Haaskivi

It used to be when a guy scored four goals in a Major Soccer League game, everyone made a big deal of it. But when Blast forward Dale Mitchell did that last night in a 10-6 victory over the Cleveland Crunch, no one seemed very surprised.There are two very good reasons for that.One is Mitchell and his reputation for scoring.The other is the MSL's major increase in scoring, which could make four-goal nights a common occurrence. Blast forward Domenic Mobilio had four goals Saturday. Cleveland's Hector Marinaro also had four goals last night.

It might be the first time Blast goalkeeper Scott Manning has fallen behind a Socker and been able to smile about it.Tied with San Diego keeper Victor Nogueira with one shutout apiece, Manning dropped one back in last night's 4-0 Sockers victory, but gained something much more important -- a Cleveland Crunch loss.For first-place Cleveland (22-20), 2 1/2 games ahead of the slumping Blast (19-22), it was the first loss in 11 games.Nogueira's eighth career shutout was his second this season.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- It was Smith Dairy Night at the Coliseum last night and the Cleveland Crunch got into the spirit of the promotion by turning Baltimore's defense into cottage cheese.For the second time in 72 hours, the Crunch poured 11 goals into the nets. It had reached that total Tuesday against Kansas City for a team scoring record, and the Friday repeat delighted a crowd of 5,229.The 11-2 win gave Cleveland a 6-7 mark, and the Crunch is now a half-game back of the second-place Blast (6-6)

Jason Dieter was a regular in those days. He and his father had Blast season tickets in section 227, front row. In the mid-1980s, Dieter seldom missed a game.He was a teen-ager then, a budding soccer star at Archbishop Curley High. He was like a half-dozen other players now on the Spirit -- kids growing up in Baltimore who idolized the Blast.The Blast's games with the Cleveland Force were big. They were often sellouts, just as tomorrow's might be against another Cleveland team -- the Crunch.

The last-place curse in the Major Soccer League hit St. Louis Storm coach Don Popovic yesterday.Popovic became the fourth MSL coach of a last-place team to be fired during the season in a little more than one year, as Storm officials told him his record (12-20) was not good enough.Popovic, 49, was 68-68 in three seasons with the Storm.He entered this season with Branko Segota and Preki, two of the top starsin MSL history on his side, prompting many to make St. Louis a preseason favorite to win the regular-season championship.

When the Blast was building its team last summer, defense was the first priority. And just how much success Blast coach Kenny Cooper had in picking that defense is starting to show. For two straight weeks, goalkeeper Cris Vaccaro was the Major Soccer League Defender of the Week. Now, the Blast has made it three straight. This time, defender Iain Fraser has earned the honor.Fraser held Cleveland's Zoran Karic and Dallas' Tatu goal-less on back-to-back nights as the Blast lost to Cleveland, 5-4, and beat Dallas, 6-2.Unlike Vaccaro, who has had close to 10 such awards, Fraser said he has had "a whole whopping one" in the past.

Veteran Baltimore Blast midfielder Mike Stankovic spent yesterday watching NFL games on television and preparing himself mentally for today's arthroscopic knee surgery that could determine his future in the game.As Stankovic, 35, faces the 3:30 surgery on his right knee to ascertain the extent of ligament damage, the popular Blast player might be looking at the end of his 11-year career in the Major Soccer League.Stankovic and Blast trainer Marty McGinty both said yesterday that he has a torn medial collateral ligament that would put him out of action six to eight weeks.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Considering the long and successful history of the Baltimore Blast, it hardly seems possible that a regular-season game could be called "the greatest win for us . . . ever."However, that's what Blast coach Kenny Cooper said after his team overcame a two-goal deficit in the final 7 minutes, 14 seconds of regulation with midfielder Billy Ronson in the net to beat the Cleveland Crunch, 8-7, in overtime last night before 6,068 at the Richfield Coliseum."It was a miracle," said Cooper.

Veteran Blast midfielder Mike Stankovic spent yesterday watching NFL games on television and preparing himself mentally for today's arthroscopic knee surgery that could determine his future in the game.As Stankovic, 35, faces the 3:30 surgery on his right knee to ascertain the extent of ligament damage, the popular Blast player might be looking at the end of his 11-year career in the Major Soccer League.Stankovic and Blast trainer Marty McGinty both said yesterday that he has a torn medial collateral ligament that would put him out of action six to eight weeks.

RICHFIELD, Ohio -- Domenic Mobilio capped a heroic comeback by the Baltimore Blast by knocking in a wall pass from Doug Neely one minute and 57 seconds into overtime as it beat the Cleveland Crunch, 8-7, before 6,068 at the Richfield Coliseum last night.The Blast (7-5), who scored five goals in the fourth period to force the extra session, got the game's final three goals with midfielder Billy Ronson in the net. That was because regular goalie Cris Vaccaro was knocked out the game, literally, by a Dave Hoggan shot with 7:14 left in the contest.