WAVE ELIMINATED BY BLAST IN THE RACE TO THE RON NEWMAN CUP

Just days ago, the seven-time champion Milwaukee Wave was bested by the Baltimore Blast in a tight match. Today provided a second chance for our beloved Wave. The notorious black turf of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena hosted the most important game the Wave has faced thus far in the season. The winner of today’s game will move on to the finals against Chihuahua Savage. The attendance hit 1,866 fans, but the atmosphere was filled with a multitude more.  With everything on the line, the Wave needed a win for an opportunity to continue forward, but it was not in the cards for this season.
  
The Milwaukee Wave and the Baltimore Blast brought more energy than the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena has held so far this season. After five minutes of play, #33, William Banahene, cleared a ball straight into the waiting feet of #3, Qudus Lawal. With Banahene’s second assist of the season, the Wave put the first point of the game onto the board. In the twelfth minute, #78 of the Blast, Nelson Santana had the opportunity to tie it up. Both teams had an additional opportunity but instead clocked a scoreless Power Play period. In the tenth minute of the second quarter, #70 of the Blast, Ricardinho Sobreira ended the scoring of the half, 1-2, Blast advantage.

Straight off the tap, #9 of the Blast, Moises Gonzalez, upped the Blast with another goal. After an out-of-box handball from Banahene, #32, Augie Rey replaced him for the penalty shootout. Ferdinand of the Blast, #25, took the attempt but was denied by Rey. While still on the Power Play, #11 of the Blast, Tony Donatelli, scored the Blast’s fourth goal of the game. Less than 30 seconds after, #6 of the Blast, Josh Hughes made it five. Support and energy never wavering, the Wave gained two more goals playing with a sixth attacker. The first was claimed by #10, Mario Alvarez, and the second, #8, Luan Oliveira. Adopting a defensive and offensive six switch, the Wave put their best feet forward. Playing until the very last second, the Wave fell just short of the Baltimore Blast.

“I’m proud of the fact that we played to the final buzzer. At this point, you need to give Baltimore Blast a ton of credit. They were better than us, sad to say, but the better team did win today.” said Head Coach Giuliano Oliviero. “We’re only going to get better; we’re only going to get stronger. This one hurt. We’ll give it a couple of days, we’ll reflect on it, and then it’s all looking forward to the future.”.  

The Baltimore Blast will move forward in the Playoffs because of their second win tonight. They will face Chihuahua Savage in an ultimate reach for the Ron Newman Cup. This is the Savage’s first finals qualification since they were founded in 2019. This final qualification provides the opportunity for the Blast to gain their 10^th Championship. You can watch the game live and for free on Twitch.