The Baltimore Blast kicked off their Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) season last Friday night with an 8-7 win over the Cedar Rapids Rampage at Towson’s SECU Arena. The Blast are coming off a playoff run last season that saw them take home the crown as the MASL’s top dog. They look to repeat as champions this season and are off to a good start through one game. The Blast held their Championship Celebration and Banner Ceremony on Friday night as they celebrated their 9th overall MASL title and hosted the Rampage.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
The game against the Rampage went back and forth for the first half as the score ended up being locked up at three at the half. The third quarter only saw three goals but after a Tony Donatelli goal with fifteen ticks left in the period, the Blast did not look back. The score favored the Blast 8-5 with five minutes left in the game, a lead the Rampage could not overcome even with an extra attacker during the end of the game.
Overall, the Blast saw six different goal-scorers on Friday night, led by forward Vinicius Dantas, who had two goals and two assists, and was named the first star of the night. Forward Juan Pereira was the second star of the night, as he chipped in two goals and an assist. Additionally, forwards Andrew Hoxie, Lucas Roque, Donatelli, and Daniel Peruzzi scored goals on the night to cement the victory for Baltimore. Goalie William Vanilla faced 18 shots on the night, saving 11 of them to preserve the one goal victory in the final minutes.
Last season, plenty of the Blast players came home with awards besides the championship trophy, and they will look to do it again this year. Here is a list of awards returning players garnered last season:
Elton De Olivieria – MASL All-Rookie Team – Defense
William Vanilla – 2nd Team All-MASL – Goalkeeper
Tony Donatelli – MASL Honorable Mention – Forward
Adriano Dos Santos – MASL Honorable Mention – Midfield
The Blast continue their home schedule tomorrow (Friday) against the Syracuse Silver nights. Game time is 7:35 PM and Friday is a promotional night for the fans. The first 1,000 fans 14 and under will receive an Adriano Dos Santos Replica jersey t-shirt. The Blast continue these promotional nights throughout selected home games this season and the schedule for them is as follows:
January 6th – Junior Blast Cheerleaders Night
January 20th – Boy Scout Night
February 3rd – Mini Ball giveaway (first 1,000 fans 14 & under), Girl Scout Night, Education is a Blast Night
February 23rd – Vini Dantas Bobblehead Giveaway (first 1,000 fans 18+)
February 24th – Fan Appreciation Night – Junior Blast Club Night – Hall of Fame Induction
Tickets for future Blast home games can be found here. Various plans including season tickets, 5 game plans, business discounts and birthday parties are available.
Lacrosse Analyst
Sam Kuhn currently is the graduate assistant for the men’s lacrosse program at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio and is working to complete his Masters of Business Administration in 2020. Sam graduated from the College of Wooster in 2018, where he received his Bachelors Degree in English and played lacrosse as well. In his four years, Sam was a two time All-NCAC selection, a first team All-Region selection in 2018, and surpassed 100 goals for his career, one of seven members in program history to do so. Sam has interned with Inside Lacrosse, and wrote for the sports section of The Wooster Voice.