February 2, 2024 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Baltimore Blast News Release
Baltimore Blast celebrate win
(Baltimore Blast, Credit: Mikayla Mellis)
TOWSON, Md. – The Baltimore Blast earned a hard-fought win on Friday night at TU Arena, holding off a late rally from the Kansas City Comets.
Baltimore won, 7-5, led by two-point performances from Tony Donatelli, Victor Parreiras, Josh Hughes and Juan Pereira.
Kansas City scored the game’s first goal after a miscommunication on defense. Robert Palmer picked up the goal less than four minutes into the game. Minutes later, the Blast tied the game on a power play after Donatelli found Parreiras at the top of the box.
The Blast scored a second power-play goal with under two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Parreiras picked up his second goal of the day to give the Blast a 2-1 lead, which they took into the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Baltimore scored back-to-back goals. First, Mike Deasel, back in the game after a two-minute unsportsmanlike penalty, scored off an assist from Patrick Thompson. Then, Oumar Sylla scored less than a minute later, with Pereira picking up the assist.
Ricardinho Sobreira scored next for Baltimore, pushing it to five straight goals for Baltimore. Hughes recorded the assist.
Kansas City halted Baltimore’s run with a power play goal from Ignacio Flores. John Sosa picked up the assist to cut the Blast lead to 5-2.
Two players were ejected throughout the second quarter to end an intense first half. The second-quarter run by the Blast put them in front, 5-2.
The third quarter was filled with defensive stops. Kansas City netted the second half’s first goal with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Flores picked up an unassisted goal, his second of the night. The third quarter ended with Baltimore in front, 5-3.
Baltimore started the fourth quarter strong, with Hughes sending the ball across the middle of the field to Jesus Pacheco for the easy goal. The Comets refused to go away, though, with Zach Reget scoring after the assist from Sosa. Less than a minute later, Leo Gibson assisted on a goal for Palmer, and Kansas City cut the deficit to 6-5.
The Blast put the game away with a goal in the final minute to push the lead to two goals and won the match, 7-5.
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