Tuesday, March 13, 2018

MKE WAVE ADVANCE TO ROUND TWO OF MASL PLAYOFFS AFTER TOUGH VICTORY AGAINST CEDAR RAPIDS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT UW-MILWAUKEE PANTHER ARENA.

After an exciting win in overtime last night, your Six- Time Champion Milwaukee Wave came out on top of the first round in the 2017-2018 MASL Playoffs after battling against the Cedar Rapids Rampage two nights in a row. Sunday afternoon the Milwaukee Wave secured their place in the MASL Eastern Conference Championship Game after they beat the Rampage.
 
Final score: Milwaukee Wave 8, Cedar Rapids Rampage 7.
 
“I think the noise and the support of the fans is what put us over the top today,” said Head Coach Giuliano Oliviero. “But I think the fans made the difference between winning and losing today. We love them and they’re the best in the MASL. We’re just ecstatic to be moving on to the next round. We have players that just got inserted into the lineup pretty recently and being thrown into this intense playoff environment is tough. It’s different that a regular season game. They’re learning on the fly and I think they’re just going to keep getting better.”

BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | REPLAY

After scoring the winning goal yesterday in overtime against the Rampage, Milwaukee Wave midfielder number 26 Ian Bennett scored three of the eight goals for his team. This hat trick puts Bennett at 5 goals for the post-season thus far.
 
“It’s been a team effort this entire time,” commented Bennett. “Sometimes it’s not just about the goals; it’s about all of the hard work and improving as a team. It’s important to have the determination and put in the work to play for each other.”
 
Goalkeeper and coach Rafael Dias made his playoff debut this weekend getting 29 saves for Sunday’s match.
 
“It was a tough and long weekend with the back-to-back games,” said Dias. “It was extra difficult for me because I wasn’t on the lineup the entire season except for one game. But it’s really about the team and the hard work they’ve done. We’ve lost a lot of players that have been on our lineup, but the thing with us is everyone is so talented and steps up. That’s what has made us successful.”
 
When asked about Dias after the game Coach Giuliano Olivero said, “If it wasn’t for Rafa we wouldn’t have the opportunity to play and win the conference championship. He’s the best professional on the team. He wasn’t in the lineup, but he continued to work hard each and everyday at his game. He stepped up and overachieved. We’re beyond ecstatic for him.”
 
The Milwaukee Wave advance to the Major Arena Soccer League Eastern Conference Championship game and will face the winner of Syracuse versus Baltimore. Dates have yet to be determined.