when they had possession. 
I thought that overall we were the better team,” Leite said. The Wave held the Blast to less than four goals in the second game and they showcased championship caliber defense throughout the competition. 

The third knockout game was 15 minutes of dangerously high stakes soccer. Within the game’s first minute, Melo found Pereira with room to work and only Gerardo Perez between himself and the goal. Pereira knocked a goal and the Wave were fighting with their backs against the wall. 

Perez, the offensively gifted goalkeeper, made his way into the attacking third in possession and, given the assist by Alex Sanchez, he scored a goal in order to level the game.

As the game crawled ever closer to its close, the likelihood of an overtime period became increasingly realistic with the score tied at 1-1. The Milwaukee Wave, however, offered a reminder of their astounding squad depth. With shades of their 2019 championship, Ian Bennett was against the boards when he found Andre Hayne marching into the box for a game winning finish and only 55 seconds left to play. 

“Credit to Baltimore, They're a great team. I was there for a while, 
I know how those guys think. They’re never out… Those guys are winners out there. I have nothing but respect for those guys. I still have a lot of good friends out there but I'm glad we're on this side.” Max Ferdinand said. The Baltimore Blast put up an astounding fight against the Milwaukee Wave and despite the heated emotions of their rivalry, it’s clear that there's nothing but respect between two of arena soccer’s most decorated franchises. 

“We are in a great position because we can truly study our opponents. We can watch them play and study and really prepare really well to play them,” Leite said. With the first ticket to the Ron Newman Cup Finals punched, the Milwaukee Wave will await to find out their opponent for the conclusion of the series between the San Diego Sockers and the St. Louis Ambush. Those games will be played out on Friday, April 17 at 7:05pm CST and Sunday, April 19 at 7:00pm CST with a potential third knockout game to be played on the 19th. 

The Milwaukee Wave are challenging for their eighth championship! Lookout for tickets on the Milwaukee Wave website, more details to follow.  ###