Blast Win 3rd Straight MASL Championship
The Blast won their third straight championship after defeating the Flash 4-3 in Monterrey. In front of a crowd of 8,220, the Blast used a strong defensive effort and good goalkeeping to complete their three-peat. Blast goalkeeper William Vanzela was named Championship MVP.
The Blast came out strong in the first half, scoring three unanswered goals. Vini Dantas got on the board first to give the Blast a 1-0 lead after the 1st quarter. Andrew Hoxie scored and Daniel Peruzzi added a power play goal with 52 seconds left in the half to take a 3-0 lead. The Blast defense limited Monterrey’s scoring chances, and the game went to halftime at 3-0.
The teams would trade goals to start the second half, with each team scoring off a free-kick restart. Edgar Gonzalez scored for Monterrey and Juan Pereira scored for the Blast to give the Blast a 4-1 lead. Monterrey came back with two straight goals in the fourth quarter. Efrain Martinez and Lourenco Andrade scored for the Flash to make the game interesting. The Blast defense was able to hold off the late Monterrey rally for a 4-3 win.
The Blast went 1-2 on the power play and Monterrey did not have a power play opportunity. Pat Healey recorded two assists in the game for Baltimore. Carlos Farias, Miguel Vaca, and Armando Teran each had an assist for Monterrey.