DALLAS - The Dallas Sidekicks called it a throwback game. The Blast would rather have thrown it away.
Dallas muscled its way to a 17-10 win over the Blast, helped by opportunism, off-set plays and a diversified scoring attack that generated goals from seven different players.
The Blast (5-10) fell for the first time in Bobby McAvan's two games as coach and remained in fourth place in the MISL's Eastern Division. Dallas improved to 4-11.
Dallas, wearing green uniforms in honor of its first stint in the MISL, spent most of its energy maintaining a more physical style and racked up 28 fouls. But Baltimore ended up the worst for it after being hit with only three penalties.
The last one set up a power-play goal by Sidekicks forward David Doyle that gave Dallas a 14-7 lead with 11 minutes left. The Blast killed Dallas' first two power plays in the game after entering next to last in the MISL in penalty killing at 50 percent.
Blast forward Sean Bowers gave his team a last bit of hope with three minutes left, scoring a three-point goal that brought his team to within 14-10, but Brad Flanagan's empty-net shot 90 seconds later sealed it.
Lance Johnson scored the Blast's only goal of the third period, sending a re-direct from Lee Tschantret at the top of the penalty area into the net.
A strong start by the Sidekicks left the Blast trailing 8-5 at halftime.
Bowers cut into an 8-2 Dallas lead two minutes into the second period with a three-point restart goal from the fight side. Bowers, who had been taken down against the boards, fired the shot over Dallas keeper Sagu's left shoulder.
The goal negated the impact of a Blast mistake off a Dallas restart a minute earlier. Dallas' player/coach, Tatu, was credited with a goal after sending a low shot that caromed off Blast keeper Scott Hileman's left foot and trickled over the line.
The Sidekicks scored first five minutes in as Tatu fed a sliding David Doyle inside the penalty area for a two-point goal. Jeff Betts, a player/coach for Utah last year in the now-defunct World Indoor Soccer League, got his first goal of the season 1:24 later for a 4-0 Dallas lead.
Following a Blast timeout, forward Tarik Walker struck from the left side 28 seconds later to cut the Sidekicks' lead in half.
The Blast, which came into the game next to last in the MISL in penalty killing at 50 percent, held Dallas without a goal on a power play in the second quarter.