RNC Playoffs // Day Two Recap
Playoffs: DAY TWO RECAP
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or positions of the Major Arena Soccer League.**
Blast Takes Down Utica to Win Game Seven
If the regular season is a marathon, the playoffs are a sprint. Utica and Baltimore faced off six times in the regular season, but game seven held the most weight. In a game that ebbed and flowed from frantic to methodical, Baltimore proved they could hold their own in all phases with a 6-2 win over Utica.
For a third time this weekend, defense was the name of the game. The Blast, who gave up the second fewest shots per game and the third fewest goals per game during the regular season, carried that into the playoffs and their game plan worked perfectly. Head coach David Bascome’s side prioritizes defense first while focusing on the fundamentals and limiting mistakes. Especially in a one-off playoff format such as this, consistency across all four quarters is crucial.
In goal, Julian Rodriguez enjoyed an incredible night. He made 13 saves on 15 shots for an 86.7% save percentage, and several of his saves kept the Blast alive. His acrobatic shot-stopping ability is one of the best in the league, and in difficult and tense contests, his steady hand takes pressure off the rest of the team
The Blast initially presented a possession-based outlook, but as the game developed, they attempted to embrace the quick transition game that Utica craves. They doubled their lead on the counter and even into the second half and looked dangerous, despite several near misses. However, their bread and butter remained those moments of possession, and for the rest of the game, they managed to bury Utica with possession and clinical finishing from every position.
“Scoring from all three lines has been our golden ticket,” said coach Bascome. “We don’t have any one player who is going to get you all the goals. You gotta share the love."
Set pieces featured prominently in the contest, and the Blast managed to take advantage with a clinical goal right before the half-time break giving them a 3-2 lead. Their misdirection tactics worked as the Blast players dispersed and Victor Parreiras layed the ball off for Oumar Sylla who converted, changing Utica’s halftime teamtalk in the process.
Utica couldn’t find their footing throughout the game, save for a three minute span in the second quarter when they managed to score both of their goals. Mehrshad Ahmadi’s relentless play was crucial as he scored the first goals and assisted the second. In those fleeting chaotic moments, Utica found success, but they couldn’t keep it up for the whole game.
Head coach Hewerton’s system prioritizes speed in transition and creating individual matchups to pull players out of position, which in turn creates gaps for his side to play through or around. For that to work, the team’s runs need to be perfect, and on the night, those runs were off a bit more than normal. So often, they would make the pass to the back post or off the boards to the top of the box, and the runs either weren’t there yet or had just gone through.
Baltimore and their elite defense held, and their reward is a date with the hosts. They’ll be up against one of the league’s best sides and, specifically, one of the league’s best defenses, who also had an extra day of rest. They’ll need to eradicate their sloppy mistakes that went unpunished against Utica because the Sockers will not be as forgiving. Tune in to CBS Sports Golazo Network Today, Apr. 6, at 8:30 EDT to see who can clinch a spot in the Ron Newman Cup Finals.
Milwaukee gets revenge over Kansas City
In a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Comets and Wave squared off in the last quarterfinal, with a spot against Chihuahua up for grabs.
The fourth game this season between these two sides promised to be intense, as the Comets committed to their high pressing and transition based system while Milwaukee felt content to play through pressure and possess. What resulted was one of the most chaotic and enthralling contests of the season, as Milwaukee edged out their bitter rivals with an 11-7 win.
The cagy affair opened early as the Comets pressed on the Wave’s initial possession, which led to the game’s first goal after just 24 seconds. That moment set the tone for this crazy game and allowed both teams to play with reckless abandon. This was as physical of a game as we’ve seen this weekend, and the players took full advantage, pushing the limits of the officiating crew’s judgment at times.
While Milwaukee struggled to find the net early, they grew into the game and created pockets of momentum with crucial defensive stops and turned that into several good chances. They found comfort in possession, and even when the Comets pressed, the Wave managed to retain the ball much of the time, which then opened up space downfield for their midfielders to run and join the attack.
Both defenses struggled and as the game progressed, it became more of a slug fest between these two high-powered offenses. When the scores start to jump, secondary scoring becomes so important, and Milwaukee excelled in that regard. Ricardo Carvalho, Alex Sanchez, and Alex Steinwascher all finished the game with three points while Ian Bennett posted a four-goal game, continuing his tremendous form into the playoffs.
Alex Steinwasher, specifically, was spectacular. He was instrumental in breaking up the Comets’ transition game and regularly won the ball back before playing it long for his team to counter. On offense, he was a monster, with an assist and two goals, including a surgical run from deep that ended with a self-wallascora to give Milwaukee a 7-5 lead.
Coach Giuliano Oliviero spoke pregame about the importance of secondary scoring and post game, he shared that sentiment saying, “We talked about secondary scoring and you saw Alex Steinwascher, I thought he was a huge part of it tonight, so we’re extremely happy.”
On the other side of the bench, the Comets jumped out early but struggled to roll with the punches. The momentum shifted everytime something went Milwaukee’s way and the team’s body language reflected that. Their press, from which we’ve come to expect near perfection, was often disconnected and allowed Milwaukee the ability to break and transition, creating very dangerous opportunities they now needed to defend.
Before the game, coach Stokic mentioned the importance of winning tight games in the playoffs, a trend we’ve seen all weekend, but against Milwaukee, Kansas City couldn’t build or even hold a lead. Kyle Greig scored his second career MASL goal to give the Comets a 3-1 lead in the second quarter, but the Wave clawed their way back with three quick goals to level the score at half.
Sloppy mistakes cost the Comets in the third quarter, including a too-many-men penalty that Milwaukee converted. The Wave exploded in the third quarter with three goals, and in an attempt to get back in the game, Kansas City’s press became more prevalent, allowing Milwaukee to continue breaking forwards on surging runs, a trend that continued into the 4th quarter as the Wave kept scoring. A few more late penalties and a red card for Rian Marques took the game out of their hands as the Wave secured the 11-7 win.
“It’s a rivalry game,” said Ian Bennett. “They knocked us out last year and we wanted to make sure we knocked them out this year, and we did.”
Next up for Milwaukee is the early game Today at 5:00 PM EDT against the MASL Shield-winning Chihuahua Savage. These two teams met on a Tuesday morning earlier this year as the Savage escaped with an overtime win. It will take a monumental effort for the Wave to turn around and get a result, but coach Oliviero can’t wait for the opportunity to compete.
“I didn’t want to be the guy watching in the stands tomorrow, I wanted to be a part of it. We put our best foot forward, and we’re excited to be back, right where we were last year.”