MISL News Release
Monday, January 30, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The Baltimore Blast and Milwaukee Wave have both booked their places in the MISL Playoffs, with both teams taking a pair of victories in the past week to put them out of reach of the third-placed Syracuse Silver Knights in the Eastern Division and Wichita Wings in the Central.
Baltimore won on back-to-back nights on Friday and Saturday, first defeating the Norfolk SharX 18-10 and then the Rochester Lancers 8-7. The Blast, who reached the 2011 MISL Championship Series, are seven games ahead of the Silver Knights, with Syracuse only having six games remaining on their regular-season schedule.
The Blast can clinch home field for the Eastern Division Finals should they take victory on Wednesday night against the Norfolk SharX, as they hold the tiebreaker against second-place Rochester after sweeping their regular-season series 4-0. It is the Blast’s fifth consecutive playoff appearance, with the club having won five championships in its history.
Milwaukee clinched its place in the Central Division Finals with Sunday’s 25-10 victory against the Syracuse Silver Knights, which was also Coach Keith Tozer’s 700th career victory. The Wave can be tied in the wins column by third-place Wichita, but have already won the season series with two games remaining between the two teams in the regular season.
The Wave, who won the 2011 MISL Championship, will need to win two more games to clinch home field for the Central Division Finals. They currently hold a 4.5 game lead on the Missouri Comets for the Division lead. The Wave are making their 17th consecutive appearance in the postseason, having won five championships overall.
Focus now turns to the battle for the remaining playoff places. In the Eastern Division, the Rochester Lancers hold a two-game lead over the Syracuse Silver Knights with both teams having six games to play. In the Central Division, the Missouri Comets hold a 3.5-game lead on the Wichita Wings, but the Wings have three games in hand on the Comets, who have just five regular-season games remaining.
MISL action continues this week with three games, two of which can all be seen on MISL Live (www.misllivesoccer.com), the league’s free internet video service. Baltimore and Norfolk meet at 1st Mariner Arena on Wednesday night, followed by two games on Saturday as the Blast travel to meet Milwaukee at 6 p.m. CT and the Wichita Wings host the Rochester Lancers at 7:35 p.m. CT.