TROPICS DROP FIRST GAME OF HOME-AND-HOME SERIES TO WAVE, 6-4

LAKELAND, FL. -- Ian Bennett scored twice, extending his Major Arena Soccer League goal-scoring streak to a record 37 consecutive games, as the Milwaukee Wave won round one in the battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Division, 6-4, Sunday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. 

Bradley, the reigning two-time league’s Most Valuable Player, scored in the first quarter as Milwaukee built a 4-3 halftime lead, and added an empty netter with 10 seconds to play to seal the win. 

Milwaukee improved to 5-1-1, good for 16 points in the east, while Florida falls to 6-3-1 with 19 points. However, Florida has played three more games than the Wave. The two teams will meet again Friday night in Milwaukee. 

“We had moments, but not nearly enough of them. It just wasn’t a consistent enough effort, just not good enough, and we have to own up to that,” Florida Coach Clay Roberts said. “The good news is we go right back at them on their turf in a few days, and if I know this team at all, we’ll give a much stronger performance then.” 

Marcio Leite also scored twice for Milwaukee, who also got a goal and an assist from Derek Huffman. Javier Steinwascher added the other Wave score. 

Victor Parreiras had a goal and an assist for Florida, who also got goals from Taylor Walter Bond, Vini Dantas, and Lucas Montelares. 

Friday’s game in Milwaukee will mark the first of five straight on the road for Florida. The Tropics will play Jan. 28 in Harrisburg, Feb. 4 in Dallas and Feb. 10 and 11 in Kansas City and St. Louis respectively. 

The Tropics' next home game will be Sunday, February 19 when the Kansas City Comets visit Lakeland. 

Tickets for all home games are available starting at just $7 per game by calling the arena box office at 863-834-8111. Although tickets are also available online at www.rpfundingcenter.com, service fees are significantly higher through Ticketmaster as opposed to calling the box office directly. Tickets are also available on game day at the box office.