Machel Millwood

MISL Blast beats Lancers for 5th win in row The Blast won its fifth straight Major Indoor Soccer League game and improved to 5-1 with a 10-4 win over the Rochester Lancers on Saturday night. Defender Mike Lookingland led the way with two goals and an assist in the team's fifth consecutive road win. Stephen DeRoux and Adriano Dos Santos scored 49 seconds apart in the first quarter to give the Blast a 4-0 lead. It was the first goal of the season for both players.

Matt Watson and rookie J.T. Noone led the way with two goals each as the Blast improved to 4-1 with an 18-10 win over the host Syracuse Silver Knights on Sunday afternoon. Six players scored in the Blast's fourth straight victory, which featured 13 goals and 18 penalty minutes. The Blast (4-1) scored two-three point goals, a short-handed goal and two power-play goals. Machel Millwood opened the scoring with a three-pointer in the fifth minute, and goalkeeper Sagu made 25 saves in his fourth win of the season.

MISL Blast wins 3rd in row, routing Lancers, 26-9 The Blast improved to 3-1 in the Major Indoor Soccer League with a 26-9 win over the Rochester Lancers on Saturday. Eight Blast players, including newly signed Shaun David and rookies Mike Deasel and J.T. Noone , scored in Baltimore's third straight victory. Adauto Neto and Machel Millwood each scored two first-quarter goals to give the Blast a 12-3 lead. Max Ferdinand also contributed a first-quarter goal, and David recorded a goal and two assists in his first quarter with the Blast.

Max Ferdinand scored two goals, including the game-winner at 5:15 of overtime, as the first-place Blast earned a 16-13 victory over the host Chicago Riot on Sunday night. The Blast (14-3) has won its past eight Major Indoor Soccer League games and returns to 1st Mariner Arena on Friday night to host the Riot. Baltimore needs one more win to claim the regular-season title and the right to host the championship game. Alex Megson gave the Riot a 13-8 lead early in the final quarter, but the Blast fought back.

The Blast made more than a statement Sunday night; it gave a speech to the rest of the Major Indoor Soccer League. With perhaps its most impressive team effort of the season, the Blast dominated the second-place Milwaukee Wave, 20-9, at 1st Mariner Arena , clinched a berth in the playoffs and took a giant step toward finishing first and gaining a first-round bye and the home floor for the championship game. It was the seventh consecutive victory for Baltimore (13-3), which has not lost since Jan. 16, and ensured the team would hold the tiebreaker for first place should it come to that at the end of the season.

Milwaukee Wave (5-1)@Blast (5-1) Time: Saturday, 7:35 p.m. Site: 1 s t Mariner Arena Online: B2TV.com Outlook: First place in the Major Indoor Soccer League is on the line as the league's most storied franchises meet for the first time this season. Both teams are coming off their first losses — the Blast falling at Omaha, 9-8, on New Year's Eve and the Wave losing at home to Missouri,13-8, the same night. After squandering a 8-5 lead going into the final quarter against the Vipers, the Blast will look to get back on track and can expect a tightly marked, close game against the Wave.

For the Blast, this weekend's home-and-home series with the rival Milwaukee Wave could have lasting playoff implications. Both teams enter Saturday's 7:35 p.m. contest at 1st Mariner Arena — the first of six regular-season meetings — tied for first place in the Major Indoor Soccer League with 5-1 records. In order for the Blast to qualify for its fourth consecutive playoff appearance, it must prove it can beat the Wave. After all, the Blast has had to beat Milwaukee in the postseason in four of its past five championship runs, leading to a distinct animosity between the squads.

When Blast assistant coach David Bascome speaks, people tend to listen. Bascome has dedicated much of his time to helping and mentoring at-risk youths in the Baltimore area through his Hope 4 Life motivational speaking program, which is designed to help children avoid negative influences and find ways to make a positive difference in their communities. When he founded the program four years ago in his native Bermuda, Bascome sought to instill hope in kids who were struggling in school, being bullied or were victims of abuse.

Missouri Comets (1-3) at Blast (2-0) When: 7:35 p.m. Saturday Where: 1 s t Mariner Arena Video: B2TV.com Outlook:   Balanced scoring and strong goalkeeping from veteran Sagu have played big parts in the Blast's 2-0 start.  The team has gotten a point from 12 different players — Machel Millwood leading the way with seven points — and Sagu was particularly strong at Omaha where he had a 21-save performance in a 15-10 win on Nov. 28. The expansion Comets have brought in veteran defender Jeff Davis — a longtime member of the Kansas City Attack/Comets in the now-defunct National Professional Soccer League — to help shore up a defense that has yielded an average of 17 points in its first four games.

After a subpar 2009-10 season that ended abruptly in the Major Indoor Soccer League semifinals, the Baltimore Blast has added some promising new pieces to its veteran core with a blueprint geared toward returning to its lofty standard. The 31st season of professional indoor soccer in Baltimore begins Friday night when the Blast takes on the Chicago Riot at 1st Mariner Arena . Game time is set for 7:35. The home team, winners of five championships in the past eight seasons, is confident it has the right mix to add another crown.