Celenza

The Blast used four of its five picks in yesterday's National Professional Soccer League Amateur Draft on area talent, using its territorial pick to select UMBC standout Giuliano Celenza. In two seasons, Celenza (Archbishop Curley, CCBC-Essex) led the Retrievers to two Northeast Conference title games, being named NEC Player of the Year in both seasons. He finished with 100 career points (41 goals, 18 assists) to finish as UMBC's second all-time leading scorer. The question for Celenza: Stay at home to play indoors with the Blast or play outdoors in Major League Soccer, which will likely draft him after his college career ends in February's Senior Bowl.

When Giuliano Celenza was first signing with the Blast as a 21-year-old out of college, general manager Kevin Healey received a phone call from another Major Indoor Soccer League official. "He wanted to know if Jules' visa was in place," Healey recalled with a smile. That inquiry about Celenza, who is of Italian heritage, was off by an ocean and a continent. The young man's heart has always been in Highlandtown, and his body has followed obediently. From where Celenza was born and grew up, he easily could have walked to the Blast's offices and practice facility.

Curley's 5-foot-6, 135-pound sophomore Giuliano Celenza is shouldering some lofty expectations while playing for the third-ranked Friars.Two years ago, his older brother, Anthony, helped the Friars to a runner-up finish to then 16-time champ Calvert Hall in the Maryland Scholastic Association's A Conference.As a freshman last year, Celenza did what his brother couldn't, scoring the first goal in a 3-2 championship game victory over Calvert Hall to help Curley put the finishing touches on a 16-0-1 season.

Giuliano Celenza’s 11 th season with the Blast will be his last. The forward will retire at the end of the Major Indoor Soccer League season, team president and general manager Kevin Healey announced Tuesday. Celenza is the Blast’s fourth all-time leading scorer and one of just four players to score 400 points for Baltimore. “Epitome of a local hero,” Blast Owner Ed Hale said of Celenza, whom the Blast selected in the 2001 territorial draft after standout careers at Archbishop Curley, CCBC Essex and UMBC.

Archbishop Curley senior Anthony Celenza says this year's Friars are a team rather than a group of individual players.In yesterday's 5-2 win over visiting Cardinal Gibbons (11-5-2) in the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference semifinals, Celenza was a team all by himself.Celenza scored four goals to lead the third-ranked Friars (17-1) to the championship game, where they will face No. 2 Calvert Hall on Monday at 3:15 p.m. at Essex Community College. Calvert Hall beat Mount St. Joseph, 4-1, in yesterday's other semifinal.

At every cut, at every turn, Antonio Celenza's patience -- and the pain in the recovering Achilles' tendon of his right ankle -- was being tested.If the Curley striker wasn't getting his point-blank shots smothered by Mount St. Joseph goalie John Smith (six saves) yesterday, then he was getting banged around by the Gaels stopper Sean Gaiser.But, with six minutes left, Celenza had enough room to net the game-winning goal off a cross from Andrew Kowalevicz for a 2-1 soccer victory in a Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference Division II game.

His Archbishop Curley teammates have nicknamed him "Jewel," and at No. 3 Calvert Hall yesterday, sophomore Giuliano Celenza demonstrated what a treasure he can be.The 5-foot-3, 130-pound striker scored two second-half goals, the last a downward arching 30-yarder that broke a 1-1 tie with 23 seconds left, lifting No. 2 Curley (6-1, 6-0) over Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association rival Calvert Hall, 2-1.The win, a rematch of last year's 3-2 title game won by Curley, kept the Friars unbeaten in 23 games against Maryland competition.

In the opening home game of the season, less than five minutes had elapsed when Blast forward Giuliano Celenza had already staggered the Chicago Storm with a three-goal outburst that paved the way to an 18-12 victory. The leading goal-scorer in the Major Indoor Soccer League last season had rapidly served notice via that hat trick that he had every intention of defending the coveted individual title. But three weeks later, Celenza suffered a groin injury in a game against Milwaukee and hasn't played since.

Archbishop Curley coach Pep Perrella said when a goalkeeper plays like Ryan Beaumont of Cardinal Gibbons did yesterday, you need to be perfect to score.Giuliano Celenza was perfect for Curley. In fact, he was perfect twice, enough for the Friars to clinch the Maryland Scholastic Association Armstrong A Conference Division II regular-season title.Celenza scored twice, with assists from Mike Bailey both times, including the game-winner on a 10-yard shot in the 74th minute to give No. 4 Archbishop Curley a 2-1 victory over visiting Cardinal Gibbons.

Giuliano Celenza is one of the more quiet members of the top-ranked Archbishop Curley soccer team. But with one dazzling play yesterday, the freshman forward left most of his teammates speechless.With the Friars deadlocked in a scoreless tie against unbeaten Clifton, N.J., Celenza took a pass from David Baines, settled the ball about 20 yards out, then, in acrobatic fashion, flicked it over two defenders, turned, caught it on his knee and fired in the game-winner to give the Friars a dramatic 1-0 victory.

