WAVE SHOCK MASL WITH UPSET OVER REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
After dropping a heartbreaker in overtime Friday night to the Flash in Game One of the MASL Ron Newman Cup East Division Semi-Final at Panther Arena, the 7-time champion Milwaukee Wave went into Monterrey and did the impossible; defeat the undefeated Flash, not once but twice to advance to the next round of the playoffs.
“I’m beyond happy for the guys and what they put into this weekend,” exclaimed Milwaukee Wave Head Coach Giuliano Oliviero. “It’s not the biggest thing that’s ever happened to the Wave but it’s probably the least likely outcome in the playoffs that has ever happened in the teams existence.”
GAME ONE: Milwaukee Wave 8, Monterrey Flash 7. F/OT
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | HIGHLIGHTS
GAME TWO: Monterrey Flash 4, Milwaukee Wave 5. F/OT
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | WATCH
GAME THREE: Monterrey Flash 1, Milwaukee Wave 2 F/OT.
BOXSCORE | GAMESHEET | WATCH
“We’re going to enjoy this victory for more than one day,” added Oliviero. “Usually you hear a coach say, ‘We’re going to enjoy this one tonight, turn the page and get back to work the next day,’ No! We’re going to enjoy this one for the next couple of nights!”
The Milwaukee Wave await the winner of Utica City FC / Kansas City Comets for Round 2; the MASL Eastern Division Final.
“We know that Utica and KC play tomorrow in Game One of their series and then Game Two is the following Monday, April 15,” said Oliviero. “We've got some guys on the mend that now have some extra time to heal up and get ready.”
MASL EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINAL
GAME ONE: Utica City FC at Kansas City Comets, Monday, April 5, 6:30pm CT from Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri. (watch)
GAME TWO: Kansas City Comets at Utica City FC, Monday, April 15, 5:05pm CT from Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. (watch)
GAME THREE: *if necessary. Kansas City Comets at Utica City FC, Monday, April 15, 10 minutes after GAME TWO
from Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. (watch)
“Indoor soccer is such a great game!” declared Coach Oliviero. “No team is ever really out of it as you saw and the effort that these guys gave is something that I haven’t seen in a long time; I’m very proud of our team tonight!”
Giuliano Oliviero on…
Derek Huffman’s Game Winning Goal:
“That whole moment was surreal. I look up and I’m like, ‘Did that really just go in?’ ‘Did we really just knock out an undefeated team?’ ‘Did this really happen?’ and then I look over; the guys are celebrating and I had to pinch myself. It was awesome.”
The Monterrey Flash:
“Congratulations to Monterrey on a undefeated regular season. They are a class act! We’re happy we won but we certainly tip our hats and give all the credit in the world to Gerardo (Guerra) (Flash President) and Coach Borregos for an undefeated season. It’s pretty impressive what they did and it’s very difficult to do so nothing but respect for Monterrey.“
Team Injuries:
“Yeah, we’ve had a lot of injuries but guys like Max Ferdinand and Alex Sanchez have recently been two of our better players and then all of a sudden they go down with a knee injury and dislocated toe on Friday; so what now? Ian Bennett (lower leg) is already out, Marcio Leite (knee) is already out, Breno Oliveira (knee) is already out. We were in a tough spot, but Tony Walls had a gutsy performance while nursing a calf injury tonight; he didn’t make it though the whole game but now he has a couple of weeks to heal up. So do Max, Alex and Ian. We’re crossing our fingers.”
Stay tuned for Round Two Playoff information coming soon!
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