January 5, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore Blast battle the St. Louis Ambush
(Baltimore Blast, Credit: Mikayla Mellis)
TOWSON, MD – The Baltimore Blast rallied from down two goals in the fourth quarter to force overtime against the St. Louis Ambush.
Mike Deasel was the hero in overtime. He nailed a shot from close to midfield to give Baltimore the team’s first overtime win of the season.
Baltimore played from behind the entire game, with the only lead coming after Deasel’s game-winner.
William Eskay had the game’s first two goals in the first five minutes. St. Louis took a 2-0 lead. Tony Donatelli scored on a penalty kick with just under eight minutes remaining in the opening quarter to give Baltimore a goal.
The high-scoring first quarter ended with a 4-2 Ambush lead behind two goals and an assist from Eskay.
Baltimore scored the second quarter’s first goal on a power play after Ambush goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento picked up a blue card for a handball. Pereira scored the goal and got the crowd at TU Arena on its feet.
The only other goal in the second quarter came in the final 20 seconds when Nascimento found Almeida downfield, and he put it in the back of the net. St. Louis took a 5-3 lead at halftime.
Jesus Pacheco netted his second goal of the night after a pass by Pereira fell right by the net. Pacheco scored in the quarter’s final minute, cutting Baltimore’s deficit to 5-4.
Baltimore scored again with 11:29 remaining in the game to tie it at 5-5. Donatelli scored his second goal of the game off the assist from Jereme Raley. St. Louis quickly responded less than a minute later to regain the lead after Christian Briggs kept it himself and scored from the left side of the box.
St. Louis scored a goal with less than five minutes remaining to give them a two-goal lead, prompting Baltimore to bring a sixth attacker into the game. Curtis Kirby scored on a pass from Triston Austin.
However, Baltimore refused to go away. Jamie Thomas scored less than a minute later to cut the Blast deficit to one goal. Pacheco picked up the assist. Another goal with 31 seconds left tied the game up. Jamie Thomas scored off the assist from Moises Gonzalez.
In overtime, the two teams went back and forth for nearly five minutes before Deasel netted the game-winning goal to give Baltimore the win.
MASL Match Report 1/5/24
St. Louis Ambush @ Baltimore Blast: TU Arena
Kickoff: 7:35 p.m. ET
Scoring Summary:
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Final
St. Louis 4…