Chicago Storm 9-19 Baltimore Blast

by Dan Gaichas

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL--Two goals by Denison Cabral and 16 saves by keeper Sagu led the Baltimore Blast to a 19-9 win over the Storm.  With the loss, the Storm fall to fourth place in the MISL standings. 

The Blast wasted little time going in front as Denison Cabral scored a three-point goal after just five seconds.  Five minutes later, Carlos Garcia intercepted a poor clearance from Storm keeper Jeff Richey and fed the ball to Giuliano Celenza for an easy finish.

It got worse for the Storm over a minute later as Cabral’s shot went off the boards, off Jeff Richey’s back, and into the back of the net to make it 7-0.  Richey’s night would come to an end after just 11:41 after Lucio Gonzaga rocketed a three-point goal into the upper 90 and Jim Larkin would enter the game. 

The Storm finally got on the board 2:49 into the second quarter as Fabinho rounded a defender and scored from close range.  Two minutes later, Fabinho would then cut the deficit to five points scoring a three-point goal.

"I'm happy about getting the two goals," Fabinho said. "Because the team needed it and not for myself. I wanted to step up and help the team by scoring goals. I wanted the ball, just kept shooting and tried to get the goals.'

The Blast would score 1:15 into the third quarter as Machel Millwood would score from just inside the three-point arch to make it 12-5.  Then, Michael Todd went around the corner and flicked the ball past Larkin to tap the ball in to give the Blast a nine-point lead.  Ian Bennett pulled a couple points back for the Storm after scoring off a rebound from Matthew Stewart’s initial shot. 

Baltimore continued to score early in quarters as Millwood scored his second of the match tapping in a rebound after Celenza’s initial shot.  Mark Ughy pulled the Storm to within seven on a power play goal with 9:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.  The Blast added an empty-net goal through Robbie Aristodemo, but not before sixth attacker John Ball let the ball go through his legs and let it roll into the net to end the scoring.

“I wrote on the board, ‘not our night,’” said Storm head coach Steve Morris.  “I didn’t think we played that bad.  I thought we played some pretty good stuff at times.

“We’ve had so many guys in and out of the lineup, it’s a little bit choppy right now.  Our goal in the next (six) games is to get as smooth and as back to our brand of soccer as soon as possible.

“We gave up two bad goals at the start of the third quarter that deflated us, but they fought their hearts out, tonight.  It just wasn’t going our way. (Baltimore) earned their breaks with how they’re playing.  I’m a big believer in that you earn your luck.”

Morris, however, would not dwell on the fact that the Storm were without Randy Soderman and the suspended Stephen Armstrong.

“We’ve missed guys all the time, but we’ve never dwelled on who’s not in the lineup.  We’ve always tried to play with who’s in the lineup.  (Randy Soderman and Armstrong missing) is not the reason we lost.”

However, there was one player that Morris misses a lot.

“We miss one guy, and it’s (Will Kleitzen),” said Morris.  “He’s tough, he’s hard, and he’s athletic.  That was a big blow when he went down this year (with a torn ACL) for a kid who played five games last year.”

Morris feels that the Storm can still make the playoffs and perhaps a first-round bye.  It will just take another way of getting there.

“I remember once we won a championship in Milwaukee and once we won it wire to wire,” Morris reminisced.  “Another time we won it, we went 1-7 to start the season.  (Milwaukee head coach Keith Tozer) was ready to trade half the team.  Every veteran was in extra practice, on the bike, and doing extra fitness work.  We won the championship that year and I remember getting up in front of the crowd and said, ‘It’s a different path up the mountain this year.’

“We’re up the same mountain.  We’re going to get to the same level, but it’s just a different path this year.”

The Storm will look to take that path starting this Thursday in Monterrey against La Raza.  Kickoff is at 8:30pm.

SCORING SUMMARY:

(1st) BAL-Cabral (Neto)(3PT) :05

(1st) BAL-Celenza (Garcia) 5:13

(1st) BAL-Cabral (Wakefield)(PPG) 6:21

(1st) BAL-Gonzaga (Nelson)(3PT) 11:41

(2nd) CHI-Fabinho (Bollella) 2:49

(2nd) CHI-Fabinho (unassisted)(3PT) 4:58

(3rd) BAL-Millwood (Garcia) 1:15

(3rd) BAL-Todd (Wakefield) 5:51

(3rd) CHI-Bennett (Stewart) 11:14

(4th) BAL-Millwood (Celenza) 1:32

(4th) CHI-Ughy (Fabinho)(PPG) 5:43

(4th) CHI-Aristodemo (Lookingland)(3PT)(ENG) 11:49

PENALTY SUMMARY:

(1st) CHI-Cigliano (blue, tripping) 6:09

(3rd) CHI-Ughy (blue, boarding) 2:59

(4th) BAL-Aristodemo (blue, holding) 4:57

SHOTS:  CHI 24-22 BAL

SAVES:  CHI 7-16 BAL

BLOCKS: CHI 7-4 BAL

FOULS:  CHI 14-16 BAL

POWER PLAYS:  CHI 1-1; BAL 1-2

Man of the Match:  Sagu (BAL) with 16 saves.

Second Star:  Denison Cabral (BAL) with two goals.

Third Star: Fabinho (CHI) with two goals and an assist.