The Blast had plenty to celebrate as it opened its Major Indoor Soccer League season Friday night against the Rockford Rampage at 1st Mariner Arena. The game marked the 30th year of professional indoor soccer in the city, and an energized crowd of an announced 9,614 helped the team enjoy the raising of last season's championship banner. All that remained was bringing home a win, but the Rampage spoiled the party. Rockford defender Chris Brisson scored 9:47 into overtime as the Rampage was able to outlast the Blast for a 10-8 win in a rematch of last season's championship game.

It was a night for taking it easy on some of the Blast's most notable veterans. Missing from the lineup were All-League goalkeeper Sagu, who was celebrating his 36th birthday, and the franchise's all-time leading scorer, Denison Cabral, 35. But the absences didn't have any effect on the outcome as the Blast closed its regular-season home schedule with a 20-9 victory over the National Indoor Soccer League's worst team, the Massachusetts Twisters....

Matchup: Blast (5-0) at Rockford Rampage (3-3) Time: 6:05 p.m. Site: MetroCentre, Rockford, Ill. Radio: 680 AM Outlook: The Blast takes its National Indoor Soccer League-leading record and defense to Rockford for the second time in search of a third victory over the first-year entry. The Blast has 14-4 and 11-2 wins in the series and would top last season's 5-0 start with a victory. Machel Millwood leads the Blast with 18 points, followed by three others, Carlos Garcia, Giuliano Celenza and Robbie Aristodemo, with 13. G Sagu has allowed a meager 5.44 points a game.

MILWAUKEE -- Whenever Blast forward Denison Cabral makes a big play at home, he likes to share the joy with fans by running up to the glass at 1st Mariner Arena. Last night, he made U.S. Cellular Arena seem like a home away from home. "When I came here to play in Milwaukee, I wanted to feel like it was at home," Cabral said. "I promised myself that I was going to go up [and jump] on that glass, and I did." The 34-year-old veteran collected a hat trick last night as the Blast claimed its fourth Major Indoor Soccer League championship in the past six seasons, beating Monterrey La Raza, 14-11.

With another stout defensive effort and a resourceful offense, the Blast continued its climb in the Major Indoor Soccer League last night. The team never trailed, registered its fourth consecutive victory and moved into a tie for fourth place by beating the Chicago Storm at 1st Mariner Arena, 18-8. The clinching scores came in the third period when the Blast (10-7) stretched its lead to eight points, killed a Storm power play and held Chicago scoreless. A Blast defense that has allowed just 46 points in the past seven games limited the Storm (11-7)

Matchup -- Blast (5-3) at Monterrey La Raza (2-7) Time -- 9:35 Radio -- 680 AM Outlook -- Beset with a slew of nagging injuries, the Blast will be looking to end a three-game losing streak in its first visit to Mexico this season. M Matt Watson and F Aduato Neto will miss the game, and M Scott Buete (knee), F Giuliano Celenza (ankle), M Lucio (abdominal strain) and M David Bascome (hip) are listed as questionable. The Blast is coming off an embarrassing performance in a 19-11 loss at home to Detroit in which it trailed 9-0 at halftime.

Memories came tumbling back for Shane Dougherty and Spirit general manager Drew Forrester during yesterday's National Professional Soccer League draft.Forrester remembered watching Dougherty score four goals in DTC Fallston High's 7-1 win over Easton in the 1992 state championship game and saying, "We'll have to keep an eye on that kid. He's going to be a good one."Dougherty remembered growing up watching the Blast at Baltimore Arena and hoping some day to be part of it: "As a little kid, it was such a treat to get to play at halftime.

The Blast will have a team-record and league-high seven representatives in the Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star Game Feb. 29 in St. Louis, the league announced yesterday. Goalkeeper Scott Hileman, defender Danny Kelly and forward Giuliano Celenza will play for the side representing the United States, while forwards Denison Cabral, Carlos "Chile" Farias and David Bascome and defender Wendell Regis will play for the International squad. "I think having seven players chosen is a reflection of our championship season and our continuing strong performance this year," Blast general manager Kevin Healey said.

No school has contributed more to the Blast's playing personnel lately than UMBC. Five former Retrievers -- or 25 percent of the team's 20-man active roster -- are included, and if Machel Millwood (who starred at Towson) were made an honorary member of the group, the team could field a strong starting six composed entirely of former Baltimore-area collegiate players. With Millwood and Giuliano Celenza at the forwards, young Matt Watson in the midfield, P.J. Wakefield and Billy Nelson on defense and Brian Rowland in goal, the Blast would have a unit that would be a local soccer fan's delight and certainly could hold its own and even thrive in the MISL.

With Giuliano Celenza back in the rotation after an eight-week absence, the Blast turned in one of its most efficient efforts of the season last night at 1st Mariner Arena. Unlike the first meeting with the Chicago Storm here when he scored three goals within five minutes, Celenza ceded the offensive honors to defender P.J. Wakefield, but it meant a lot just to have him on the field in a workmanlike 10-4 victory over Chicago before 4,539 fans. Wakefield had two goals and an assist, and veteran Lee Tschantret scored the final Blast goal against a six-attacker formation to pull to within one point of 1,000 for his career.