Baltimore beats Orlando

Baltimore, MD (December 14, 2018) – The Baltimore Blast defeated the Orlando Seawolves 4-1 in their first meeting of the season to improve to 3-1 on the season.

The first quarter began with a defensive battle between the two sides with only one goal scored in the opening period. Orlando opened the scoring on the night midway through the first quarter with a first-time volley from defender Luiz Mota, his first on the season. The Blast had several chances from set pieces, but the Orlando defense limited the Blast to zero goals in the quarter.

The second quarter saw impressive defensive performances from both teams as the offenses were limited in their shots on goal. The Blast began to craft more shots on goal throughout the second quarter and finally found the net midway through the second quarter. Andrew Hoxie equalized off a free kick for the Blast with his fourth goal of the season and first of the night for the Blast. Jonatas Melo provided his 5^th assist on the year. Key saves from William Vanzela and Rainer Hauss kept the game tied at 1-1 at the end of the first half.

The Blast came firing out on all cylinders in the third quarter. Minutes into the third quarter, the Blast broke the tie as Josh Hughes tapped in a deflected shot from Jon Orlando to make it 2-1 Blast. Hughes scored his 2^nd goal of the season while Orlando provided his 2^nd assist on the season. Several minutes later, Elton de Oliveira intercepted the Orlando attacker and passed the ball to Juan Pereira who calmly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper’s head to extend the Blast’s lead to 3-1.

The Blast defense would not budge as they shut down the Orlando attack once again in the fourth quarter. A late penalty shootout goal from Juan Pereira with a minute remaining capped off an impressive defensive performance from the Blast. Orlando played with six attackers for the rest of the game but the Blast defense held strong for a 4-1 victory.

The Blast were led by Juan Pereira, who recorded two goals in the Blast’s victory. Josh Hughes and Andrew Hoxie also contributed with one goal each, while Jon Orlando and Jonatas Melo both recorded an assist. In goal, William Vanzela recorded 6 saves in the Blast victory.

The Blast are back in action Sunday, December 30 when they travel to New York to take on Utica City FC at 2:00 p.m. EST.

MASL Match Report
Match: Baltimore Blast vs. Orlando Seawolves
Date: December 14, 2018
Venue: Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, FL
Kickoff: 7:35 p.m. EST