Max Ferdinand

The Blast was not at all hospitable when the expansion Norfolk SharX made their first visit to 1st Mariner Arena on Friday night. Stung by an upset loss to the last-place SharX last week in Virginia, the Blast parlayed crisp teamwork and on-target shooting into a 18-2 victory before an announced crowd of 4,718. "I thought we had a great response coming off a loss where we didn't play very well," said Blast coach Danny Kelly, whose team's 17-12 loss at Norfolk on Jan. 12 snapped a five-game winning streak.

One minute, it looked like the Blast was poised to successfully defend its Major Indoor Soccer League championship Sunday. The next - the players' heads were down and the team's season was shockingly over. The Missouri Comets celebrated their first MISL championship in a rematch of last year's title series, claiming a thrilling 6-4 win in the decisive 15-minute mini game that the Blast appeared to have control of in front of an announced crowd of 6,447 at Baltimore Arena. After the Blast tied the series with a convincing 19-4 win in the second game earlier in the night, veteran Adauto Neto (three goals, one assist in Game 2)

Max Ferdinand scored three fourth-quarter goals as the Blast routed the first-year Pennsylvania Roar, 21-2, on Friday night in Reading in the first game of a home-and-home series that continues tonight at Baltimore Arena. Lucas Roque added three assists and one goal, and goalie Troy Hernandez allowed just one goal. The defending Major Indoor Soccer League-champion Blast (3-2) scored the game's first 14 points before Corey Maret put the Roar (0-6) on the board at 12:34 of the fourth quarter.

With an 18-2 win Sunday over the host Pennsylvania Roar, the Blast claimed the Major Indoor Soccer League regular-season championship. The win gave the Blast (17-3) the No. 1 seed in the MISL playoffs. The Milwaukee Wave (16-4) lost to the Missouri Comets, 9-4, on Sunday, allowing the Blast to take first place in the league. The Blast's game started slowly, as midfielder Max Ferdinand got the Blast on the board first off an assist from midfielder Drew Yates (Maryland). Ferdinand scored another goal before the end of the first quarter, giving the Blast an early 4-0 lead.

The visiting Blast needed a five-goal fourth quarter to beat the Wichita Wings, 17-11, in a Major Indoor Soccer League game Friday night. Ptah Myers led the way with three goals as the Blast fought back from an 11-6 deficit. Myers scored two goals in the last quarter and J.T. Noone and Max Ferdinand also scored during Baltimore's five-minute five-goal run to end the game. The Blast got off to a slow start, as two goals by Freddy Moojen, who finished with a hat trick, contributed to a 7-0 Wings lead.

Max Ferdinand, Machel Millwood and Pat Healey each scored two goals Monday night as the Blast finished a two-game sweep of the host Rochester Lancers with a 14-8 win in the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern Division Finals. The Blast advance to the championship series, where they will face the Milwaukee Wave in a rematch of last year's final, which the Wave won, 16-7, in a one-game playoff at 1st Mariner Arena . The venue will host Game 1 of this year's final at 7:35 p.m. Friday; Game 2 will be 4 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee.

In the last game of the Major Indoor Soccer League regular season Sunday, Max Ferdinand scored in overtime to send the Blast to a 15-13 win over the host Syracuse Silver Knights. Adriano Dos Santos led the way with two goals to help give the Blast (18-6) home-field advantage throughout postseason play. Dos Santos, who also scored two goals in Friday's 18-12 home win over the Wichita Wings, knocked in the first goal of Sunday's game just nine seconds in to give the Blast an early 2-0 lead.

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 re-signed 11 players from last year's squad, pending MISL approval, team president and general manager Kevin Healey announced Thursday. Returning this season are: forwards Machel Millwood, Adauto Neto, Lucio Gonzaga, Adriano Dos Santos and J.T. Noone; midfielder Max Ferdinand; and defenders Mike Lookingland, Pat Healey, Ptah Myers, Mike Deasel and Stephen DeRoux. Head coach Danny Kelly and assistant David Bascome will also return this season. "This group has a lot of offer," Kelly said in a news release.

Friday: Norfolk SharX (3-13) at Blast (11-4) Saturday: Rochester Lancers (7-9) at Blast Site: 1 s t Mariner Arena Video: baltimoreblast.com/schedule/broadcastschedule Outlook: The Blast wants to pick up where it left off last Friday, when it dominated the SharX, 18-2. Max Ferdinand, the Blast's leading scorer with 42 points, had three goals and one assist and the defense blanked the SharX for the final three quarters. The Blast, which has a 4 1/2-game lead over second place Rochester in the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern division, has decisively won both meetings against the expansion SharX this season.

