HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- All of five seconds had elapsed in the Blast's match against the Chicago Storm last night when midfielder Denison Cabral took a pass from forward Adauto Neto and powered home a shot for three points. That foreshadowed a successful night for the Blast.
Led by Cabral's first goal, the fastest score for the team this season, the Blast ran out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter on its way to a 19-9 throttling of Chicago.
With the win, the Blast (14-8) took a one-game lead over the Storm (13-9) heading into a crucial game today at Detroit. The Blast and Ignition are one game behind the Milwaukee Wave for the Major Indoor Soccer League lead.
Cabral's first goal was soon followed by a score from Giuliano Celenza at 5:13 in the first period to give Baltimore a 5-0 lead. Cabral scored again on a power play in the first quarter, and midfielder Lucio scored athree-point goal late in the first quarter to give the Blast a commanding 10-0 lead.
"We knew it being an away game, it was going to be tough," Cabral said. "We committed to leaving the locker room, starting hard and getting on top of [Chicago]."
The goals were a dramatic return for Cabral, who was suspended for the Feb. 16 match against the New Jersey Ironmen. Although the Blast offense was dominant in the first quarter, goalkeeper Sagu made his presence known with two sprawling saves on point-blank opportunities.
After the Storm cut the lead to 10-5 in the second quarter, Sagu came up big again with another diving stop. He finished with 16 saves.
"Defense is the key for us," Blast coach Danny Kelly said. "When we play well defensively, we give ourselves an opportunity to win games."
The Blast put the match out of reach when Machel Millwood, the Blast's leading scorer, notched his first goal of the night early in the second half. That score was followed by a goal from Michael Todd. Millwood scored again 92 seconds into the fourth. He has 21 goals for the season.
Celenza finished with a goal and an assist. Midfielder Robbie Aristodemo scored the last goal of the game with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Forwards P.J. Wakefield and Carlos Garcia had two assists apiece.
The Blast, who had struggled on the road this season, improved to 4-6 away from Baltimore.
Kelly noted, "We know if we are going to make the playoffs we have to start winning games on the road."
Blast 10 0 4 5 - 19
Chicago 0 5 2 2 - 9
First quarter: 1. Blast, Cabral (3 pt.), Neto, :05; 2. Blast, Celenza (2 pt.), Garcia, 5:13; 3. Blast, Cabral (2 pt.), Wakefield, 6:21; 4. Blast, Lucio (3 pt.), Nelson, 11:41. Penalty: Chicago, Cigliano, tripping, 6:21. Second quarter: 5. Chicago, Fabinho (2 pt.), Bollella, 2:49; 6. Chicago, Fabinho (3 pt.), 4:58. Third quarter: 7. Blast, Millwood (2 pt.), Garcia, 1:15; 8. Blast, Todd (2 pt.), Wakefield, 5:51; 9. Chicago, Bennett (2 pt.), Stewart, 11:14. Penalty: Chicago, Ughy, boarding, 4:59. Fourth quarter: 10. Blast, Millwood (2 pt.), Celenza, 1:32; 11. Chicago, Ughy (2 pt.), Fabinho, 5:43; 12. Blast, Aristodemo (3 pt.), Lookingland, 11:49. Penalty: Blast, Aristodemo, holding, 6:57. Shots on goal: Blast, 8-2-8-4-22; Chicago, 8-8-3-5-24. Power-play opportunies: Blast 1-for-2; Chicago 1-for-1. Saves: Blast, Sagu 16, 7-5-1-3-16; Chicago Larkin 6, 0-2-3-1-6; Richey 1, 1-0-0-0-1; Savic 0, 0-0-0-0-0; Ball 0, 0-0-0-0-0; Fabinho 0, 0-0-0-0-0. A: n/a.
Blast today
Matchup -- Blast (14-8) at Detroit Ignition (13-7)
Site -- Compuware Arena, Plymouth Township, Mich.
Time -- 4:35 p.m.
Radio -- 680 AM
Outlook -- The Blast concludes its weekend trip by meeting its biggest nemesis. The Ignition, which came into existence last season, is 7-1 against the Blast and has won both games this season - by 19-11 at 1st Mariner Arena and by 11-4 at home. Detroit is 6-3 at Compuware Arena and has the reigning Most Valuable Player in the Major Indoor Soccer League, Jamar Beasley, who leads its attack with 47 points.
KENT BAKER