The Blast won its fifth straight game Sunday, routing the host Missouri Comets, 18-4, to remain a half-game behind the Milwaukee Wave in the Major Indoor Soccer League standings. The Blast (13-3) scored first with a 3-point power-play goal by Lucio Gonzaga . Mike Lookingland (Loyola High) scored the first goal of the second quarter on an assist by Pat Healey . Less than five minutes later, Tony Donatelli assisted a goal by Max Ferdinand , and the Blast went into halftime with a 7-0 lead.

Syracuse Silver Knights (8-4) at Blast (8-3) When: Friday, 7:35 p.m. Rochester Lancers (4-9) at Blast (8-3) When: Saturday, 7:35 p.m. Where: Baltimore Arena Video: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaltimoreBlast Outlook: After a comfortable 14-2 home win against the St. Louis Ambush last Friday, the Blast saw their seven-game winning streak end in a last-minute, 9-8 loss at Syracuse on Sunday....

During the golden age of Major Indoor Soccer League in the 1980s, the game featured players who dazzled fans with their nifty footwork, creativity and individual skills. Blast veteran forward Adauto Neto showed similar form Friday night against the visiting Missouri Comets. In the second quarter, he tied the game with a side-winding, half-volley from deep in the right corner that found the top of the net. With the game still tied in the third quarter and the Blast on a power play, Neto's perfectly timed backheel pass in tight quarters found a streaking Lucio Gonzaga, who scored to give the home team its first lead.

The Blast put on another clinic Saturday night against the Pennsylvania Roar, showcasing its depth and talent against the first-year franchise. One day after dismantling the Roar, 21-2,, the Blast surged to a 29-0 victory in the second game of the home-and-home series before an announced 5,638 at Baltimore Arena. It was the Blast's largest margin of victory since beating Massachusetts, 37-5, on Feb. 14, 2009. “Any time you can get a shutout, it's a tremendous team effort,” Blast coach Danny Kelly said.

Max Ferdinand scored three fourth-quarter goals as the Blast routed the first-year Pennsylvania Roar, 21-2, on Friday night in Reading in the first game of a home-and-home series that continues tonight at Baltimore Arena. Lucas Roque added three assists and one goal, and goalie Troy Hernandez allowed just one goal. The defending Major Indoor Soccer League-champion Blast (3-2) scored the game's first 14 points before Corey Maret put the Roar (0-6) on the board at 12:34 of the fourth quarter.

The defending Major Indoor Soccer League-champion Blast blew a big lead and allowed a last-minute goal in a 12-10 loss Saturday night in the Milwaukee Wave's home opener. The Blast (1-2) took an early 4-0 lead on goals by Stephen DeRoux 16 seconds into the game and Max Ferdinand four minutes later. Tony Donatelli scored for the Blast to make it 6-2 in the second quarter, and Aduato Neto put the visitors ahead 8-2 six minutes into the third quarter before Ferdinand padded the advantage to 10-2.

In a back-and-forth match that featured three lead changes and multiple penalties, the Baltimore Blast lost its first game of the season, 9-8, to the host Omaha Vipers after Johnny Torres scored the eventual game-winner with three minutes left Friday before an announced 3,500. The Blast (5-1) remains in a tie for first place with the Milwaukee Wave after the Missouri Comets' 13-8 victory over the Wave on Friday. Max Ferdinand scored the first goal of the game just four minutes in to put Baltimore on top, 2-0. With time running out in the second quarter, former Blast player Carlos Farias scored a restart goal to tie the game at 2. In the third quarter, the Vipers (3-4)

When: Friday, 7:35 p.m. Where: 1 s t Mariner Arena Video: baltimoreblast.com/schedule/broadcastschedule Outlook: The Blast, front-runners in the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern Division, should come out plenty determined after having their five-game winning streak end against the last-place SharX, 17-12, in Norfolk on Jan. 12. The Blast's recent success can mostly be attributed to strong team defense,...

That first goal is so often the most difficult to get in the Major Indoor Soccer League, with the net seemingly smaller and smaller for the frustrated team as each minute passes by. For the defending league champion Blast - playing its home opener against the Milwaukee Wave on Saturday - the first quarter went by without a goal. And then the second. And then the third. And then, shockingly, the fourth one as well. The Wave got all the offense it needed in the first half and then effectively packed it in defensively during the second to come away with a stunning 8-0 shutout win over the Blast before an announced crowd of 8,780 at Baltimore Arena.

Led by Tony Donatelli's hat trick, the Blast earned a victory Thursday night over the Missouri Comets in Game 1 of the MISL championship series. Ptah Myers, Adauto Neto and Machel Millwood added two goals each for the Blast, and goalkeeper William Vanzela recorded 18 saves. Game 2 is set for Saturday night at 1st Mariner Arena , with a deciding mini-game to be played immediately after regulation, if needed. The Comets are no strangers to an opening loss, having rallied in the semifinals to beat the Milwaukee Wave in Game 2 and the mini-game.